GLASGOW, Scotland -- A pair of 26-year-old power punches will meet on May 18 on DAZN. They are IBF bantamweight champion Emmanuel Rodriguez and rising star Naoya Inoue. It won't just be Rodriguez's IBF strap on the line come fight night, the winner will also move on to the World Boxing Super Series bantamweight finals against Nonito Donaire.
Rodriguez (19-0, 12 KOs) fights behind a sharp jab that he often follows with an accurate straight right hand. The Puerto Rican has quick hands and plenty of power for the bantamweight division. Along with a sharp jab and skilled right hand Rodriguez also has an explosive left hook that he does a tremendous job of landing upstairs and to the body. What makes Rodriguez so dangerous is that he has the skills to fight well from the outside with his jab and right hand and he also has the power and tenacity to find success on the inside with his left hook. Defensively Rodriguez isn't the best and usually just puts on his earmuffs but he's an aggressive fighter whose offense is his defense.
Against Inoue, Rodriguez will be making the second defense of his IBF title. He won that then vacant title in 2018 against Paul Butler and defended it successfully against Jason Moloney that same year. However, despite being the champion bringing the title belt through this fight it will be Rodriguez who is taking the step up by facing Inoue. He hasn't faced anyone as good as Inoue in his seven year career and he's certainly never faced anyone who hits as hard.
If you don't have Inoue (17-0, 15 KOs) in your top 10 pound-for-pound you should probably revise your list. The rising Japanese star is one of the most devastating punches in the sport and has been running through everyone put in front of him. He lulls opponents to sleep by constantly pawing with his jab without really throwing it and then exploding with a two punch combination. Everything Inoue throws is fast and hard. He has an excellent jab, a devastating right hand, and a brutal left hook and while his power gets most of the attention, his speed should be talked about almost as much.
In Inoue's last two fights he took on arguably his two best opponents in former champions Juan Carlos Payano and Jamie McDonnell. Not only did he beat them both but he stopped each in the very first round and against Payano, did so in devastating fashion. Now the man known as 'Monster' will look to take Rodriguez's IBF title and move on to the finals to challenge Donaire.
This should be an exciting fight with plenty of powerful exchanges. Both Rodriguez and Inoue have plenty of power but Inoue's power is more dangerous so Rodriguez needs to be careful not to just throw caution to the wind and trade punches. Look for Rodriguez to play it safe early but staying really busy with his jab and picking his spots to get inside where he can unload some heavy leather and move back out of danger. As for Inoue, this seems like the type of fight where he will decide how aggressive to be once he tastes Rodriguez's power. If Rodriguez can't get enough respect with his power Inoue can go for the finish but if Rodriguez does get Inoue's attention the Japanese fighter will have to fight smarter and wait for his opportunities.
PREDICTION: Emmanuel Rodriguez is a good fighter with plenty of power. Unfortunately for him he's running into a better fighter with more power in Naoya Inoue. This will be a very exciting action fight for as long as it lasts which won't be long because Inoue will win this fight by the way of sixth round knockout.
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| Rodriguez shooting a jab |
Against Inoue, Rodriguez will be making the second defense of his IBF title. He won that then vacant title in 2018 against Paul Butler and defended it successfully against Jason Moloney that same year. However, despite being the champion bringing the title belt through this fight it will be Rodriguez who is taking the step up by facing Inoue. He hasn't faced anyone as good as Inoue in his seven year career and he's certainly never faced anyone who hits as hard.
If you don't have Inoue (17-0, 15 KOs) in your top 10 pound-for-pound you should probably revise your list. The rising Japanese star is one of the most devastating punches in the sport and has been running through everyone put in front of him. He lulls opponents to sleep by constantly pawing with his jab without really throwing it and then exploding with a two punch combination. Everything Inoue throws is fast and hard. He has an excellent jab, a devastating right hand, and a brutal left hook and while his power gets most of the attention, his speed should be talked about almost as much.
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| Inoue celebrating his knockout of Juan Carlos Payano |
This should be an exciting fight with plenty of powerful exchanges. Both Rodriguez and Inoue have plenty of power but Inoue's power is more dangerous so Rodriguez needs to be careful not to just throw caution to the wind and trade punches. Look for Rodriguez to play it safe early but staying really busy with his jab and picking his spots to get inside where he can unload some heavy leather and move back out of danger. As for Inoue, this seems like the type of fight where he will decide how aggressive to be once he tastes Rodriguez's power. If Rodriguez can't get enough respect with his power Inoue can go for the finish but if Rodriguez does get Inoue's attention the Japanese fighter will have to fight smarter and wait for his opportunities.
PREDICTION: Emmanuel Rodriguez is a good fighter with plenty of power. Unfortunately for him he's running into a better fighter with more power in Naoya Inoue. This will be a very exciting action fight for as long as it lasts which won't be long because Inoue will win this fight by the way of sixth round knockout.
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