Will Naoya Inoue now meet John Riel Casimero in a unification fight in 2022?
Tuesday 14 December 2021 13:05, UK
Naoya Inoue stopped Aran Dipaen in eight dominant rounds on Tuesday in Japan to deliver a reminder of his status as one of boxing's hardest hitters.
The undefeated 'Monster' retained his IBF and WBA bantamweight championships and extended his record to 22-0 with 19 knockouts.
The Japanese star, who is promoted by Top Rank in the USA, is among the world's top pound-for-pound fighters.
He was in complete control of his Thai challenger Dipaen throughout the fight, inflicting a bloody nose and wobbling him on several occasions.
Inoue knocked Dipaen down for the first time in the eighth.
Dipaen bravely got up but another Inoue onslaught forced the referee to intervene.
Inoue can look ahead to potentially huge fights in 2022.
John Riel Casimero holds the WBO title and was scheduled to fight Inoue last year before the pandemic interrupted those plans.
Their collision course could now be realised next year.
Nonito Donaire, who gave Inoue his hardest fight, is the WBC champion despite being 39 years old.
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