Naoya Inoue left rival flat on his back after just 60 seconds with savage one-punch KO that set him on path to WBSS glory

02/09/2024 16:25

Naoya Inoue showed his incredible talent when detonating a huge punch to stop Juan Carlos Payano.

Inoue has become one of boxing’s pound-for-pound leading fighters, with his heavy hands and elite technique seeing him dominate the lower weight classes and build up a huge reputation.

Throughout his career, ‘The Monster’ has left a trail of destruction in his wake wiping out some of the sport’s leading small-weight contenders with frightening punch power.

And one of his biggest statements came in the quarter final of the World Boxing Super Series, where he took on Juan Carlos Payano on home soil in Japan.

Payano had been defeated just once in his bantamweight career, but faced a serious uphill battle to beat the Japanese prodigy as the first bell rang.

And what followed was simply mind-blowing with Inoue flying out of the traps in front of his home crowd.

He managed to measure the distance perfectly, and unleashed a jabbing straight shot, which crushed the chin of Payano.

Inoue then clipped him with a follow-up right hand, but the damage had already been done by the first shot with the Mexican already falling backwards on to the canvas.

He fell flat on his back crashing to the mat, before rolling on to his side with the referee immediately coming to his attention.

The official waved off the contest as Inoue gestured to the crowd in celebration, with proceedings halted and a win inside sixty seconds granted for the Japanese star.

Payano then said after the fight: "He's just that great.

"I have fought the best in the world in the pros and amateurs. He is by far on a different level altogether. No one is going to beat him."

And his comments proved to be telling, as Inoue went on to romp to a win of the famous Muhammad Ali trophy in the bantamweight category.

In the semi-final the following year, he beat Emmmanuel Rodriguez in Glasgow picking up another KO blasting out his rival in the second round to pick up a world title in a second weight class.

But the final captured the imagination of fans as he took on veteran Nonito Donaire for his title in a twelve round blockbuster later that year.

He won by unanimous decision and claimed the trophy along with sizeable prize money, with unification immediately his plan.

Success in the series gave Inoue the springboard for a bright future, and after three successive defences of his title, he would unify the division with a win over Nonito Donaire for a second time in 2022.

Inoue picked up a third belt at bantamweight with a win over Paul Butler to become undisputed champion and complete the set.

But the Japanese star’s dominance wasn’t over as he moved up to super-bantamweight where he became a three-weight world champion with a dominant win over Stephen Fulton in 2023.

And in just his second fight at the category, Inoue had the opportunity to become a two-weight undisputed champion against Marlon Tapales.

And he did exactly that beating his rival with another stoppage to make Japanese history.

His popularity has continued to soar as he beat Luis Nery by KO to continue his dominance, and cement his status near the pinnacle of the pound-for-pound list.

He will next take on TJ Doheny in a world title defence, which will see him continue to look to assert his dominance.

But he believes he isn’t done yet and is only just reaching the peak of his powers.

"I don't think I am the finished product yet. I still have some way to go,” he said ahead of his latest outing.

“I know I can still evolve into a better fighter. I hope the fans can look forward to that as well.

“To win this fight I have to concentrate and knock him out. That's the only thing I keep in mind as I head into this fight.

“That's what I'm visualising now."