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Philippines, 19 Feb 2026 |
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Inoue Is the Only Undisputed Titlist Now; "Naoya is Avoiding Me!"- MJ Akhmadaliev By Teodoro Medina Reynoso PhilBoxing.com Thu, 03 Oct 2024  With Daniel Dubois formalizing his ascendance as IBF world heavyweight champion, Naoya Inoue is currently the only undisputed world boxing titlist in the four belt era. Dubois scored at least a couple of knockdowns on the way to a dominating 5th round knockout of erstwhile unified champion Anthony Joshua at the Wembly Stadium in London to legitimize his claim of the IBF belt vacated by former undisputed titlist Oleksandr Usyk of Ukraine. Usyk had earlier become undisputed heavyweight champion when he outpointed Tyson Fury adding the WBC belt to his former three belts. On the other hand, Dubois defeated fellow top ranking contender Filip Hrovic for the IBF interim title. Much earlier, the IBF had also withdrawn recognition to erstwhile undisputed world welterweight kingpin Terrence Crawford for his refusal to defend against Jason Ennis. Crawford has since relinquished his other titles except that of the WBC which recognizes him as champion in recess. Crawford recently won the WBA super welterweight crown from Israil Madrimov hence it is doubtful if he will move back down to 147 lbs again. It is also the IBF that forced Canelo Alvarez to give up his belt ending his undisputed hold of the world super middleweight championship. Alvarez is angling to fight the winner of the Artur Beterbiev-Dmitri Bivol bout for the undisputed world light heavyweight championship this coming October 12, 2024 in Riyadh. Only by then that either Beterbiev or Bivol will join Inoue as undisputed world champion. Inoue could have lost his undisputed champion status at around the same time as Canelo had the WBA been as decisive as the IBF. As thing stands now, Inoue is set to defend his undisputed world super bantamweight championship against Sam Goodman in Japan this December. Meanwhile former unified champion and WBA mandatory challenger Morudjon Akhmadaliev of Uzbekistan talked to Boxing News via zoom recently and expressed his exasperation over what has happened to him and his career with Inoue "avoiding to fight and defend" against him. Speaking through an interpreter, MJ took the WBA to task for its vacillation, first by going against its own ruling of an immediate rematch with Marlon Tapales following Akhmadaliev's alleged controversial title loss by agreeing to a Tapales-Inoue unification. MJ said he stepped aside with the promise that he will be mandatory challenger for the winner who turned out to be Inoue. As former WBA-IBF titlist, Akhmadaliev said he was also supposed to be the IBF mandatory after Inoue defended against his WBC mandatory Luis Nery. But for some reason, the IBF elevated Goodman leaving him as just the WBA mandatory challenger to Inoue. But even then, MJ said he could have fought Inoue when Goodman pulled out of the September scheduled fight with Inoue and requested for a December challenge. But Inoue refused to fight him and the WBA did not force the issue when Naoya opted for TJ Doheny. Akhmadaliev said that Naoya is among the best pound for pound fighters in the world but "he is not the best 122 pounder unless he fights and beats me." MJ said he will fight Inoue anywhere, even in Japan "for all my boxing life since the amateurs, I have fought in enemy territory". There is still no word that Inoue will defend against Akhmadaliev should he gets past Goodman in December. The author Teodoro Medina Reynoso is a veteran boxing radio talk show host living in the Philippines. He can be reached at teddyreynoso@yahoo.com and by phone 09215309477. Click here to view a list of other articles written by Teodoro Medina Reynoso.  |
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