Top Rank Chairman Bob Arum says he favors the skillset of Naoya Inoue ‘way over’ Manny Pacquiao ahead of the Japanese superstar’s return.
Arum ran the rule over two of his legends as Inoue closes in on facing late replacement Ye Joon Kim on home soil. Inoue defends his undisputed super bantamweight crown, having unified the bantamweight division before moving up in weight.
Pacquiao, who worked with Arum for several years as he became world champion in eight weight classes, is a first-ballot Hall of Famer. Inoue will follow the Filipino great as soon as eligible but still have unfinished business in the sport.
Having promoted both, Arum was candid in his view that Inoue is the better fighter of the two.
“Boxers are unique. Manny Pacquiao was a great, great champion and was great for boxing,” Arum said, according to Sky Sports. “His career is legendary. Naoya Inoue’s career is even more legendary because, unlike Manny, he has gone through one division after another without losing a fight.
“You really can’t compare either of them because they’re both great fighters, but they’re also different. Manny was reckless in a lot of fights. That’s why he got knocked out in the last fight that he had with [Juan Manuel] Marquez because he went in on the attack and didn’t look out for an answering punch.
“But he was a great entertainer. He entertained the fans and was beloved in the Philippines and all over the United States. Now, Inoue is a much more disciplined fighter. He is much more correct in the ring. He doesn’t take foolish chances. Sometimes you do, but usually, he does not take foolish chances.
“I think that if it comes to the skillset, from a technical boxing standpoint, Inoue has it way over Manny Pacquiao. That’s not to denigrate Pacquiao, but it’s just to say that in Inoue, we have not only a ferocious knockout puncher but a very, very well-trained technical fighter.”
Following his stellar run, which may have one final chapter in 2025, Pacquiao is considered one of the top two fighters of this generation. Therefore, Inoue can expect to be of similar standing when he hangs up his gloves in the coming years.
Top Rank Boxing on ESPN: Inoue vs. Kim will stream live on Friday, Jan. 24, with a special early morning start time of 4:15 a.m. ET/ 1:15 a.m. PT exclusively on ESPN+ in the U.S.
The event takes place at Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan.
