Naoya Inoue Is Becoming A Bigger Monster

Naoya Inoue is boxing’s fixer. The peerless 122-pound Nippon warrior shows up after one-ring circuses soil the fight game, as last week’s hyper-moneyed breaking of Jake Paul's jaw surely did, to remind fans how pretty this most brutal of sports can sometimes be. On Saturday night in Riyadh, Inoue artfully pummeled previously unbeaten David Picasso about the head and breadbasket for 12 near-perfect rounds while retaining his undisputed super-bantamweight championship and enhancing his aura of indomitableness. 

Picasso, a 25-year-old Mexican fighter who entered the ring with a 32-0-1 record, had noticeable height and reach advantages over Inoue, and attempted to put them to use throughout. But it was clear from the opening bell that Picasso was no match for the Tokyo-based Inoue, 32. The Monster’s body attack was particularly ruthless and effective; at several points in the fight Picasso clearly gasped after taking an Inoue left hook to the right kidney. The DAZN microphones in Picasso’s corner picked up his admitting to his trainer/father, Chingo Picasso, between rounds that the body shots were hurting him bad.