'I couldn't feel my legs' - what it's like to fight Inoue

ByChris McKenna

Boxing writer

It has been described as feeling like an electric shock. That is what it is like to be hit by the boxer known as 'the Monster'.

One of the most feared punchers on the planet stands at 5ft 5in and weighs less than 9st. That man is Japan's Naoya Inoue.

On Saturday the four-weight world champion and two-division undisputed king will attempt to defend his super-bantamweight titles against compatriot and three-division champion Junto Nakatani at the Tokyo Dome.

Inoue has stopped opponents 27 times in 32 wins and put foes down on the canvas on more than 45 occasions.

Along with Oleksandr Usyk, he is one of the greatest fighters in the world.

Speaking to those who have fought him, BBC Sport finds out what is it like to face Inoue.

Paul Butler was a two-time world bantamweight champion and title challenger at super-flyweight before he faced Inoue in 2022.

The Briton held the WBO title that Inoue wanted in his quest to become an undisputed champion at bantamweight.

Butler took a deal to travel to Japan to face Inoue in his own backyard. He was preparing with trainer Joe Gallagher at home and the video research had him wincing.

"I've got in my mind for 12 weeks, when he hits me it's going to feel like a train hit me," Butler says.

"I've got Joe sending me sparring clips of Inoue.

"He's putting people over with 14oz gloves on and I'm thinking, 'wow, I wonder what he punches like with 8oz gloves on'."

When Butler stood with Inoue, he had renewed confidence because Inoue struggled with the weight cut.

"I remember having a face-to-face with him after the weigh-in and looking and thinking 'How on earth are you knocking people's spark out? Mate, you're tiny'," said Butler.

"Then he got in the ring the next day and he was massive.

"He had his back to me. I looked at his calves and I thought 'wow - the size of his legs'."

In 2020 Jason Moloney was offered the chance to face Inoue for the IBF and WBA bantamweight titles in a temporary venue known as 'The Bubble' at MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

The Australian jumped at the chance.

Moloney, who went on to become a WBO bantamweight champion in 2023, describes taking Inoue's best shots.

"It's like a shocking power," he says.

"You go into the fight - you know he's the Monster. You've seen his knockouts. You've heard about his power.

"He was throwing a few, I was catching a few on the gloves and I thought 'this is OK, this is nothing I can't handle'. But when he lands them, they're just so crisp.

"It's a real shock that just sort of goes right through you like electric. They're not nice to wear.

"In round eight as I'm moving round to my corner, he hit me with a backhand with two seconds to go.

"It hit me flush on the chin. I remember the bell going and I cannot remember a word of what Joe said to me in that corner.

"I remember standing up to go out for round nine and thinking 'wow, my legs are still shaky'. I still couldn't feel them.

"It's more so the timing, the speed and the accuracy.

"It's more the all-round power around it, rather than a one-shot Deontay Wilder-type power."

Butler lasted 11 rounds.

The plan to see if Inoue would tire after the early rounds because of his struggle to make weight did not pay off and Butler was sent to the canvas after a blisteringly fast body shot and sharp hook to the head.

"I felt the presence," says Butler.

"He felt like a boss. He moved me where he wanted to."

Moloney, who was stopped in the seventh round, believes it is not just the power, but how Inoue throws his shots that makes him so difficult to deal with.

"They're short; they're so precise; they're fast. They're the shots that you just don't see coming," Moloney said.

"He just pulls the trigger that fast and he throws a lot with real bad intentions.

"There's no extra fat on the shots, so you don't see him coming. He doesn't show that he's loading up.

"He doesn't show that he's trying to set a trap, but before you know it you're on the end of it."

Nakatani is the latest trying to end the remarkable run of Inoue in what is expected to be an exciting fight - but can he find a way to beat him?

Inoue's skills are showing little sign of waning even though he turned 33 last month. He has won 27 consecutive world title fights.

Moloney says he "really believed" he had what it takes to beat Inoue before their fight.

"But stepping in the ring and actually having him in front of me, it really cemented that thought that this guy really is something special," he says.

Inoue's desire to move through the weights and continue to collect titles could be the only thing which levels the playing field for his rivals.

"I've been face to face with him - he's a small man," says Butler.

"If he goes up to featherweight, size might beat him.

"But other than that, skill-wise, power, presence, ability - he's got everything."