Although many people having been talking up one potential fantasy fight, Bob Arum has unequivocally shut it down.
The legendary American promoter has been promoting Naoya Inoue for several years and has helped establish him as a global star. Known for his knockout power, Inoue has risen through the ranks from light-flyweight where he won the WBC world title after just six professional fights back in 2014 and recently backed himself as the best on the planet.
All 22 of his contests since have been world title fights, and he remains undefeated, which is why many have talked up a potential fight with lightweight champion Gervonta Davis, who is also unbeaten.
Speaking on the Cigar Talk podcast, however, Arum played down the likelihood of ‘The Monster’ ever sharing a ring with Davis, explaining that he would be at too much of a physical disadvantage having already come up through the weights to get to super-bantamweight.
“In his last few fights, he is fighting 122lb guys and he is always the smaller guy. Even when he goes to 126lbs, which they are talking about going to, he is going to be massively smaller than the fighters that he fights. When he goes up, if he goes up to 135lbs – that is not going to be fair. No, [there is no way that I can see the Gervonta Davis fight happening] really. The size difference is monumental.”
Inoue already has his next contest lined up back home in Japan where he will take on Irish-born contender TJ Doheny, and beyond that it is rumoured he will fight in December for one last time at super-bantamweight against undefeated Australian Sam Goodman.
Davis is expected to unify his lightweight world title with that of Vasily Lomachenko, also promoted by Arum, later this year.
