Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn has accused pound-for-pound star Naoya Inoue of avoiding the fiercest opposition at 122 lbs.
The Japanese sensation is gearing up to defend his undisputed super bantamweight crown against unbeaten contender Sam Goodman on December 24.
But despite looking to take care of business against his IBF mandatory challenger, ‘The Monster’ has twice been ordered to face Murodjon Akhmadaliev.
And so, in a bid to bolster his fighter’s number one position with the WBA, Eddie Hearn has claimed that Inoue is swerving a dangerous clash with Akhmadaliev.
Eddie Hearn urges Naoya Inoue to fight Murodjon Akhmadaliev
Inoue is widely regarded as one of the most ferocious operators in boxing, with 25 of his 28 professional victories ending in devastating fashion.
The 31-year-old comes off a typically destructive performance against TJ Doheny, producing a spiteful seventh-round finish to retain his jewellery.
Not only that, but Inoue has now become a two-division undisputed king, tearing through the lower weight classes with his pulverizing power and ruthless killer instinct.
But still, Hearn insists that the lethal knockout artist has no desire to face Akhmadaliev, while also claiming that the Uzbek would provide his toughest test.
Since losing his IBF and WBA super bantamweight trinkets to Marlon Tapales last year, ‘MJ’ has bounced back with just one victory over Kevin Gonzalez.
Now, the 30-year-old looks to push his position as Inoue’s number one challenger with the WBA, taking on Ricardo Espinoza Franco this Saturday in Monaco.
“Inoue is flat-out ducking Akhmadaliev,” Hearn told IFL TV. “You can’t deny it.
“He got ordered to fight [Akhmadaliev] by the WBA – he didn’t have an opponent, nothing.
“It’s a really good fight… It’s the only competitive fight for Inoue. He paid to get an exception to not fight Akhmadaliev.
“No disrespect to Sam Goodman – who’s a tough kid – [but he] cannot win a round against Inoue. It’s a bloodbath. MJ’s the only fight for him.”
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While he must first get past Goodman at the end of this year, Inoue’s promoter, Top Rank boss Bob Arum, is already in the process of planning his following two outings.
Seemingly, the hope is to stage Inoue’s first showdown of 2025 in the US, with unbeaten Mexican contender David Picasso being mooted as a potential opponent.
Then, a far more appetizing matchup against WBC bantamweight king Junto Nakatani is expected to take place at the Tokyo Dome, Japan, next summer.
So with Akhmadaliev seemingly being left on the shelf, it is difficult to see how the WBA mandatory challenger can entice Inoue into a possible battle.