Analyst criticizes Inoue's level of opposition since fighting Donaire

Veteran boxing analyst Ed Tolentino believes that The RING, IBF and WBA world bantamweight champion Naoya Inoue has faced relatively weak opposition since he fought Nonito Donaire Jr. almost three years ago.

Inoue (22-0, 19 KOs), currently ranked as the no. 4 pound-for-pound boxer in the world, went the distance with Donaire in 2019 in a bout that was touted fight of the year. It was his toughest fight to date, one where he suffered a fractured orbital bone courtesy of the Filipino.

"The three opponents he fought after Donaire, only Jason Moloney was not baloney. Let's be honest about it. Did we see skills against Aran Dipaen and Michael Dasmarinas? No, because he just walked past them like a tank going over a shanty," said Tolentino.

According to Tolentino, Inoue seemingly lost a bit of his confidence since that night in Japan even after winning his next three bouts via stoppage. After bulldozing his opponents for years, Inoue finally showed holes in his game and found a match in Donaire.

"His fight with Moloney was a good one because it was his first after the near holocaust against Donaire. There we saw his power, but with lessened swagger," Tolentino said.

"We saw what he learned against Donaire that he will not knock everybody out because there will be some who would retaliate."

—MGP, GMA News