Bob Arum Reveals If A Naoya Inoue Fight in The U.S. Will Remain A ‘Pipe Dream’

Arum was a guest on the 3 Knockdown Rule Podcast hosted by Steve Kim and Mario Lopez. In conversation, Kim asked Arum about the probability of Inoue fighting in America again, stressing that he makes much more money in Japan.

Notably, Inoue’s last performance in America was in 2021, when he defended WBA (Super), IBF, and The Ring bantamweight titles against Michael Dasmarinas (34-3-2, 23 KOs) at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas. “No, we’re talking to people who guarantee a big day if he fought in LA or in New York at Madison Square Garden. We could do a gate that is commensurate at least to the gates he would do in Japan,” Arum responded.

Moreover, he mentioned that he had a conversation with Jim Dolan, where he quizzed him on the potential price ringside for an Inoue fight. “He said 5000, maybe 7500. So, I think with those numbers, you could do a gate of over $20 million,” he said. “I mean, it’s not a pipe dream.”

“Challenge Yourself There”

There is no denying that Inoue certainly has plenty of options in the world of boxing. Meanwhile, former world champion Tim Bradley has a plan of action for Inoue to follow.

“There’s nobody there at 122 that is even on his level. So, go up to 126 pounds and face those guys there,” he said, hinting at a potential jump in weight classes. “Challenge yourself there. If he does that and is successful, that’s GOAT time stuff that we’re talking about, especially if he can win all the belts at 126 pounds. That’s something different.”