Naoya Inoue slammed by Eddie Hearn for “horrific mismatch” in upcoming title defense; accused of ducking WBA mandatory

Naoya Inoue is reportedly set to face TJ Doheny infront of a packed home crowd in Japan in September. The pair will clash for the undisputed junior featherweight world titles, but the match-making for Inoue's upcoming fight has been picked apart by leading promoter Eddie Hearn.

Hearn accused the undefeated champion of avoiding a clash with his WBA mandatory challenger, Murodjon Akhmadaliev. The Matchroom Boxing chairman claimed that he knew "for a fact" that Inoue's camp was not eager to face Akhmadaliev, much to the Brit's confusion.

'Monster' is regarded as arguably the No.1 pound-for-pound boxer in the world right now, something that Hearn was swift to point out whilst discussing the upcoming junior featherweight title fight.

The promoter was recently interviewed by BoxNation, where he was asked to share his thoughts on Inoue vs. Doheny, and he said this:

"Gutted, devastated, disappointing for boxing. Disappointing for Japan. If I hadn't worked with TJ Doheny five or six years ago I would really go in on this fight. But I don't want to disrespect TJ because he's a nice guy."

He continued:

"It's a horrific mismatch. I don't understand why, for some reason, Team Inoue and Mr. Honda and everyone, I know for a fact, they don't like the Akhmadaliev fight. I don't understand that you've got a pound-for-pound arguably number one, who has the opportunity to fight his mandatory. I wouldn't expect him to pick Akhmadaliev in a voluntary... It's hard to say Inoue is ducking Akhmadaliev, but he actually is."

Watch Eddie Hearn discuss Naoya Inoue's next bout below (10:35):

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Naoya Inoue names himself and Terence Crawford as the world's best boxers

Terence Crawford was the recipient of the 2024 Best Boxer award at the latest edition of the ESPYs. However, many fans were left frustrated with the result, with Naoya Inoue and Oleksandr Usyk both nominated by fans as more worthy candidates.

Crawford made history in 2023 by beating Errol Spence Jr. to become the first male boxer to win undisputed world titles in two weight divisions. Inoue replicated the feat several months later and has since defended his undisputed junior featherweight crown.

During a recent interview with Top Rank Boxing, 'Monster' shared his pick for the world's best fighter, saying this:

"I think it's important for me to recognize myself as the best, but the Crawford-Spence fight is something that I have been very impressed with."

Watch Naoya Inoue's interview below (1:55):