Pacquiao On His Favorite Fighter

Manny Pacquiao has watched a lot of boxing. When asked which active fighter he enjoys most, the answer came quickly.

"I love to watch Inoue. Yeah, Inoue, the Japanese guy. He's fast, and he has his footwork,” Pacquiao

Pacquiao is the only eight-division world champion in history, a fighter whose combinations and explosive style redefined what was possible across multiple weight classes.

The connection between the two men predates Inoue's dominance. Pacquiao recalled offering the Japanese superstar advice early in his career, before he had won a world title.

"He asked me about what's better to train, and I told him footwork. When you have footwork, you can control your opponent. You can properly throw your combination punches without losing balance,” Pacquiao

Inoue has developed into arguably the finest pound-for-pound fighter on the planet, a four-belt unified bantamweight/" class="internal-link text-bone underline decoration-ash/30 hover:decoration-gold underline-offset-2">super-bantamweight champion whose combination of speed, power, and technical refinement has drawn comparisons to the sport's all-time greats.

In May, he made his latest successful defence, outpointing the previously unbeaten Junto Nakatani by unanimous decision in front of approximately 55,000 fans at the Tokyo Dome.

The similarities between Pacquiao and Inoue are evident enough that the admiration feels natural. Both fighters built their reputations on explosive offensive output, the ability to hurt opponents with either hand, and a relentless aggression.