Naoya Inoue dismissed recent hearsay that his motivation had declined after Roman Gonzalez suffered a stunning loss.
On March 18, the Nicaraguan fell to Thailand's Srisaket Sor Rungvisai in a decision at New York's Madison Square Garden for the first defeat of his 47-bout professional career. A potential Gonzalez-Inoue matchup had been the subject of repeated speculation, but it is now unlikely to take place after the loss for "Chocolatito," who had been on top of the Ring Magazine's pound-for-pound list (Gonzalez dropped to No. 4 and Inoue is at No. 10).
The WBO super flyweight champion (12-0, 10 knockouts) said that his spirit is rather high as he has a chance to take a step forward by fighting in the United States in the near future.