In this week’s mailbag, we tackle your thoughts on Naoya Inoue following his visit to the canvas in an entertaining victory over Ramon Cardenas; Canelo Alvarez after his unentertaining victory over William Scull; and Devin Haney’s emphasis on foot movement over hand movement in his win over Jose Ramirez.

Want to be featured in the mailbag? Comment or ask a question in the comments section below. Submissions may be edited for length and clarity. We also may select readers’ comments from other BoxingScene stories.

NAOYA INOUE HIT HIS CEILING

The constant comparisons of Naoya Inoue to Manny Pacquiao need to stop now. Getting dropped by B- and C-tiers like Luis Nery and Ramon Cardenas is not a good look. They will never be on the level of Hall of Fame all-time greats like Marco Antonio Barrera or Erik Morales. He already hit his ceiling. That's 122lbs. 

That's only a 14-pound jump from his initial weight class, which is 108lbs. And he's already 32 years old. That's too late to jump another weight class. His power will be ineffective and felt nothing by those featherweights. Pacquiao went from 108lbs to 154lbs. A 46-pound jump. Inoue will be lucky if he beats Espinoza. 

-RuleOfTheSpear

David Greisman’s response: Whether someone is trying to compliment Naoya Inoue or criticize him, it’s unfair to try to hold him – or anyone else – to Manny Pacquiao’s standard. Pacquiao is one of the best ever. Naoya Inoue is one of the best of this generation. And that is still pretty damn amazing.

Inoue gets a lot of hate, some of it from people who haven’t been following boxing for the duration of his career, some from people who haven’t followed the lower weight classes that closely and just might not be familiar with how good many of his opponents were, and therefore how impressive it was what Inoue did against them. 

What Inoue has done, and what he is still doing, is sensational.

He blew through one of the top junior flyweights, Adrian Hernandez, for his first world title in just his sixth pro fight. (Two fights earlier, Inoue beat Ryoichi Taguchi by decision in a victory that aged even better given everything Taguchi went on to accomplish himself.) Inoue skipped flyweight and went straight to 115lbs and obliterated the consensus top guy there, Omar Narvaez.

It’s unfortunate that Inoue’s time at junior bantamweight didn’t quite align with the New Four Kings, who were either occupied or not in the division at the same time. As I wrote last year: “Naoya Inoue had a three-year world title run from the end of 2014 through 2017. Sadly, the timing didn’t align right for fights with the rest. Roman Gonzalez joined the division at the tail end of 2016 with a win over Carlos Cuadras and had his two fights with Sor Rungvisai in 2017, losing one controversially and the other brutally. Estrada arrived at 115lbs himself at the start of 2017 and took on Cuadras later that year. By 2018, Inoue had moved up to bantamweight to begin his great run there.”

It was astonishing to see Inoue blast out Juan Carlos Payano in 70 seconds and Emmanuel Rodriguez in one and a half rounds. The people who crap on Inoue being dragged into a war with an old, past-his-prime Nonito Donaire seem to be glossing over how revitalized Donaire looked after returning to a more natural weight class for his body. (Few mock Floyd Mayweather Jnr, nor should he be, for his battles with Marcos Maidana, who’d been given hell years before by an ancient Erik Morales and who had already lost to Amir Khan and Devon Alexander.)

At 122? Inoue immediately crushed the top guy, Stephen Fulton. Was Fulton harmed by draining his body? Perhaps. But that was out of Inoue’s control. He’s beaten Fulton and everyone else put in front of him, has done far more than anyone else in the weight class right now has done, and has done it in a remarkable manner.

As for Nery and Cardenas, you’re telling on yourself – or trolling – with your description. Nery was one of the top remaining contenders, and not just the scraps left over after all the good stuff had been taken at a dinner party. Cardenas wasn’t prominent but was deserving, as shown in his win over Bryan Acosta in February, then shown again last weekend. On this night at least, it was Cardenas proving himself better than people expected – not proving Inoue worse than believed. 

Yes, Inoue has been caught and dropped twice. Fighters are going to get hurt when they make mistakes and leave themselves vulnerable for great shots from good fighters. It happened with Pacquiao both early and later in his career. 

Your deserving praise for Marco Antonio Barrera? I wonder what you would have thought of him after his losses to Junior Jones. How about that Muhammad Ali guy getting dropped by Henry Cooper – and perhaps saved by shenanigans – only to win the heavyweight championship one fight later? Would you have written off a young Andre Ward after he was downed by legendary journeyman Darnell Boone?

Does that mean Inoue’s reign will last forever? No. He’s not perfect. But he’s still one of the best until someone proves otherwise. And even once Inoue does lose, that won’t retroactively rewrite the way we look at his career. 

WHY SO MUCH HATE FOR NAOYA INOUE?

I don't get at all the hate on Naoya Inoue from some of y’all. Is he vulnerable at 122? Yes. Should his achievements be compared to Pacquiao's? Probably not, and his career arc is quite different from Manny’s. But he is must-watch entertainment, and a beauty to watch as he unfolds his arsenal unto his opponents. 

There's no one like him in boxing right now, except maybe Boots, and the status of Ennis hasn’t yet been set in stone. I can’t wait for Inoue's fights with Murodjon “MJ” Akhmadaliev and Junto Nakatani. Those will be very serious challenges for him. Oh, and by the way, I don’t ever see Inoue suddenly changing his spots and becoming a defensive boxer. That's just not who he is.

-lilacp

Tris Dixon’s response: The lack of marquee names is, I believe, what hurts Inoue with those who hate on him. True boxing fans know, appreciate and respect what he is doing. But there’s still an element out there who thinks he’s done nothing unless he wipes out Gervonta “Tank” Davis. That’s sad, but it’s where he is. 

Should Inoue get the fights with the likes of MJ, Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez and Nakatani, that will satisfy more fans. But when you think of a Pacquaio, who was able to transcend through the likes of Oscar De La Hoya, Ricky Hatton and Miguel Cotto, those same parallels don’t exist for Inoue. 

We just need to enjoy him while he’s here, because there’s a good chance that in 12-18 months he will no longer be flying high. And I’d rather see him fight as he does for a shorter period of time than prolong his career and adapt and become more defensive. He doesn’t need to prolong anything. He’s 30-0 and plenty wealthy enough.

INOUE WILL BE FINE AT FEATHERWEIGHT

People keep talking about “If Inoue gets hit like that at 126” – like, what the fuck, are guys moving up in weight not supposed to get hit at all, or the moment they get hit then they get knocked out or something??? I'm sure he’ll be fine. 

-IceTrayDaGang

Owen Lewis’ response: It’s been amusing how people have been discussing Inoue like a fragile flower since he got knocked down. Sure, Luis Nery and Ramon Cardenas tagged him with left hands – knocking him down hard both times, by the way – but we’re talking about individual punches here. Anyone who’s ever watched Inoue box or listened to him talk knows that he loves a firefight, which means he’ll get hit more often.

I imagine Inoue will fight with a bit more caution against heavier or more powerful foes, but even if he doesn’t, I think all the speculating about what will happen to him is a bit overblown. Yes, it’s absolutely tantalizing to have such an elite champion with a tendency to get clocked by huge left hands. It makes Inoue vulnerable even as he cuts through opponents like a buzzsaw in a way that Terence Crawford and even Oleksandr Usyk aren’t really, despite the latter’s presence in a division with the biggest punchers of all.

But Inoue also eviscerated Nery and Cardenas for practically every second that he wasn’t on the canvas. He’s still dominant; he’s just tasting more thunder now. Let’s wait for him to fight someone with even more lightning in his fists before predicting his demise.

NO ONE WOULD LOOK GOOD AGAINST WILLIAM SCULL

I'll be honest – if Scull fought like this against anyone else, how good do you think they would look? These types of fighters are called spoilers for a reason. Does it mean Canelo couldn’t have done more? No, but you’re never gonna look good against an opponent like this when they are hellbent on survival and not winning. 

-damned1974

Lucas Ketelle’s response: Scull is indeed a spoiler, as you mentioned. He is a high-risk, low-reward opponent who primarily aims to go the distance and be hard to hit. If Canelo were to give him an opportunity, Scull would try to find ways to win rounds. Scull's nature in the ring is to be risk-averse, and against Canelo, the only way he could have secured a victory would have been by taking risks.

Scull sums up a weekend in which a majority of fighters didn’t take the risks traditional all-time great fighters take. While Ramon Cardenas lost to Naoya Inoue this weekend , he will find himself beloved by fans for the risks he took and how he looked while trying to seize a big moment. Scull, on the other hand, will be remembered for fighting Canelo, and if he is on TV for the next fight, who knows?

Scull is the perfect example of a solid amateur style that functions well at a certain level of professional boxing, though it may not be suitable for the highest levels. Yes, Scull throws power shots, but he mostly moves around the ring and avoids action. In short, it is hard to stop someone who does not want to be stopped and even harder to fight someone who is not always looking to engage. Scull’s world-class trait is halting momentum, and making action limited in a fight. Neither will endear you to fans at the highest level of the sport.

CANELO ALVAREZ IS DECAYING, EVEN IF HE’S STILL GREAT

I think whenever a fighter who was known for scoring frequent knockouts stops scoring knockouts – especially against lesser opponents – it’s a clear sign of decay. Canelo is decaying as a fighter. He’s still great, but not who he was five years ago. 

-JuniorTorres720

Tris Dixon’s response: It is interesting to see whether Canelo has adapted to, in essence, carry opponents – or whether he is in decline. 

I think his last four or five fights have shown evidence of both, but I think John Ryder gave him a very solid fight, he coasted against Jermell Charlo, Jaime Munguia and Edgar Berlanga, and did what was just about necessary against William Scull. In his defense, that is still a good run of wins, but the manner of them has not been impressive, and a four-fight deal with him is not looking like the shrewdest investment. 

What if Terence Crawford tries to move and we land another dull one on a huge stage? The more I think about that one, however, the more I start to see a larger version of Manny Pacquiao-Oscar De La Hoya. I’ve never not liked Crawford in the fight, but now I can see why so many are picking him to beat Canelo.

CANELO ISN’T THE ONLY ONE SLIPPING; CRAWFORD IS TOO

All this talk about Canelo slipping; Terence “Bud” Crawford didn't look that great in his last fight either. He finally got a big payday, and he wasn’t as hungry as he was pre-Errol Spence. Also, in that fight with Israil Madrimov, Crawford was getting touched, the additional weight didn’t do him any favors, his heavy hands and thudding power were not there, and this fight with Canelo is another two weight classes up the scale. 

Bud’s camp knows this, which is why he didn’t take the risk of a tuneup fight at 168lbs. He waited damn near a year to fight again to protect his payday. That's not a good sign in my book, and it will hurt him being this inactive. 

-fistandfury

Owen Lewis’ response: Two thoughts here. One, inactivity has not historically hurt Terence Crawford the way it has other fighters. And two, yes, it sure seems like Crawford didn’t want to risk his payday. That’s not shocking given how hard he fought for it in the first place, and given how high-risk any fight at 168lbs could be. Remember, this is a guy who started his career at 135lbs and looked his best at 147lbs. Hard to blame him for not wanting to fight Caleb Plant before Canelo.

Still, Crawford is the more in-form fighter. He’s higher than Canelo on every credible pound-for-pound list. He might not have been as sensational against Israil Madrimov as he was against Errol Spence, but he sure performed better than Canelo did against William Scull. I’ve been skeptical of Crawford’s chances since this fight was made, but after this past weekend, I can picture a Crawford win for the first time. 

NO MORE DEVIN HANEY FOR ME

Today I made a promise to myself to never, ever watch another Devin Haney fight. Honestly, they should change the boxing rules because of Haney. A fighter who runs too much and refuses to engage should be deducted a point per round.  

-bronkobugarski

Lucas Ketelle’s response: Haney is an interesting case in modern boxing. As a fighter, he has a style that works well for him, a great work ethic, and has transformed from a child star into a titleholder.

Then there is the lack of humility at times. Haney should be a popular figure in the sport, but the team's ambivalence to critique and perceived arrogance at moments strengthen this opinion. After coming off a rough night in the ring against Ryan Garcia, he looked shell-shocked against Ramirez. Haney looked physically capable but mentally unsure of the punches coming back, whereas Ramirez looked physically declined but mentally willing to force the fight. 

Often, though sometimes unfairly, the viewer expects the younger fighter who has superstar potential, such as Haney in this case, to excel and force the fight. When that isn't happening, it becomes labor to watch the fight. 

Want to be featured in the mailbag? Comment or ask a question in the comments section below. Submissions may be edited for length and clarity. We also may select readers’ comments from other BoxingScene stories.