Takuma Inoue vs Sho Ishida Preview May 6th, 2024
WBA Bantamweight Champion Takuma Inoue of Japan defends his title for the second time when he takes fellow countryman Sho Ishida at the Tokyo Dome this Monday, May 6th. The fight can be seen live in America at 4 am ET on ESPN+ on the undercard of the Naoya Inoue vs Luis Nery tilt while fans in the UK and Ireland can see it on Sky Sports Action at 9 am. Inoue last fought in February when he stopped former IBF Jr. Bantamweight Champion Jerwin Ancajas in the ninth round with a body shot. Inoue beat Liborio Solis of Venezuela by unanimous decision in April of 2023. Ishida stopped James Pagaling in the third round in his last ring venture in December.
Inoue vs Ishida Betting Odds
Here are the betting odds from online sportsbook BetOnline.ag (full review here).
- Sho Ishida +450
- Takuma Inoue – 700
My Pick
The 28-year-old Inoue is the younger brother Naoya ‘Monster’ Inoue and owns a mark of 19-1 with 5 Ko’s and has 179 rounds of experience under his belt since turning pro in 2013 following an amateur career. He stands just over 5-feet-4-inches tall with a 64-inch reach but possesses just a small fraction of his brother’s power though as only 26.3 per cent of his wins have come by stoppage and he’s halted just two of his last nine opponents. Inoue has never fought a pro with a losing record and beat Mark Anthony Geraldo by unanimous decision in 2015 for the vacant OPBF Super Flyweight Title.
He defended that belt twice before moving up in weight. He then captured the WBC interim World Bantamweight Title in 2018 by beating Tasala Salapat by unanimous decision. His lone loss came by unanimous decision to Nordine Oubaali in a shot at the WBC Bantamweight Title in November, 2019 on the undercard of the first Naoya Inoue vs Nonito Donaire fight. He’s also captured the Japanese and WBO Asia Pacific Super Bantamweight Crowns as a pro.
The 32-year-old Ishida enters the ring with a mark of 34-3 with 17 Ko’s and has boxed 223 rounds since making his pro debut in 2009. Ishida has fought exclusively in Japan except for making a trip to Cardiff, Wales in 2017 when he was handed his first pro loss by Khalid Yafai in a 12-round unanimous decision in a shot at the WBA Super Flyweight Title. His second defeat came at the hands of Israel Gonzalez via a 12-round split decision in December, 2019. The third and last time Ishida was beaten came in 2021 at the hands of Kosei Tanaka via a 10-round split decision.
He stands 5-feet-8-inches tall but has an unlisted reach which gives Ishida a 3.5-inch height advantage over Inoue. He possesses average power as 50 per cent of his wins have come by stoppage but he’s gone the distance in eight of his last 10 contests. Ishida captured the Japanese Super Flyweight Title in 2014 and defended it five times and has wins over Victor Santillan, Ronnie Baldonado, Warlito Parrenas and Ryuichi Funai.
Prediction…
Ishida is another tough and exciting Japanese boxer with a solid chin but he always seems to fall just short when stepping up in class. Inoue appears to be a light puncher with just 5 Ko’s in his 20 fights but looked impressive against Ancajas a few months ago and surprised a lot of people by stopping him. If Inoue can replicate that performance then he should retain his title on Monday in a close contest.
Inoue’s improving with each fight.
Play: Inoue – 700 @ BetOnline.ag
Check out my recent boxing betting picks to see my current form.
Sho Ishida betting • Takuma Inoue betting