World bantamweight boxing champion Naoya Inoue fielded media inquiries in writing ahead of his 27th birthday on April 10, sharing his thoughts on the coronavirus crisis, and revealing how he has been spending his time.
"It's an extremely serious issue," said Inoue, who holds both the World Boxing Association super world bantamweight title and the International Boxing Federation world bantamweight title. "Each and every one of us has to change our perspective."
The undefeated Inoue gained worldwide attention when he added the WBA title and successfully defended the IBF belt with a hard-fought victory over the Philippines' Nonito Donaire in the World Boxing Super Series final in November last year.
Inoue had been scheduled to face World Boxing Organization champion John Casimero of the Philippines on April 25 in Las Vegas for a chance at grabbing a third championship belt, but the fight was postponed in March.
Had it not been postponed, he would have been heading to Vegas to begin final preparations for the fight during this period. Nobody would fault him for becoming despondent, but actually, he is keeping a positive attitude.
"I was mentally prepared, so there is no feeling of emptiness," he said.
Inoue has been on a skyward trajectory since making his pro debut in Oct. 2012. But even for a young champion who has won all 19 of his 19 bouts, 16 by knockout, there is a measure of impatience over the uncertainty of the future.
"I'm turning 27. I don't want to waste a single day in the time I have left in my career," read a tweet he posted on April 9.
Although the postponement upset his plans to fight three times in a year -- a feat he last achieved in 2017 -- he has been concentrating on training, taking advantage of the time available in the current situation.
He trains every day at a gym that he has rented out, working not only on punching power but also on defensive techniques as he looks to raise his level in all aspects of the sport.
At home it's. a different story: "I play with my kid and we watch movies together," he said. "I'm trying to keep from adding to the stress of my family."
His eyes, however, remained focused on the fight with Casimero.
"My thinking is this is going to be a long haul," Inoue said. "But whenever the fight date is decided, I'm going to keep training at least at 60% so that my skill level doesn't drop."
Without question, this fight will have a significant impact on his career.
"We have to keep our spirits up if we want to be in the best [condition] when we enter the ring," he said. "It's all or nothing."
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