Nordine Oubaali vs Takuma Inoue Odds & Picks
- Oubaali vs Inoue goes Thursday, November 7th at 5:00 am EST
- Can Oubaali ward off the challenge of the WBC interim titleholder?
- Can Inoue maintain his spotless record while ascending to the status of the undisputed champion?
Oubaali vs Inoue is one of two advertised title fights for this weekday fight card. The WBC world bantamweight title will be contested over twelve rounds. Oubaali vs Inoue pits the #5 ranked 118-pounder against #4, respectively per BoxRec’s rankings.
The Saitama Super Arena in Japan will be packed to capacity for the proceedings as Oubaali brings the experience and power advantage to the table while Inoue looks to have the speed edge.
Oubaali vs Inoue Odds
| Fighter | Odds |
|---|---|
| Nordine Oubaali | -325 |
| Takuma Inoue | +250 |
Odds taken Nov. 5th
Takuma’s brother Naoya will also be competing on the card as well. Both men have competed on close to a dozen events together. So it seems to be a winning formula for the bludgeoning brothers. He will be taking on a two time Olympian in Oubaali who is coming off a sixth-round knockout win to log the first successful defense of his belt.
Oubaali Makes His Second Title Defense
Inoue collected the OPBF super flyweight title, successfully defended it a couple of times, and jumped up in weight. His last fight saw him capture the interim WBC bantamweight belt by defeating Tasana Salapat.
Salapat entered that fight at 48-0. Inoue put the first blemish on the record of a fighter with nearly four times the amount of pro experience the Japanese pugilist came in with. Oubaali captured a variety of France, Intercontinental, and Silver belts before snatching the WBC world title from Rau’shee Warren.
#AndTheNew? WBC Bantamweight Champion?? Nordine Oubaali???? makes a US Debut?? to remember #SpecialFighter #SpecialHumamBeing pic.twitter.com/noC9isPmaz
— ⚪️BreakingBoxing™©⚫️ (@_Sweet_Science_) January 20, 2019
Inoue is no stranger to fighting much more experienced opposition though. In only his second pro bout, he took on a 27 fight veteran with a 25-2 record heading in. Inoue would win that bout via unanimous decision.
One metric that is hard to ignore is the respective knockout rates of both fighters. Oubaali sits at 75 percent while Inoue sits at a paltry 23 percent. Also, the fact Oubaali is a southpaw could create issues for Inoue.
Oubaali vs Inoue Tale of the Tape
| 16-0 | Record | 13-0 |
| 12 | Knockouts | 3 |
| 5’4 | Height | 5’4.5 |
| 64″ | Reach | 64″ |
| Arthur Villanueva, Rau’shee Warren, Mark Anthony Geraldo | Significant Wins | Tasana Salapat, Kentaro Masuda, Froilan Saludar |
| southpaw | Stance | orthodox |
Inoue claimed his status as the WBC mandatory challenger over a year ago. He now finally has his opportunity to capture the undisputed world title of that regulatory body. Also, he has a chance to step out of his big brother’s shadow.
Though it has been a long road for Inoue but I believe it’s one that will be a dead-end for him. I can see Oubaali stopping Inoue inside of ten rounds.
Pick: Oubaali (-325)
A part-time writer and full-time broadcaster, Dylan has hosted MMA talk shows Lights Out and Pure Fight Radio with featured guests like Jens Pulver, Roy Nelson, Miesha Tate, and covered some of the biggest MMA promotions like Rumble in the Cage, Unified MMA, and King of the Cage.
