Takeshi Inoue vs Weljon Mindoro Preview May 13th, 2023
Takeshi Inoue of Japan defends his WBO Asia Pacific Super Welterweight Title this Saturday, May 13th when he takes on unbeaten Weljon Mindora in the challenger’s homeland of the Philippines. The 12-round fight can be seen live on FITE TV with the card getting underway at 11pm ET Friday night in North America. Inoue won the title the last time out as well as the vacant OPBF Crown when he stopped fellow countryman Ryosuke Tenyu Maruki in the sixth round in November. Mindora last fought in January when he stopped Wellem Reyk in the third round.
Inoue vs Mindoro Betting Odds
Here are the betting odds from online sportsbook BetOnline.ag (full review here).
- Weljon Mindoro +260
- Takeshi Inoue -350
My Pick
The 33-year-old Inoue hails from Tokyo, and carries around a mark of 19-2-1 with 11 Ko’s. He turned pro in 2014 and has 142 rounds in the bank after reportedly going 39-16 as an amateur with 21 Ko’s. He stands 5-feet-8-inches but has an unlisted reach. The first pro loss on his record came at the hands of Jaime Munguia via a unanimous decision in January, 2019 in a shot at the WBO Super Welterweight crown. His second defeat was to Tim Tszyu in November, 2021 when he dropped a 12-round unanimous decision in a shot at the WBO Global, and WBO Asia-Pacific Super Welterweight Belts.
Inoue’s lone draw was a four-round affair which came in his pro debut against Daishi Nagata. Although they share the same last name, Inoue isn’t related to Naoya ‘The Monster’ Inoue and his brother Takuma Inoue. However, he has has won several regional and domestic titles including the Japanese, OPBF and WBO Asia Pacific Championships with wins over the likes of Yuki Nonaka, Akinori Watanabe, Koshinmaru Saito and Ratchasi Sithsainthong.
Inoue isn’t really know as a hard hitter with a current knockout ratio of 50 per cent but he doesn’t mind brawling though as he’s physically strong for a small man and likes to get inside and eventually break the opposition down. He also takes good care of himself and always enters the ring in tremendous condition.
The 23-year-old Mindoro climbs through the ropes with a perfect record of 10-0 with all 10 wins coming by KO and has boxed just 23 rounds since making his pro debut in 2019 due to his 100 per cent knockout ratio. Before turning pro he enjoyed a pretty good amateur career. Nicknamed “Triggerman,” Mindoro has stopped all of his opponents within six rounds with nine of his stoppages coming within the first three rounds.
He’s a fine prospect but he’s fought exclusively in his homeland and has fought just one opponent who has had a winning record, so will definitely be taking a step up in class this weekend. There’s no official height and reach information so we don’t know how he stacks up against Inoue when it comes to size, but he definitely has the advantage when it comes to power.
Prediction…
Inoue proved how tough he is against Tzsyu and Munguia but he needs to land more punches this time out instead of receiving them due to Mindoro’s power. However, Inoue has displayed a solid chin up to now with decent power of his own. As long as Inoue enters the ring in excellent shape again and lets his fists go he should be able to get past the inexperienced Mindoro in a hard-fought battle.
Inoue’s experience against upper-class opposition and his conditioning are a bonus.
Play Inoue -350 @ BetOnline.ag
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Takeshi Inoue betting • Weljon Mindoro betting