Naoya Inoue dismissed recent hearsay that his motivation had declined after Roman Gonzalez suffered a stunning loss.

On March 18, the Nicaraguan fell to Thailand¡¯s Srisaket Sor Rungvisai in a decision at New York¡¯s Madison Square Garden for the first defeat of his 47-bout professional career. A potential Gonzalez-Inoue matchup had been the subject of repeated speculation, but it is now unlikely to take place after the loss for ¡°Chocolatito,¡± who had been on top of the Ring Magazine¡¯s pound-for-pound list (Gonzalez dropped to No. 4 and Inoue is at No. 10).

The WBO super flyweight champion (12-0, 10 knockouts) said that his spirit is rather high as he has a chance to take a step forward by fighting in the United States in the near future.