Naoya Inoue

Naoya Inoue (井上 尚弥, Inoue Naoya, born 10 April 1993) is a Japanese professional boxer. He has held multiple world championships in four weight classes, and is one of only three male boxers in history (along with Terence Crawford and Oleksandr Usyk) to become the undisputed champion in two weight classes in the "four-belt era". Nicknamed "Monster", Inoue is known for his exceptional punching power, possessing a knockout-to-win percentage of 88.88%, and 90.90% in world title matches.

He is the first and only boxer to win the undisputed championship at super bantamweight, having held all four major titles since 2023, as well as the Ring magazine title. Previously he held the undisputed championship at bantamweight between 2019 and 2023, the first boxer in history to do so in the four-belt era. Earlier in his career he held the World Boxing Council (WBC) light flyweight title in 2014, and the World Boxing Organization (WBO) junior bantamweight title from 2014 to 2018. Inoue has also held the lineal championship at bantamweight and super bantamweight, and won the 2018–2019 World Boxing Super Series bantamweight tournament.

As of May 2024, Inoue is ranked as the world's second best active boxer, pound for pound, by The Ring; the Boxing Writers Association of America (BWAA); the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board (TBRB); and BoxRec; and third best by ESPN. He is also ranked as the world's best active super bantamweight by The Ring, TBRB, ESPN, and BoxRec. Inoue is the only Japanese boxer in history to be ranked No. 1 pound for pound by The Ring, TBRB, and was named Fighter of the Year in 2023 by The Ring, BWAA, and ESPN.

Amateur career

Inoue won the Japanese Interscholastic Athletic Meeting and the Japanese Junior National Championships in 2009. In 2010, he took the bronze medal in the Asian Youth Championships in Tehran, Iran, and won the Japanese Junior Selection Tournament. He then participated in the AIBA Youth World Championships, but lost to Yosvany Veitía in the third preliminary round. He finished in the second place at the Japanese National Championships in the same year.

In July 2011, he took the gold medal in the 21st President's Cup in Jakarta, Indonesia. He subsequently won the first place in the Japanese Interscholastic Athletic Meeting in that year. However, he was eliminated in the third round by Yosvany Veitía in the 2011 World Amateur Boxing Championships at the Heydar Aliyev Sports and Exhibition Complex in Baku, Azerbaijan, and lost to Birzhan Zhakypov in the final at the 2012 Asian Boxing Olympic Qualification Tournament in Astana, Kazakhstan. His amateur record was 75–6 (48 KOs).

Highlights

Professional career

Light flyweight

Early career

Inoue turned professional in 2012, signing with Ohashi Boxing Gym. Of his own volition, he signed an agreement with Hideyuki Ohashi to never fight against easy opponents. On 2 October 2012, he fought against Filipino national champion Crison Omayao, and won his debut via a fourth-round knockout. After this victory, he won his next two fights against Thai national champion Ngaoprajan Chuwatana and Japan's number one-ranked light flyweight boxer Yūki Sano. On 25 August 2013, Inoue captured the Japanese light flyweight title from the WBA's number three-ranked contender, and future WBA, IBF, and Ring magazine light flyweight champion, Ryoichi Taguchi. This was seen as Inoue's toughest test thus far but in the end he dominated and battered Taguchi over ten rounds.

He then fought for the vacant OPBF light flyweight title on 6 December 2013 on the undercard of Yaegashi-Sosa. Inoue defeated Jerson Mancio with a 5th-round TKO to claim the regional title. Earlier that day, his younger brother, Takuma Inoue, made his professional debut with a unanimous decision victory.

Inoue vs. Hernández, Kokietgym

Inoue stopped Adrián Hernández (29–2–1, 18 KOs) to be crowned the WBC light flyweight champion in his sixth professional bout at Ota-City General Gymnasium on 6 April 2014. Hernández was a two-division champion who had previously gone 8–1 in world title bouts and was ranked at No. 1 by The Ring and TBRB, but Inoue dominated the fight from beginning to end. Inoue's sole defense of his light flyweight title came against Samartlek Kokietgym (17–5, 5 KOs) in September 2014. Inoue routed Kokietgym, winning every round on all scorecards and dropping his opponent twice before finally stopping him in the 11th round.

Move up to super flyweight

Inoue vs. Narváez

In November 2014, he vacated his light flyweight title to challenge WBO junior bantamweight title-holder Omar Andrés Narváez (43–1–2, 23 KOs), Narváez was ranked No. 1 by The Ring and TBRB. The fight was scheduled for 30 December 2014. Narváez only loss had come by decision to Nonito Donaire at bantamweight in 2011. Narváez had won his first world championship in 2002, making twenty-seven title defenses of his belts since. Narváez had reigned as champion for 14 years, while Inoue arrived at the fight with a 7–0 record. However, the young challenger Inoue put Narváez down within a minute of the first round. He then proceeded to hurt Narváez over and over with carefully placed body shots. Inoue knocked out the long time champion in the second round to capture his second world title. Inoue become the first and only fighter to stop Narváez.

Various defenses

Inoue suffered an injury with the punch that put Narvaéz down the first time. In response to Inoue being sidelined, the WBO issued an interim title bout between two of its top-ranked contenders, David Carmona and Warlito Parrenas. The winner would have the right to face Inoue following his comeback. The fight was ruled a split draw after 12 rounds but Inoue chose to face Parrenas regardless in his comeback bout on 29 December 2015. Parrenas was blown out in a similar manner as Narváez. The referee waved off the fight in the second round, after Parrenas was dropped twice, giving Inoue a TKO victory.

Inoue would then face Carmona in May 2016, suffering another hand injury midway through the fight. Because of his hand injury, Inoue made a conscious decision to win on points. But in the 12th round Inoue rallied himself to get a stoppage and dropped Carmona. But Carmona's reluctance to engage in a fight, and with time running out meant that Inoue wasn't able to get the stoppage. Inoue would eventually win a comfortable unanimous decision (118–109, 118–109, 116–111). Inoue's third defense came against Petchbarngborn Kokietgym on September of that same year. Inoue was unable to get a quick finish, but he unleashed a flurry of punches in the 10th round which led to Kokietgym being counted out.

Inoue vs. Kono, Rodríguez

On 9 November, it was announced that Inoue's fourth defense would come against Kohei Kono (32–10–1, 13 KOs) on 30 December 2016. Kono was a two-time junior bantamweight champion. In his previous fight Kono lost his WBA belt to Luis Concepción in a very close fight. Naoya's brother, Takuma, was slated to challenge for a world title against Marlon Tapales on the same night but he pulled out due to a fractured right hand. Inoue stopped Kono in another commanding performance. Kono was dropped once by a left hook from Inoue before being stopped in the sixth round. This was the first time Kono lost a fight due to stoppage.

During 2016, Inoue repeatedly sought a unification bout against four-division champion and current WBC super flyweight champion Román González. However, González chose to face Carlos Cuadras instead in the second half of the year. And Inoue was in attendance for the Gonzalez vs Cuadras fight. Shortly after Gonzalez's win over Cuadras, representatives of Inoue sent a formal offer to Gonzalez for what would've been a unification showdown. González stipulated that the terms offered for an Inoue fight weren't good enough, and turned down the contract.

Inoue's fifth defense of his WBO title came against Ricardo Rodríguez in May 2017. Rodríguez proved to be yet another outmatched opponent, as Inoue comfortably won by stopping him in the 3rd round following a flurry of punches.

Inoue vs. Nieves

Following his easy win over Rodríguez, Inoue joined the HBO Boxing After Dark card "Superfly" set at the StubHub Center on 9 September 2017. The event was headlined by the González-Sor Rungvisai rematch for the WBC junior bantamweight title. It was verbally agreed that should González win against Rungvisai, then He and Inoue will meet in a unification bout. But González ended up getting knocked out by Rungvisai, which derailed their fight. It also featured a WBC eliminator between Carlos Cuadras and Juan Francisco Estrada, in addition to Inoue's debut in the United States, and first pro bout abroad. Originally, former IBF super flyweight champion McJoe Arroyo was slated to be Inoue's challenger, but Arroyo wound up fighting Rau'shee Warren in an IBF eliminator instead. Inoue also wanted to fight his WBO mandatory challenger Juan Francisco Estrada, but Estrada declined and went the WBC route. Which meant that Inoue's next fight would be against Antonio Nieves (17–2–2, 9 KOs) instead.

Inoue's sixth defense of his WBO title was successful, as he hammered Nieves, who threw in the towel after six rounds. Nieves was rocked towards the end of round 2, but Inoue was unable to finish him as he headed back to his corner when he mistook the 10-second warning with the bell. Inoue scored a knockdown in round 5 after a left hook to the body. Nieves retired after round 6, when Inoue repeatedly landed that left hook to the body to no response from Nieves. Inoue landed 118 of 407 punches (29%) to Nieves' 45 of 209 (22%). After the win Inoue wanted to face Rungvisai, who had just knocked out González. But Rungvisai was caught up with mandatory duty against Estrada. So the fight didn't happen.

Failed bout vs. González

During 2016, Inoue repeatedly sought a unification bout against four-division champion and current WBC super flyweight champion Román González. However, González chose to face Carlos Cuadras instead in the second half of the year. And Inoue was in attendance and at ringside for that fight. Shortly after Gonzalez's win over Cuadras, representatives of Inoue sent a formal offer to Gonzalez for what would've been a unification showdown. González stipulated that the terms offered for an Inoue fight weren't good enough, and turned down the contract. At the time, Gonzalez felt he would have received more money for a potential rematch with Cuadras on HBO. The rematch against Cuadras didn't happen. Instead, Gonzalez lost the WBC super flyweight title by a split decision to Srisaket Sor Rungvisai in March 2017. September 2017 saw Inoue and Gonzalez appear on the same card in Carson, California. Making his United States debut with a six-round stoppage over Antonio Nieves, Inoue was looking to set up a match with Gonzalez in 2018. But Chocolatito didn't live up to his end of the bargain, as he got knocked out in four rounds in a rematch with Rungvisai. At that moment, any future talk of a fight between Inoue and Gonzalez was dead in the water.

Inoue vs. Boyeaux

Inoue stated that he would move to bantamweight in the future but he would seek to unify titles against another junior bantamweight titleholder in December 2017. Inoue's team later claimed that they were having trouble securing an opponent for the New Year's Eve date. They'd reportedly agreed to terms with IBF champion Jerwin Ancajas, but he would later announce he was fighting Jamie Conlan in November. So Boyeaux was brought in as a last minute replacement for Ancajas. On 16 November, it was announced that Inoue would face Yan Boyeaux on 30 December, in a show televised by Fuji TV. Inoue said he planned to box in the United States again within 2 months after fighting Boyeaux. Inoue dropped Boyeaux four times before referee Raul Caiz Jr. eventually stepped in at 1 minute and 40 seconds of round 3, giving Inoue the win, successfully retaining the WBO title for the seventh time. Inoue stated that he had plans to move up to bantamweight, where he would seek to become a three-weight world champion. But before moving up in weight. Inoue was supposed fight against WBA champion Kal Yafai in a unification bout at the "Superfly 2" card in US. But Yafai's promoter Eddie Hearn turn down the fight. Saying, "it would be Yafai's highest payday against Inoue, but the pay didn't mitigate the risk."

Move up to bantamweight

Inoue vs. McDonnell

Promoter Eddie Hearn first reported to Sky Sports on 14 February 2018 that a deal was being negotiated for 2 time bantamweight champion and the current WBA 'Regular' bantamweight champion Jamie McDonnell (29–2–1 13 KOs) to defend his title, which he won in 2014, for the seventh time, against Inoue in Japan. Mcdonnell was ranked No. 2 by The Ring. McDonnell's original plan was to move up to super bantamweight in 2018, however instead stated he wanted big challenges and saw Inoue as a solid opponent to test himself. On 6 March, Inoue held a press conference in Japan announcing the fight against McDonnell at the Ota-City General Gymnasium in Tokyo, Japan on 25 May 2018. The fight started at a pace that McDonnell was unable to sustain; initially being hurt with a left hook to the top of the head, followed by being sent to the canvas by a two punch combination culminating in a left hook to the body. He bravely got up, only to be sent back down after a series of brutal punches by Inoue including another clean left hook which seemed to discombobulate McDonnell's senses. The referee waved the fight off within less than a round declaring Inoue the TKO victor.

World Boxing Super Series

After defeating McDonnell, Inoue said, "I'll participate in the World Boxing Super Series to face other world champions with pleasure," confirming he would take part in the bantamweight tournament, where he would meet other world champions, WBA 'Super champion' Ryan Burnett (19–0, 9 KOs), WBO champion Zolani Tete (27–3, 21 KOs) and IBF champion Emmanuel Rodríguez (18–0, 12 KOs).

Inoue vs. Payano

At the draft gala on 20 July, Inoue (16–0, 14KOs) chose to defend his WBA title against former world champion Juan Carlo Payano (20–1, 9 KOs) in the quarter-final. Before this fight Payano had lost his world title to Rau'shee Warren in a very close fight. In August, the fight was announced to take place on 7 October at the Yokohama Arena in Yokohama, Japan. Inoue won the fight with a first-round knockout. It was a right hand just 70 seconds into their scheduled 12-round bout. Inoue connected with a jab before blasting Payano with a perfect straight right hand that put Payano flat on his back and unable to continue. Referee Pinit Prayadsab immediately stopped the fight at 1:10 into the first round. The knockout was later voted the Ring magazine Knockout of the Year.

Inoue vs. Rodríguez

Emmanuel Rodríguez (19–0, 12 KOs) defeated Jason Moloney via decision in October 2018, booking his place into the semi-final against Inoue. On 12 February 2019, the fight was set to take place at the SSE Hydro in Glasgow, Scotland, on 18 May 2019. In April, Nonito Donaire defeated late replacement Stephon Young, to confirm his place in the final. Donaire stated he would 'love to fight' Inoue in the final, as the two have always respected each other. On 3 May, The Ring Magazine, announced their vacant bantamweight title would be at stake. At the time, WBO champion Zolani Tete, who was ranked No. 2 with The Ring, withdrew from the tournament with injury. Editor-in-Chief, Doug Fischer, explained with Inoue and Rodríguez ranked No. 1 and No. 3, respectively, the bout was worthy of being for the title, as both had earned their positions in the rankings. On 18 May, Inoue advanced to the final by knocking out Rodríguez in the second round. After a close first round, Inoue dropped Rodríguez three times in quick succession before the fight was stopped at 1:20.

World boxing super series final

Inoue vs. Donaire

Inoue faced four-weight world champion and current WBA (super) bantamweight champion Nonito Donaire (40–5, 26 KOs) on 7 November 2019 in Saitama, Japan, for the World Boxing Super Series final. In a thrilling fight that saw incredible heart and endurance displayed by both men, Inoue ultimately won a unanimous decision with scores of 116–111, 117–109, and 114–113. The two traded punches in the first half of the fight. In the second round, a left hook from Donaire caused a serious cut above Inoue's right eye which affected his vision for the rest of the bout, but he fought back hard and in the fifth round had Donaire in trouble, who was saved by the bell. However, Donaire retained his composure and began to find more success as the fight went on, particularly in the ninth round where he rocked Inoue with a tremendous right hand. During the eleventh round, Inoue landed a hard liver shot on Donaire, who turned away in pain before dropping to his knees. Some fans questioned the referee's actions as while Donaire was circling away, the referee seemed to come between the fighters and prevent Inoue from following up, before giving Donaire a long count. In any case, Donaire was able to beat the count and kept fighting until the final bell. After the fight, Donaire and Inoue showed each other mutual respect, with Inoue lauding Donaire as "a true champion". Inoue was presented the Muhammad Ali Trophy by Fighting Harada. Afterwards, Inoue revealed he had suffered a fractured orbital bone in the second round causing him to see double, and also a broken nose. The fight was later voted the Ring magazine Fight of the Year.

Inoue vs. Moloney

Inoue was supposed to face WBO bantamweight titlist John Riel Casimero on 25 April 2020 before that fight was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Unable to reschedule the fight, Inoue instead faced future WBO bantamweight champion Jason Moloney (21–1, 18 KOs) on 31 October at the MGM Grand Conference Center in Las Vegas. Moloney was ranked No. 6 by The Ring, No. 1 by the WBO, No. 2 by the WBA and No. 4 by the IBF. Inoue scored a seventh-round knockout victory. In the sixth round, a quick counter left hook sent Moloney down. In the seventh, a short right hand sent Moloney down for the second time. While he tried to get up, he did not have his senses, and referee Kenny Bayless stopped the fight at 2:59 of the round. During a post-fight interview with Inoue, he spoke about his wishes for future opponents: "The Nordine Oubaali-Nonito Donaire winner with the WBC title and Casimero with the WBO, they're within my sights are far as fights go."

Inoue vs. Dasmariñas

Inoue faced his IBF mandatory challenger and current IBO bantamweight champion Michael Dasmariñas (30–2–1, 20 KOs) on 19 June 2021 in Paradise, Nevada. Dasmarinas was ranked No. 1 by the IBF and No. 8 by the WBA. He scored three knockdowns in the span of three rounds, each one with a left hook to the body of Dasmariñas, to win via third-round stoppage. After the fight, Inoue stated his desire to become the first undisputed champion in the bantamweight division, saying "Getting this win brings a smile to my face. The ability to face the winner of Donaire-Casimero brings an even bigger smile to my face."

Inoue vs. Dipaen

It was announced on 21 October 2021 that Inoue would be defending his bantamweight world titles in a voluntary defense against IBF No. 6 ranked contender Aran Dipaen (12–2, 11 KOs) on 14 December 2021, at the Ryōgoku Kokugikan in Tokyo. According to Inoue, his team first attempted to arrange bouts with Rau'shee Warren and Gary Antonio Russell, but were unable to do so with both turning down the fight and also Japan's strict coronavirus protocols made bringing in foreign fighters very difficult. Inoue's first domestic fight in over two years was broadcast by Hikari TV and Abema TV in Japan, but didn't receive any international coverage. Inoue entered the bout as a -3000 favorite to retain his titles. Inoue won the fight by an eight-round technical knockout. He knocked Dipaen down with a left hook in the eighth round, and although Dipaen was able to beat the ten count, he was badly staggered by a second left hook as soon as the action resumed, which prompted referee Michiaki Someya to wave the fight off. Inoue earned a guaranteed purse of $500,000; $300,000 in show money and a $200,000 win bonus. His reported fight purse did not include sponsorship payments. Inoue was later named the 2021 "Fighter of the Year" by the Japanese Boxing Commission.

Inoue vs. Donaire II

Inoue made his fourth title defense as a unified bantamweight champion in a title unification bout with the reigning WBC champion Nonito Donaire on 7 June 2022, at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. Donaire was ranked No. 1 by The Ring and TBRB. The fight was for lineal championship and rematch of their 7 November 2019 title unification bout, which Inoue won by unanimous decision. Inoue opened as the favorite, with most odds-makers having him as a -400 favorite to win the rematch. The bout was broadcast by Amazon Prime Video domestically in Japan, and by ESPN+ in the United States. Inoue won the fight by a second-round technical knockout. After knocking Donaire down at the very end of the first round, Inoue once again staggered him with a left hook near the start of the second round, before finishing him with a flurry of punches at the 1:24-minute mark of the round. He became Japan's first-ever three-belt titleholder in boxing history. Inoue expressed his desire to fight the WBO champion Paul Butler in his post-fight interview, stating: "My aim is to be the undisputed champion. But if I can't, I am capable of [moving up] and fighting for a belt". He was briefly ranked as the number one pound for pound boxer by The Ring after this victory, thus becoming the first Japanese boxer to reach that milestone.

Undisputed bantamweight champion

Inoue vs. Butler

On 25 August 2022, it was announced that Inoue would face 2 time bantamweight champion and the current reigning WBO bantamweight champion Paul Butler in a title unification bout. It took place on 13 December 2022, at the Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan, and was broadcast by Amazon Prime domestically and by ESPN+ in the United States. It was Butler's first fight outside of the United Kingdom. Inoue won the fight by an eleventh-round technical knockout, as he stopped Butler with repeated body shots at the 1:09-minute mark of the round. He was up 100–90 on all three scorecards at the time of the stoppage and had out-landed Butler 151 to 38 in total punches, with 97 of those being power punches. Inoue announced his intention to move up to super bantamweight in the post-fight interview, stating: "I was able to make this goal of becoming undisputed world champion. Now, I'm considering going up to super bantamweight." He became the first-ever Japanese boxer to claim undisputed championship status in the three- or four-belt era, as well as the first and only boxer in history to defeat all four major sanctioning organisation champions by knockout. Inoue vacated all five titles on 13 January 2023, as he moved up to super bantamweight.

Move up to super bantamweight

Inoue vs. Fulton

On 18 January 2023, it was revealed that Inoue had entered into negotiations with the unified super bantamweight world champion Stephen Fulton. Fulton was ranked No. 1 by The Ring and TBRB. The fight was expected to take place at the Yokohama Arena in Yokohama, Japan, on 7 May 2023, and would have been broadcast by Lemino domestically and ESPN+ in the United States. The fight was postponed on 21 March, as Inoue suffered a fist injury during training camp. The bout was rescheduled for 25 July 2023, at the Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan. Inoue won the fight by an eighth-round technical knockout. He first knocked Fulton down with a left hook and forced referee Hector Afu to stop the contest with a flurry of unanswered punches soon thereafter. Inoue had out-landed his opponent 114 to 47 in total punches and 70 to 24 in power punches by that point. He became only the second-ever Japanese fighter to win major titles in four weight classes, following Kazuto Ioka.

Undisputed super bantamweight champion

Inoue vs. Tapales

On 21 August 2023, it was reported that Inoue had entered into negotiations with the 2 division champion and current unified WBA (Super) and IBF super bantamweight champion Marlon Tapales for an undisputed title bout. The fight was for lineal championship and took place at Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan on 26 December 2023. Inoue won the fight by tenth-round knockout to become a two-division undisputed champion, just a year after fully unifying the bantamweight division. Tapales was knocked down in the fourth round and again in the tenth, with the second knockdown rendering him unable to rise from the canvas in time to beat the count. Inoue out-landed Tapales 146 to 52 in total punches and 114 to 43 in power punches. This was Inoue's 19th recorded KO in 21 world title fights, bringing his KO rate to 90.4%, which is the highest KO rate in the history of world title matches.

First undisputed title defense

Inoue vs. Nery

On 8 January 2024, it was reported that Inoue would make his first title defense as an undisputed champion against the WBC mandatory title challenger and former 2 division champion Luis Nery. The bout was scheduled for 6 May 2024 at Tokyo Dome and was the first boxing fight taking place at the Tokyo Dome after 34 years. Despite suffering the first knockdown of his professional career in the opening round, Inoue nonetheless dominated and won the fight by a sixth round knockout. He dropped Nery once in the second round and again in the fifth round, before a third and final knockdown in the sixth round, whereupon the fight was waved off. Inoue outlanded his opponent 107 to 54 in total punches and 62 to 34 in power punches. The Fight set record for the highest peak viewership in Japan's Amazon Prime Video history, surpassing the 2023 World Baseball Classic finals between Japan and United States.

Personal life

Naoya Inoue is married to his high school sweetheart and has three children. He is trained by his father Shingo Inoue, who is a former amateur boxer. He has one younger brother, Takuma Inoue, and one older cousin, Koki Inoue, both of whom are professional boxers.

Professional boxing record

Exhibition boxing record

See also

• Boxing in Japan
• Notable boxing families
• List of Japanese boxing world champions
• List of world light-flyweight boxing champions
• List of world super-flyweight boxing champions
• List of world bantamweight boxing champions
• List of world super-bantamweight boxing champions
• List of boxing quadruple champions

Notes

References

External links

• Boxing record for Naoya Inoue from BoxRec (registration required)
• Official website
• Naoya Inoue - Profile, News Archive & Current Rankings at Box.Live