Naoya Inoue
Naoya Inoue 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 to become the undisputed champion in two weight classes in the "four-belt era". Nicknamed "the Monster", Inoue is known for his exceptional punching power, possessing a knockout-to-win percentage of 84.375%.
He is the first and only boxer to win the undisputed championship at super bantamweight, having held all four major world titles since 2023, as well as the Ring magazine title. Previously he held the undisputed championship and the Ring title at bantamweight between 2022 and 2023. He became the first undisputed bantamweight champion since Enrique Pinder in 1972, and the first boxer in history to do so in the four-belt era.
Earlier in his career, Inoue held the World Boxing Council light flyweight title in 2014, the World Boxing Organization junior bantamweight title from 2014 to 2018, and the World Boxing Association bantamweight title from 2018 to 2019. He won the 2018–2019 World Boxing Super Series bantamweight tournament.
In June 2022, Inoue became the first Japanese boxer to be ranked in the world, pound for pound, by The Ring. He was named Fighter of the Year in 2023 by The Ring, the Boxer Writers Association of America, and ESPN.
Early life
Inoue was born into a family with a strong boxing heritage, with his father, Shingo Inoue, being a former amateur boxer and coach who played a pivotal role in Inoue's early training. Inoue began his boxing journey before the age of eight, influenced by his father's guidance and the family's overall commitment to the sport, which also included his younger brother, Takuma Inoue, a professional boxer.In his early years, Inoue engaged in various activities, including soccer and outdoor play, which contributed to his athletic development. His childhood was marked by discipline and focus, characteristics that would later shape his boxing style. Under his father's mentorship, he honed his foundational skills, emphasizing technique, mental resilience, and a strong work ethic. This dedication became crucial throughout his amateur and professional boxing careers. By the time he reached elementary and junior high school, Inoue was actively training and participating in local boxing clubs, where his talent began to attract attention and recognition.
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. Inoue holds a KO win over Kenshiro Teraji in the amateurs. Inoue's amateur record was 75–6.
Professional career
Light flyweight
In his professional debut, Inoue knocked Crison Omayao down in the first round and the fourth round, winning by KO at 2 minutes and 4 seconds in the fourth round.On 5 January 2013, Inoue made a light work of Thai national champion Ngaoprajan Chuwatana, by scoring a first-round knockout.
Inoue's third pro fight took place on 16 April 2013, against Yūki Sano. In the first round, Inoue cut his opponent's right eye with a left hook, and in the second round, Inoue knocked Sano down with a left hook after feinting a left body blow. However, in the third round, Inoue injured his right fist when his right straight hit Sano's head. After that, Inoue was unable to land a right punch and was forced to fight with just his left hand, but in the fourth round, Inoue knocked Sano down with a series of left hooks and won by TKO at 1 minute and 9 seconds in the tenth round.
On 25 August 2013, Inoue captured the Japanese light flyweight title from Ryoichi Taguchi. With this victory, Inoue became the first Japanese champion in 23 years to win the title in just four fights, tying the record held by Joichiro Tatsuyoshi.
Inoue then fought for the vacant OPBF light flyweight title against Filipino light flyweight champion Jerson Mancio on 6 December 2013 on the undercard of Yaegashi-Sosa. Inoue defeated Mancio with a 5th-round TKO to claim the regional title.
In his sixth pro fight, Inoue stopped Adrián Hernández by TKO in the sixth round to win the WBC light flyweight championship at Ota-City General Gymnasium on 6 April 2014.
On 5 September 2014, Inoue faced Samartlek Kokietgym at the Yoyogi National Gymnasium, winning every round on all scorecards. He knocked his opponent down in the fourth and sixth rounds, and won by TKO in the eleventh round at 1 minute and 8 seconds, successfully defending his title for the first time. After the fight, Inoue announced that he would relinquish his title and move up a weight class.
Super flyweight
In November 2014, Inoue vacated his light flyweight title and moved up two weight classes to super flyweight to challenge two division champion and current WBO junior bantamweight title holder Omar Andrés Narváez. Inoue won the fight by body shot KO in the 2nd round.On 29 December 2015, Inoue faced Warlito Parrenas. The referee waved off the fight in the second round, after Parrenas was dropped twice and he could not get up, giving Inoue a KO win.
On 8 May 2016, Inoue faced his WBO challenger David Carmona. In the second round, he hit Carmona's temple with a right straight and injured his right hand. However, he went on to win the fight by unanimous decision and successfully defend his title for the second time.
Inoue's third defense came against Petchbarngborn Kokietgym on 4 September 2016. Kokietgym and Inoue won the fight by KO at 3 minutes and 3 seconds of round 10, successfully defending his title for the third time.
On 9 November, it was announced that Inoue's fourth defense would come against Kohei Kono on 30 December 2016. Kono was a two-time super flyweight champion. Inoue won the fight in the sixth round.
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 González vs Cuadras fight. Shortly after González's win over Cuadras, representatives of Inoue sent a formal offer to González 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 and he won the fight in the 3rd round following a flurry of punches.
Inoue joined the HBO Boxing After Dark card "Superfly" set at the StubHub Center on 9 September 2017 against Antonio Nieves and Inoue won the bout.
On 16 November, it was announced that Inoue would face Yan Boyeaux on 30 December, in a show televised by Fuji TV. 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, retaining the WBO title for the seventh time.
Bantamweight
On 6 March, Inoue held a press conference in Japan announcing he would be making his bantamweight debut against WBA bantamweight champion Jamie McDonnell at the Ota-City General Gymnasium in Tokyo, Japan on 25 May 2018.Inoue knocked out McDonnell in the first round. McDonnell was sent down to the canvas after Inoue landed a left hook to his temple. The referee waved the fight off within less than a round declaring Inoue the TKO victor. Inoue became the only fighter to stop McDonnell and defeat him at bantamweight.
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, WBO champion Zolani Tete and IBF champion Emmanuel Rodríguez.At the draft gala on 20 July, Inoue chose to defend his WBA title against former WBA bantamweight champion Juan Carlo Payano in the quarter-final. 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 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. Inoue became the first fighter to stop Payano. The knockout was later voted the Ring magazine Knockout of the Year.
IBF bantamweight champion Emmanuel Rodríguez defeated Jason Moloney via decision in October 2018, booking his place into the semi-final against Inoue. The fight was set to take place at the SSE Hydro in Glasgow, Scotland, on 18 May 2019.
On 18 May, Inoue advanced to the final by knocking out undefeated Rodríguez in the second round. Inoue dropped Rodríguez three times in quick succession before the fight was stopped at 1:20 of the second round. Inoue became the first fighter to stop Rodriguez.