Naoya Inoue facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Naoya Inoue |
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Inoue in 2023
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| Nickname(s) | The Monster (怪物 Kaibutsu) |
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| Rated at |
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| Height | 5 ft 5 in | |||||||||||||
| Reach | 67+1/2 in | |||||||||||||
| Born | 10 April 1993 Zama, Kanagawa, Japan |
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| Stance | Orthodox | |||||||||||||
| Boxing record | ||||||||||||||
| Total fights | 30 | |||||||||||||
| Wins | 30 | |||||||||||||
| Wins by KO | 27 | |||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Naoya Inoue (born April 10, 1993) is a famous Japanese professional boxer. He is known as "The Monster" because of his amazing punching power. He has won many world championships in four different weight classes.
Inoue is one of only three male boxers ever to become the undisputed champion in two weight classes. This means he held all four major world titles at the same time. He was the first and only boxer to achieve this at super bantamweight (since 2023). He also held all four titles at bantamweight from 2022 to 2023.
Earlier in his career, Inoue won titles in other weight classes. He held the World Boxing Council (WBC) light flyweight title in 2014. He also held the World Boxing Organization (WBO) junior bantamweight title from 2014 to 2018. In 2018, he won the World Boxing Association (WBA) bantamweight title. He also won the 2018–2019 World Boxing Super Series tournament in the bantamweight division.
In June 2022, Inoue became the first Japanese boxer to be ranked number one in the world, pound for pound, by The Ring magazine. This ranking means he was considered the best boxer, regardless of weight. He was named Fighter of the Year in 2023 by several major boxing organizations.
Contents
Inoue's Early Boxing Days
Amateur Career Highlights
Naoya Inoue started boxing as an amateur. In 2009, he won important Japanese championships for young boxers. The next year, in 2010, he won a bronze medal at the Asian Youth Championships in Iran. He also won a tournament in Japan.
In July 2011, he won a gold medal at the President's Cup in Indonesia. He continued to win in Japan, but faced tough opponents in international competitions. His amateur record was 75 wins and 6 losses, with 48 knockouts.
Becoming a Professional Boxer
Starting as a Light Flyweight
Inoue began his professional boxing career in October 2012. In his very first fight, he knocked out Crison Omayao in the fourth round. He quickly showed his power, winning his second fight by knockout in the first round.
In April 2013, in his third fight, Inoue injured his right hand. Even with the injury, he managed to win the fight using mostly his left hand. In August 2013, he won his first Japanese title, becoming the Japanese light flyweight champion. This was a big achievement, as he won the title in only four fights.
In December 2013, he won another regional title, the OPBF light flyweight title. Then, in April 2014, in only his sixth professional fight, Inoue won his first major world title. He defeated Adrián Hernández to become the WBC light flyweight champion. He defended this title once before deciding to move up to a heavier weight class.
Moving Up to Super Flyweight
In November 2014, Inoue moved up two weight classes to super flyweight. He challenged Omar Narváez for the WBO junior bantamweight title. Inoue won this fight by knockout in the second round. This was a huge win, showing he could dominate in heavier divisions too.
He defended his WBO junior bantamweight title several times. In December 2015, he knocked out Warlito Parrenas in the second round. In May 2016, he won against David Carmona by decision, even after injuring his right hand again. He continued to defend his title successfully against Petchbarngborn Kokietgym and Kohei Kono in 2016.
Inoue wanted to fight other champions to unify titles, but those fights didn't happen at the time. He continued to defend his WBO title, winning against Ricardo Rodríguez in May 2017 and Antonio Nieves in September 2017. His seventh defense was against Yoan Boyeaux in December 2017, where he won by knockout in the third round.
Conquering the Bantamweight Division
In May 2018, Inoue moved up to the bantamweight division. He challenged Jamie McDonnell for the WBA bantamweight title. Inoue won by knockout in the first round, becoming a world champion in his third weight class.
World Boxing Super Series Tournament
After winning the WBA title, Inoue joined the World Boxing Super Series. This was a tournament where top champions in the bantamweight division fought each other. In the quarter-finals, he faced Juan Carlos Payano in October 2018. Inoue won with a stunning first-round knockout, which was later named the "Knockout of the Year."
In the semi-finals, he fought Emmanuel Rodríguez in May 2019. Inoue knocked out Rodríguez in the second round, showing his incredible power once again. This win sent him to the finals.
Becoming Undisputed Bantamweight Champion
In the World Boxing Super Series final, Inoue faced Nonito Donaire in November 2019. This was a very tough fight, and Inoue won by a unanimous decision after 12 rounds. He suffered a fractured orbital bone and a broken nose during the fight. This fight was named the "Fight of the Year."
After the tournament, Inoue continued to defend his bantamweight titles. He knocked out Jason Moloney in October 2020 and Michael Dasmariñas in June 2021. In December 2021, he defended his titles against Aran Dipaen, winning by technical knockout in the eighth round.
In June 2022, Inoue had a rematch with Nonito Donaire. This time, Inoue won by technical knockout in the second round, becoming the only boxer to stop Donaire at bantamweight. After this victory, The Ring magazine ranked Inoue as the number one pound-for-pound boxer in the world.
In December 2022, Inoue fought Paul Butler in a title unification bout. Inoue won by knockout in the eleventh round, becoming the undisputed bantamweight champion. This meant he held all four major world titles at bantamweight. He was the first undisputed bantamweight champion since 1972 and the first in the four-belt era. He also set a new record for most wins in unified title bouts in bantamweight history. In January 2023, Inoue gave up all his bantamweight titles to move up to super bantamweight.
Dominating the Super Bantamweight Division
In July 2023, Inoue challenged Stephen Fulton, the undefeated unified super bantamweight world champion. Inoue won the fight by technical knockout in the eighth round, becoming a world champion in his fourth weight class.
Undisputed Super Bantamweight Champion
In December 2023, Inoue fought Marlon Tapales for the undisputed super bantamweight title. Inoue won by knockout in the tenth round, becoming the first-ever undisputed super bantamweight champion. This made him a two-division undisputed champion, a year after unifying the bantamweight division. This win also brought his knockout rate in world title fights to over 90%, which is one of the highest ever.
In May 2024, Inoue defended his undisputed title against Luis Nery at the Tokyo Dome. Despite being knocked down for the first time in his professional career in the first round, Inoue recovered and won the fight by knockout in the sixth round. This fight set a record for the highest peak viewership on Amazon Prime Video in Japan.
In September 2024, Inoue made his second defense against TJ Doheny. He retained his undisputed title by stopping Doheny with a body shot in the seventh round.
In January 2025, Inoue defended his undisputed super bantamweight title against Kim Ye-joon, winning by knockout in the fourth round.
In May 2025, Inoue made his fourth defense against Ramon Cardenas. He won by an eighth-round stoppage, setting a new world record with 23 knockout victories in world title fights, surpassing the legendary Joe Louis.
In September 2025, Inoue is scheduled to defend his undisputed super bantamweight title against Murodjon Akhmadaliev in Nagoya, Japan.
Inoue's Life Outside the Ring
Naoya Inoue is married to his high school sweetheart and they have three children. His father, Shingo Inoue, who was also an amateur boxer, trains him. Naoya also has a younger brother, Takuma Inoue, and an older cousin, Koki Inoue, who are both professional boxers. Boxing truly runs in their family!
Professional Boxing Record
| 30 fights | 30 wins | 0 losses |
| By knockout | 27 | 0 |
| By decision | 3 | 0 |
| No. | Result | Record | Opponent | Type | Round, time | Date | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 | Win | 30–0 | Ramon Cardenas | TKO | 8 (12), 0:45 | 4 May 2025 | T-Mobile Arena, Paradise, Nevada, U.S. | Retained WBA (Super), WBC, IBF, WBO, and The Ring super bantamweight titles |
| 29 | Win | 29–0 | Kim Ye-joon | KO | 4 (12), 2:25 | 24 Jan 2025 | Ariake Arena, Tokyo, Japan | Retained WBA (Super), WBC, IBF, WBO, and The Ring super bantamweight titles |
| 28 | Win | 28–0 | TJ Doheny | TKO | 7 (12), 0:16 | 3 Sep 2024 | Ariake Arena, Tokyo, Japan | Retained WBA (Super), WBC, IBF, WBO, and The Ring super bantamweight titles |
| 27 | Win | 27–0 | Luis Nery | KO | 6 (12), 1:39 | 6 May 2024 | Tokyo Dome, Tokyo, Japan | Retained WBA (Super), WBC, IBF, WBO, and The Ring super bantamweight titles |
| 26 | Win | 26–0 | Marlon Tapales | KO | 10 (12), 1:02 | 26 Dec 2023 | Ariake Arena, Tokyo, Japan | Retained WBC and WBO super bantamweight titles; Won WBA (Super), IBF, and vacant The Ring super bantamweight titles |
| 25 | Win | 25–0 | Stephen Fulton | TKO | 8 (12), 1:14 | 25 Jul 2023 | Ariake Arena, Tokyo, Japan | Won WBC and WBO super bantamweight titles |
| 24 | Win | 24–0 | Paul Butler | KO | 11 (12), 1:09 | 13 Dec 2022 | Ariake Arena, Tokyo, Japan | Retained WBA (Super), WBC, IBF, and The Ring bantamweight titles; Won WBO bantamweight title |
| 23 | Win | 23–0 | Nonito Donaire | TKO | 2 (12), 1:24 | 7 Jun 2022 | Super Arena, Saitama, Japan | Retained WBA (Super), IBF, and The Ring bantamweight titles; Won WBC bantamweight title |
| 22 | Win | 22–0 | Aran Dipaen | TKO | 8 (12), 2:34 | 14 Dec 2021 | Ryōgoku Kokugikan, Tokyo, Japan | Retained WBA (Super), IBF, and The Ring bantamweight titles |
| 21 | Win | 21–0 | Michael Dasmariñas | KO | 3 (12), 2:45 | 19 Jun 2021 | Virgin Hotels Las Vegas, Paradise, Nevada, U.S. | Retained WBA (Super), IBF, and The Ring bantamweight titles |
| 20 | Win | 20–0 | Jason Moloney | KO | 7 (12), 2:59 | 31 Oct 2020 | MGM Grand Conference Center, Paradise, Nevada, U.S. | Retained WBA (Super), IBF, and The Ring bantamweight titles |
| 19 | Win | 19–0 | Nonito Donaire | UD | 12 | 7 Nov 2019 | Super Arena, Saitama, Japan | Retained IBF and The Ring bantamweight titles; Won WBA (Super) bantamweight title; World Boxing Super Series: bantamweight final |
| 18 | Win | 18–0 | Emmanuel Rodríguez | KO | 2 (12), 1:20 | 18 May 2019 | SSE Hydro, Glasgow, Scotland | Retained WBA (Unified) bantamweight title; Won IBF and vacant The Ring bantamweight titles; World Boxing Super Series: bantamweight semi-final |
| 17 | Win | 17–0 | Juan Carlos Payano | KO | 1 (12), 1:10 | 7 Oct 2018 | Yokohama Arena, Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan | Retained WBA (Regular) bantamweight title; World Boxing Super Series: bantamweight quarter-final |
| 16 | Win | 16–0 | Jamie McDonnell | KO | 1 (12), 1:52 | 25 May 2018 | Ota City General Gymnasium, Tokyo, Japan | Won WBA (Regular) bantamweight title |
| 15 | Win | 15–0 | Yoan Boyeaux | KO | 3 (12), 1:40 | 30 Dec 2017 | Cultural Gymnasium, Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan | Retained WBO junior bantamweight title |
| 14 | Win | 14–0 | Antonio Nieves | RTD | 6 (12), 3:00 | 9 Sep 2017 | Dignity Health Sports Park, Carson, California, U.S. | Retained WBO junior bantamweight title |
| 13 | Win | 13–0 | Ricardo Rodriguez | KO | 3 (12), 1:08 | 21 May 2017 | Ariake Coliseum, Tokyo, Japan | Retained WBO junior bantamweight title |
| 12 | Win | 12–0 | Kohei Kono | KO | 6 (12), 1:01 | 30 Dec 2016 | Ariake Coliseum, Tokyo, Japan | Retained WBO junior bantamweight title |
| 11 | Win | 11–0 | Petchbarngborn Kokietgym | KO | 10 (12), 3:03 | 4 Sep 2016 | Sky Arena, Zama, Kanagawa, Japan | Retained WBO junior bantamweight title |
| 10 | Win | 10–0 | David Carmona | UD | 12 | 8 May 2016 | Ariake Coliseum, Tokyo, Japan | Retained WBO junior bantamweight title |
| 9 | Win | 9–0 | Warlito Parrenas | KO | 2 (12), 1:20 | 29 Dec 2015 | Ariake Coliseum, Tokyo, Japan | Retained WBO junior bantamweight title |
| 8 | Win | 8–0 | Omar Narváez | KO | 2 (12), 3:01 | 30 Dec 2014 | Metropolitan Gymnasium, Tokyo, Japan | Won WBO junior bantamweight title |
| 7 | Win | 7–0 | Samartlek Kokietgym | TKO | 11 (12), 1:08 | 5 Sep 2014 | Yoyogi National Gymnasium, Tokyo, Japan | Retained WBC light flyweight title |
| 6 | Win | 6–0 | Adrián Hernández | KO | 6 (12), 2:54 | 6 Apr 2014 | Ota City General Gymnasium, Tokyo, Japan | Won WBC light flyweight title |
| 5 | Win | 5–0 | Jerson Mancio | TKO | 5 (12), 2:51 | 6 Dec 2013 | Ryōgoku Kokugikan, Tokyo, Japan | Won vacant OPBF light flyweight title |
| 4 | Win | 4–0 | Ryoichi Taguchi | UD | 10 | 25 Aug 2013 | Sky Arena, Zama, Kanagawa, Japan | Won Japanese light flyweight title |
| 3 | Win | 3–0 | Yūki Sano | TKO | 10 (10), 1:09 | 16 Apr 2013 | Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan | |
| 2 | Win | 2–0 | Ngaoprajan Chuwatana | KO | 1 (8), 1:50 | 5 Jan 2013 | Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan | |
| 1 | Win | 1–0 | Crison Omayao | KO | 4 (8), 2:04 | 2 Oct 2012 | Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan |
Exhibition Boxing Record
| 0 fights | 0 wins | 0 losses |
| No. | Result | Record | Opponent | Type | Round, time | Date | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | N/A | 0–0 (6) | Daigo Higa | N/A | 3 | 11 Feb 2021 | Yoyogi National Gymnasium, Tokyo, Japan | Non-scored bout |
| 5 | N/A | 0–0 (5) | Genesis Servania | N/A | 3 | 19 Aug 2018 | Sangyo Hall, Kanazawa, Japan | Non-scored bout |
| 4 | N/A | 0–0 (4) | Genesis Servania | N/A | 3 | 3 Jul 2016 | Happiring, Fukui, Japan | Non-scored bout |
| 3 | N/A | 0–0 (3) | Akira Yaegashi | N/A | 2 | 19 May 2014 | Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan | Non-scored bout |
| 2 | N/A | 0–0 (2) | Akira Yaegashi | N/A | 2 | 21 Oct 2013 | Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan | Non-scored bout |
| 1 | N/A | 0–0 (1) | Masayuki Kuroda | N/A | 2 | 10 Jul 2012 | Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan | Non-scored bout |
Boxing Titles and Awards
Major World Titles Won
- WBC light flyweight champion (108 lbs)
- WBO junior bantamweight champion (115 lbs)
- WBA (Super) bantamweight champion (118 lbs)
- WBC bantamweight champion (118 lbs)
- IBF bantamweight champion (118 lbs)
- WBO bantamweight champion (118 lbs)
- WBA (Super) super bantamweight champion (122 lbs)
- WBC super bantamweight champion (122 lbs)
- IBF super bantamweight champion (122 lbs)
- WBO super bantamweight champion (122 lbs)
Other Important Titles
- Japanese light flyweight champion (108 lbs)
- OPBF light flyweight champion (108 lbs)
- Undisputed bantamweight champion
- Undisputed super bantamweight champion
Awards and Recognitions
- The Ring magazine Fighter of the Year: 2023
- The Ring magazine Fight of the Year: 2019
- The Ring magazine Knockout of the Year: 2018
- Sugar Ray Robinson Award: 2023
- Muhammad Ali Trophy: 2019
- ESPN Fighter of the Year: 2023
- ESPN Fight of the Year: 2019
- Japan Boxing Commission’s Fighter of the Year: 2014, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023
Film and TV Appearances
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1 episode, 2019 | VS Arashi | Himself |
| 2019 | 70th NHK Kōhaku Uta Gassen | Himself (judge) |
| 2024 | The Fight Life - Naoya Inoue: The Perfect Fighter | Himself |
See also
In Spanish: Naoya Inoue para niños
