is a Japanese

professional boxer Professional boxing, or prizefighting, is regulated, sanctioned boxing. Professional boxing bouts are fought for a purse that is divided between the boxers as determined by contract. Most professional fights are supervised by a regulatory auth ...

. He has held multiple world championships in four weight classes, and is one of only three male boxers in history (along with

Terence Crawford Terence Allan Crawford (born September 28, 1987) is an American professional boxer. He has held multiple quadruple champion#Boxing, world championships in four weight classes, from lightweight to light middleweight, including the undisputed cha ...

and

Oleksandr Usyk Oleksandr Oleksandrovych Usyk (, ; born 17 January 1987) is a Ukrainian professional boxer. He has held the unified champion (boxing), unified heavyweight championship since 2021, and the ''The Ring (magazine), Ring'' magazine title since 2022 ...

) to become the

undisputed champion Undisputed championship may refer to: *Undisputed championship (boxing) In boxing, the undisputed champion of a weight class (boxing), weight class is the boxer who simultaneously holds world titles from all major organizations recognized by each ...

in two weight classes in the "four-belt era", becoming the second of them to do so. Nicknamed "The Monster" (怪物 ''Kaibutsu''), Inoue is known for his exceptional punching power, possessing a

knockout A knockout (abbreviated to KO or K.O.) is a fight-ending, winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, mixed martial arts, karate, some forms of taekwondo and other sports involving striking, ...

-to-win percentage of 90%. He is the first and only boxer to win the undisputed championship at

super bantamweight Super bantamweight, also known as junior featherweight, is a boxing weight classes, weight class in professional boxing, contested from and up to . There were attempts by boxing promoters in the 1920s to establish this weight class, but few sanct ...

, having held all four major world titles since 2023, as well as the ''

Ring (The) Ring(s) may refer to: * Ring (jewellery), a round band, usually made of metal, worn as ornamental jewelry * To make a sound with a bell, and the sound made by a bell Arts, entertainment, and media Film and TV * ''The Ring'' (franchise), a ...

'' magazine title. Previously he held the undisputed championship and the ''Ring'' title at

bantamweight Bantamweight is a weight class in combat sports and weightlifting. For boxing, the range is above and up to . In kickboxing, a bantamweight fighter generally weighs between . In mixed martial arts, MMA, bantamweight is . The name for the class ...

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 The World Boxing Council (WBC) is an international professional boxing organization. It is among the four major organizations which sanction professional boxing bouts, alongside the World Boxing Association (WBA), International Boxing Federation ...

(WBC) light flyweight title in 2014, the

World Boxing Organization The World Boxing Organization (WBO) is an organization which sanctions professional boxing bouts. It is recognized by the International Boxing Hall of Fame (IBHOF) as one of the four major world championship groups, alongside the World Boxing ...

(WBO) junior bantamweight title from 2014 to 2018, and the

World Boxing Association The World Boxing Association (WBA), formerly known as the National Boxing Association (NBA), is an international professional boxing organization based in Panama. The WBA awards its world championship title at the professional level. Founded ...

(WBA) bantamweight title ( Unified version) from 2018 to 2019. He won the 2018–2019

World Boxing Super Series The World Boxing Super Series (WBSS) is a professional boxing tournament organised by Comosa AG. Each weight class features eight boxers competing in an annual knockout competition with the champion from each weight class taking the Muhammad Al ...

bantamweight tournament. In June 2022, Inoue became the first Japanese boxer to be ranked in the world,

pound for pound Pound for pound is a ranking used in combat sports, such as boxing, wrestling, or mixed martial arts, adjusted to compensate for weight class. As fighters in different weight classes do not compete directly, determining the best fighter pound for ...

, by ''The Ring''. He was named Fighter of the Year in 2023 by ''

The Ring The Ring may refer to: Arts and entertainment *The Ring (franchise), ''The Ring'' (franchise), a Japanese horror media franchise Literature * ''The Ring'', a 1967 novel by Richard Chopping * ''The Ring'', a 1988 book by Daniel Keys Moran * ''The R ...

'', the Boxer Writers Association of America, and

ESPN ESPN (an initialism of their original name, which was the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by the Walt Disney Company (80% and operational control) and Hearst Commu ...

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 Tehran (; , ''Tehrân'') is the capital and largest city of Iran. It is the capital of Tehran province, and the administrative center for Tehran County and its Central District (Tehran County), Central District. With a population of around 9. ...

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

, and won the Japanese Junior Selection Tournament. He then participated in the

AIBA The International Boxing Association (IBA), previously known as the Association Internationale de Boxe Amateur (AIBA), is a sports organization that sanctions amateur and professional boxing matches and awards world and subordinate championships. ...

Youth World Championships, but lost to

Yosvany Veitía Yosvany Veitía Soto (also spelled Yosbany, born 12 March 1992) is a Cuban amateur Boxing, boxer in the light flyweight division who competed at the 2012 Olympics. He is a Left-handed, southpaw. Career At the 2010 Youth World Amateur Boxing Cha ...

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 Jakarta (; , Betawi language, Betawi: ''Jakartè''), officially the Special Capital Region of Jakarta (; ''DKI Jakarta'') and formerly known as Batavia, Dutch East Indies, Batavia until 1949, is the capital and largest city of Indonesia and ...

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...

. He subsequently won the first place in the Japanese Interscholastic Athletic Meeting in that year. However, he was eliminated in the third round by

in the

2011 World Amateur Boxing Championships The 2011 AIBA World Boxing Championships was held at the Heydar Aliyev Sports and Exhibition Complex in Baku, Azerbaijan from September 22 to October 10, 2011. The competition ran under the supervision of the world's governing body for amateur ...

at the

Heydar Aliyev Sports and Exhibition Complex The Heydar Aliyev Sports and Exhibition Complex is the main exhibition space of Baku, Azerbaijan. Named after the former President Heydar Aliyev's cult of personality, Heydar Aliyev), it is located on Tbilisi Avenue between Hyatt Hotel and Grand ...

Baku Baku (, ; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Azerbaijan, largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and in the Caucasus region. Baku is below sea level, which makes it the List of capital ci ...

Azerbaijan Azerbaijan, officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, is a Boundaries between the continents, transcontinental and landlocked country at the boundary of West Asia and Eastern Europe. It is a part of the South Caucasus region and is bounded by ...

, and lost to

Birzhan Zhakypov Birzhan Zhakypov (born July 7, 1984) is an amateur boxer from Kazakhstan, best known for winning the light flyweight gold medal at the 2013 World Amateur Boxing Championship. He qualified for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, where he beat Pál B ...

in the final at the 2012 Asian Boxing Olympic Qualification Tournament in

Astana Astana is the capital city of Kazakhstan. With a population of 1,423,726 within the city limits, it is the second-largest in the country after Almaty, which had been the capital until 1997. The city lies on the banks of the Ishim (river), Ishim ...

Kazakhstan Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a landlocked country primarily in Central Asia, with a European Kazakhstan, small portion in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the Kazakhstan–Russia border, north and west, China to th ...

. Inoue holds a KO win over

Kenshiro Teraji , also known as , is a Japanese professional boxer and unified flyweight champion, having held the World Boxing Council (WBC) title since October 2024, and the World Boxing Association (WBA) title since March 2025. He has unified titles in two ...

in the amateurs. Inoue's amateur record was 75–6 (48 KOs).

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 is a former World Boxing Council (WBC) world bantamweight champion from Kurashiki, Okayama, Kurashiki, Okayama, Japan. His record is 20–7–1 (14 KOs). He is popular for his fight style and unique personality, and has appeared in several tele ...

. Inoue then fought for the vacant

OPBF The Oriental and Pacific Boxing Federation (OPBF) is a professional boxing organization that sanctions title fights in the Asian and Pacific region. History Oriental boxing started in the Philippines in 1946 after the Spanish-American War. Whi ...

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 (17–5, 5 KOs) 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 The World Boxing Organization (WBO) is an organization which sanctions professional boxing bouts. It is recognized by the International Boxing Hall of Fame (IBHOF) as one of the four major world championship groups, alongside the World Boxin ...

junior bantamweight title holder

Omar Andrés Narváez Umar ibn al-Khattab (; ), also spelled Omar, was the second Rashidun caliph, ruling from August 634 until his assassination in 644. He succeeded Abu Bakr () and is regarded as a senior companion and father-in-law of the Islamic prophet Muh ...

. 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 (born November 23, 1980) is a Japanese professional boxer. He is a two-time world champion, having held the WBA super-flyweight title twice between 2012 and 2016 with three successful defenses. Professional career Kono vs. Niita Kono made his ...

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 Carlos Roberto Cuadras Quiroa (born August 24, 1988) is a Mexican professional boxer who held the WBC super flyweight title from 2014 to 2016. As an amateur he won a gold medal in the bantamweight division at the 2007 Pan American Games. Am ...

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 Home Box Office (HBO) is an American pay television service, which is the flagship property of namesake parent-subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is based a ...

Boxing After Dark ''Boxing After Dark'' is an HBO boxing program, premiered on February 3, 1996, that usually showed fights between well-known contenders, but usually not "championship" or "title" fights. Unlike its sister program, ''HBO World Championship Boxing ...

card "Superfly" set at the

StubHub Center Dignity Health Sports Park is a multi-use sports complex located on the campus of California State University, Dominguez Hills, in Carson, California. The complex consists of the 27,000-seat Dignity Health Sports Park soccer stadium, the Dign ...

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 JOCX-DTV (channel 8), branded as or , is a Japanese television station that serves the Kantō region as the flagship (broadcasting), flagship station of the Fuji News Network (FNN) and the Fuji Network System (FNS). The station is owned-and- ...

. 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 (29–2–1 13 KOs) 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

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 Zolani Tete (born 8 March 1988) is a South African professional boxer. He is a former two-weight world champion, having held the IBF junior-bantamweight title from 2014 to 2015 and the WBO bantamweight title from 2017 to 2019. Early life and ...

(27–3, 21 KOs) and IBF champion

Emmanuel Rodríguez Emmanuel Rodríguez Vázquez (born August 8, 1992) is a Puerto Rican professional boxer who has held the International Boxing Federation (IBF) bantamweight title twice between 2018 and 2024. As an amateur he represented Puerto Rico at the 2010 ...

. At the draft gala on 20 July, Inoue chose to defend his WBA title against former WBA(Undisputed) bantamweight champion Juan Carlo Payano in the quarter-final. The fight was announced to take place on 7 October at the

Yokohama Arena is an indoor arena located in Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. The capacity of the arena is 17,000 and was opened in 1989. The arena was modeled after US sports venue Madison Square Garden in New York City. It is a five-minute walk from the ...

Yokohama is the List of cities in Japan, second-largest city in Japan by population as well as by area, and the country's most populous Municipalities of Japan, municipality. It is the capital and most populous city in Kanagawa Prefecture, with a popu ...

, 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 '' The Ring'' magazine was established in 1922 and has named a Knockout of the Year since 1989, based on the magazine's writers' criteria. Knockouts of the Year by decade 1980s * 1989: Michael Nunn ''KO 1'' Sumbu Kalambay see Michael Nunn v ...

. IBF bantamweight champion

defeated

Jason Moloney Jason Moloney (born 10 January 1991) is an Australian professional boxer, who held the WBO bantamweight title from May 2023 to May 2024. He previously challenged twice for the IBF bantamweight title. At regional level, he has held the WBA Oce ...

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 The OVO Hydro is a multi-purpose indoor arena located within the Scottish Event Campus in Glasgow, Scotland. The arena was initially named The Scottish Hydro Arena after its main sponsor Scottish Hydro Electric. During construction, Scottish ...

Glasgow, Scotland Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...

, 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.

World Boxing Super Series final

Inoue was set to face

Nonito Donaire Nonito Gonzales Donaire Jr. ( ; ; born November 16, 1982) is a Filipino American professional boxer. He has held multiple world championships in four weight classes, from flyweight to featherweight, and is the oldest boxer in history to win a ...

in the

finals on 7 November 2019. Inoue won the fight by unanimous decision. After the fight, Inoue was presented the

Muhammad Ali Muhammad Ali (; born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr.; January 17, 1942 – June 3, 2016) was an American professional boxer and social activist. A global cultural icon, widely known by the nickname "The Greatest", he is often regarded as the gr ...

Trophy by Fighting Harada. Inoue revealed he had suffered a fractured orbital bone and broken nose during the fight. The fight was later voted

the Ring magazine Fight of the Year '' The Ring'' magazine was established in 1922 and has named a Fight of the Year since 1945. Fights of the Year by decade 1940s *1945 Rocky Graziano KO 10 Red Cochrane I *1946 Tony Zale KO 6 Rocky Graziano I *1947 Rocky Graziano KO 6 Tony ...

. Inoue faced future

bantamweight champion

on 31 October at the MGM Grand Conference Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. Inoue landed a short right hand to drop Moloney and score a knockout victory. Referee

Kenny Bayless Kenny Bayless (born May 4, 1950) is an American retired referee (boxing), boxing referee from Nevada. He is best known for having refereed many of the sport's most well-known fights. Bayless's catchphrase, when giving his instructions to the fig ...

stopped the fight at 2:59 of the 7th round. Inoue became the first fighter to stop Moloney. Inoue faced his IBF

mandatory challenger In professional boxing and some other combat sports, a mandatory challenger is an opponent whom a champion must either fight (in a mandatory defence) or be forced to vacate their title as champion. The opposite of a mandatory defence is a ''volunt ...

and current IBO bantamweight champion

Michael Dasmariñas Michael Alber Dasmariñas is a Filipino professional boxer who held the IBO bantamweight title in 2018. He also challenged for the IBO super-flyweight title in 2014 and the unified WBA (Super), IBF, and '' The Ring'' bantamweight titles in ...

on 19 June 2021 in

Paradise, Nevada Paradise is an Unincorporated towns in Nevada, unincorporated town and census-designated place (CDP) in Clark County, Nevada, United States, adjacent to the city of Las Vegas. It was formed on December 8, 1950. Its population was 191,238 at the ...

. 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. 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 on 14 December 2021, at the

Ryōgoku Kokugikan , also known as Ryōgoku Sumo Hall or Kokugikan Arena, is the name bestowed to two different indoor sporting arenas located in Tokyo. The first ''Ryōgoku Kokugikan'' opened its doors in 1909 and was located on the premises of the Ekōin temple i ...

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

. Inoue won the fight by an eight-round technical knockout. Inoue knocked Dipaen down with a left hook in the eighth round, and staggered Dipaen by a second left hook as soon as the action resumed, which prompted referee Michiaki Someya to wave the fight off. Inoue was later named the 2021 "Fighter of the Year" by the Japanese Boxing Commission. Inoue made his fifth title defense as a unified bantamweight champion in a title unification bout with the reigning WBC champion

on 7 June 2022, at the

Saitama Super Arena is a multi-purpose indoor arena located in Chūō-ku, Saitama, Chūō-ku, Saitama (city), Saitama, Saitama Prefecture, Japan. It opened preliminarily on May 5, 2000, and then was officially opened on September 1 of the same year. Its maximum capa ...

in Saitama, Japan. Inoue won the rematch 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 the only fighter to stop Donaire at bantamweight. Inoue was ranked as the number one

boxer by ''

'' after this victory, thus becoming the first Japanese boxer to reach that milestone.

Undisputed Bantamweight champion

On 25 August 2022, it was announced that Inoue would face 2 time bantamweight champion and the current reigning

bantamweight champion Paul Butler in a title unification bout on 13 December 2022, at the

Ariake Arena The is a multi-sport venue in Ariake, Tokyo, Ariake, Kōtō, Tokyo, Japan. It served as the Volleyball at the 2020 Summer Olympics, volleyball venue for the 2020 Summer Olympics and the Wheelchair basketball at the 2020 Summer Paralympics, wheel ...

in Tokyo, Japan. Inoue won the fight by an eleventh-round 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. With this win, Inoue became the first undisputed bantamweight champion since Enrique Pinder in 1972 and the first undisputed bantamweight champion in four-belt era. He also became the first-ever Japanese and Asian 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. And with this win, he also set the new record for the most wins in unified title bouts in bantamweight history, at 7, surpassing the great bantamweight legend

Rubén Olivares Rubén Olivares Avila (born January 14, 1947) is a Mexican former professional boxer and a member of the International Boxing Hall of Fame. Olivares was a world champion multiple times, and considered by many as the greatest bantamweight champion ...

. Inoue vacated all five titles on 13 January 2023, as he moved up to super bantamweight.

Super bantamweight

On 18 January 2023, it was revealed that Inoue had entered into negotiations with the undefeated unified

world champion Stephen Fulton. The fight was expected to take place at the

Yokohama, Japan is the second-largest city in Japan by population as well as by area, and the country's most populous municipality. It is the capital and most populous city in Kanagawa Prefecture, with a population of 3.7 million in 2023. It lies on Tokyo B ...

, on 7 May 2023. 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

, Japan. Inoue won the fight by an eighth-round technical knockout. In the eighth round, 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.

Undisputed Super bantamweight champion

On 21 August 2023, it was reported that Inoue had entered into negotiations with two division champion and current unified

WBA (Super) The World Boxing Association (WBA), formerly known as the National Boxing Association (NBA), is an international professional boxing organization based in Panama. The WBA awards its world championship title at the professional level. Founded i ...

and IBF

champion

Marlon Tapales Marlon Tapales (born March 23, 1992) is a Filipino professional boxer. He has held world championships in two weight class (boxing), weight classes, including the World Boxing Organization (WBO) bantamweight title from 2016 to 2017 and the Unifi ...

for an undisputed title bout. The fight was also for lineal championship and took place at

, Japan on 26 December 2023. Inoue won the fight by tenth-round knockout to become the first ever undisputed super bantamweight champion and 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. 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. 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 two division champion, Luis Nery. The bout was scheduled for 6 May 2024 at

Tokyo Dome is an indoor stadium in Bunkyō, Tokyo, Japan. It was designed as a baseball stadium following its predecessor, Korakuen Stadium (whose former site is now occupied by the Tokyo Dome Hotel and a plaza for this stadium). In Japan, it is often us ...

and was the first boxing match taking place at the venue since 1990. Despite suffering the first knockdown of his professional career in the opening round, Inoue 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 ended the fight. Due to the significance of this bout, Inoue was awarded the honorary WBC Diamond belt. After this victory, Inoue was ranked as the number one

boxer for the second time in his career by ''

''. This fight set the record for the highest peak viewership in Japan's Amazon Prime Video history, surpassing the 2023

World Baseball Classic The World Baseball Classic (WBC), also referred to as the Classic, is an international baseball tournament sanctioned by the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC), the sport's global governing body, and organized in World Baseball Clas ...

finals between Japan and the United States. Inoue made the second defense of his undisputed super bantamweight title against former IBF super bantamweight champion TJ Doheny at

on 3 September 2024. Inoue retained his undisputed title by stopping Doheny with a body shot. During the seventh round, Inoue landed heavy body shots on Doheny, causing him to recoil from pain and limp away from Inoue. He then dropped to one knee, prompting referee Bence Kovacs to wave the fight off. The bout was officially stopped at 0:16 of the seventh round. On 3 October 2024, it was reported that Inoue would defend his undisputed super bantamweight title for the third time, against the undefeated IBF and

mandatory challenger Sam Goodman in Tokyo, Japan on 24 December 2024. On 13 December 2024, it was reported that Goodman suffered a serious cut on his eyelid during sparring and the fight has been moved to 24 January 2025. On January 10, 2025 it was reported that Goodman withdrew from the bout due to "recurrence of his eye injury". He was replaced by #11 ranked WBO, Kim Ye-joon. Inoue won the fight by fourth round knockout. In February 2025, it was reported that Inoue would face WBC No. 1 ranked contender Alan Picasso Romero on 14 June 2025 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. In late February, it was reported that Picasso withdrew from the fight. Inoue made his fourth defense of his undisputed super bantamweight title against WBA No.1 ranked contender Ramon Cardenas at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on 4 May 2025. Despite a knockdown in the second round, Inoue would score his own knockdown in the seventh and secure an eighth-round stoppage. At the time of the stoppage, he was ahead on all three judges’ scorecards, having won every round except the second. With this win, he sets a new world record with 23 knockout victories in world title fights, surpassing the previous mark of 22 held by former heavyweight champion

Joe Louis Joseph Louis Barrow (May 13, 1914 – April 12, 1981) was an American professional boxer who competed from 1934 to 1951. Nicknamed "the Brown Bomber", Louis is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential boxers of all time. He r ...

. On 1 May 2025, it was reported that Inoue would make the fifth defense of his undisputed super bantamweight title against former unified super-bantamweight champion Murodjon Akhmadaliev on 14 September 2025 in Tokyo, Japan. In June 2025, Turki Alalshikh of Riyad Season told

Ring Magazine ''The Ring'' (often called ''The Ring'' magazine or ''Ring'' magazine) is an American boxing magazine that was first published in 1922 as a boxing and wrestling magazine. As the sporting legitimacy of professional wrestling came more into questio ...

that he was planning a card to take place on 27 December 2025, with Inoue headlining against WBC mandatory challenger Alan Picasso. The card would be themed around Japanese boxers against Mexican/Mexican-American boxers.

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 is a Japanese professional boxer who held the WBA bantamweight title from 2023 to 2024. Professional career Inoue started boxing from a very young age, after watching his brother Naoya win several high school championships. After a promising ...

, and one older cousin, Koki Inoue, both of whom are professional boxers.

Professional boxing record

Exhibition boxing record

Titles in boxing

Major world titles

* 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)

Secondary major world titles

* WBA (Regular) bantamweight champion (118 lbs) * WBA (Unified) bantamweight champion (118 lbs)

''The Ring'' magazine titles

* ''The Ring'' bantamweight champion (118 lbs) * ''The Ring'' super bantamweight champion (122 lbs)

Regional/International titles

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

light flyweight champion (108 lbs) *

light flyweight champion (108 lbs)

Undisputed titles

* Undisputed bantamweight champion * Undisputed super bantamweight champion

Honorary titles

* WBC Diamond bantamweight champion *WBC Diamond super bantamweight champion * WBO Super Champion

Awards

* ''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 The Sugar Ray Robinson Award, known alternatively as the Boxing Writers Association of America Fighter of the Year Award and previously known as the Edward J. Neil Trophy, has been conferred annually since 1938 by the Boxing Writers Association of ...

: 2023 * BWAA Ali-Frazier Award: 2019 * Muhammad Ali Trophy: 2019 * WBC Fighter of the Year: 2023 * WBA Knockout of the Year: 2018 *

Fighter of the Year: 2023 *

Fight of the Year: 2019 *

CBS Sports CBS Sports is the American sports programming division of Paramount Global that is responsible for sports broadcasts carried by its broadcast network CBS and streaming service Paramount+, as well as the operator of its cable channel CBS Sports N ...

Fight of the Year: 2019 *

Fighter of the Year: 2023 *

Top Rank Top Rank, Inc. is a boxing promotional company founded by Jabir Herbert Muhammad and Bob Arum, which was incorporated in 1973, and is based in Las Vegas, Nevada. Since its founding, Top Rank has promoted many world class fighters, including M ...

's Fighter of the Year: 2022, 2023 *

's Knockout of the Year: 2022 *''

Metro Metro may refer to: Geography * Metro City (Indonesia), a city in Indonesia * A metropolitan area, the populated region including and surrounding an urban center Public transport * Rapid transit, a passenger railway in an urban area with high ...

'' Fighter of the Year: 2023 *WBN Young Fighter of the Year: 2014 *WBN Stoppage of the Year: 2018 *WBN Fight of the Year: 2019 *WBN Fighter of the Year: 2023 *

Yahoo Sports Yahoo! Sports is a sports news website launched by Yahoo! on December 8, 1997. It receives a majority of its information from Stats Perform. It employs numerous writers, and has team pages for teams in almost every North American major sport. ...

Fight of the Year: 2019 *

FanSided FanSided is a network of more than 301 commercial American sports, lifestyle, and entertainment websites and newsletters. It was co-founded and launched in 2009 by brothers Zach Best and Adam Best. The network was sold to Time Inc. in May 2015. ...

Fight of the Year: 2019 *The Sweet Science (TSS) Fighter of the Year: 2023 *Boxing Insider's Fighter of the Year: 2022 *Boxing Insider's Knockout of the Year: 2018 *BoxingScene's Fighter of the Year: 2014, 2023 * Japan Boxing Commission’s Fighter of the Year: 2014, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 * Japan Boxing Commission’s Knockout of the Year: 2018, 2020, 2023

Filmography

Television and film

Notes

References

External links

*
Official websiteNaoya Inoue - Profile, News Archive & Current Rankings
a
Box.Live
{{DEFAULTSORT:Inoue, Naoya 1993 births

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 (along with Terence Crawford and Oleksandr Usyk) to become the undisputed champion in two weigh ...

Living people Japanese male boxers Sportspeople from Zama, Kanagawa Martial artists from Kanagawa Prefecture The Ring (magazine) champions Light-flyweight boxers Super-flyweight boxers World light-flyweight boxing champions World super-flyweight boxing champions World bantamweight boxing champions World super-bantamweight boxing champions World Boxing Council champions World Boxing Organization champions World Boxing Association champions International Boxing Federation champions

Amateur career

Professional career

Light flyweight

Super flyweight

Bantamweight

World Boxing Super Series

World Boxing Super Series final

Undisputed Bantamweight champion

Super bantamweight

Undisputed Super bantamweight champion

Personal life

Professional boxing record

Exhibition boxing record

Titles in boxing

Major world titles

Secondary major world titles

''The Ring'' magazine titles

Regional/International titles

Undisputed titles

Honorary titles

Awards

Filmography

Television and film

See also

Notes

References

External links