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 ...

who held the WBA

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 ...

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 amateur career, he made his pro debut in 2013 as a light flyweight against future WBO minimumweight world champion Tatsuya Fukuhara. Inoue defeated the much more experienced boxer by unanimous decision. Inoue then moved up to the

flyweight Flyweight is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Flyweight is a class in boxing which includes fighters weighing up to and including 51 kg (112 lb) for a title fight. Professional boxing The flyweight division was the last of boxin ...

division and faced Fahlan Sakkreerin Jr., winning the fight by unanimous decision. After knocking out a debuting Chalerm Kotala, Inoue moved up to

super flyweight Super flyweight, also referred to as junior bantamweight, is a weight class in professional boxing, contested from and up to . History The first title match in this division was in 1980, when the World Boxing Council responded to pressure from A ...

and outclassed world title contender Nestor Daniel Narvaes. Inoue defeated Mark Anthony Geraldo on July 6, 2015, to win the

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 ...

title. He then successfully defended the belt against Rene Dacquel on December 29, 2015. On September 4, 2016, Inoue defeated Froilan Saludar at the Sky Arena in

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

, before moving up to

. Inoue was set to face

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 the WBO bantamweight title in December 2016. However, Inoue was forced to withdraw from the fight after fracturing his hand in training. Inoue made his return on August 30, 2017, against 4-time world title challenger Hiroyuki Kudaka. He won the back and forth fight by unanimous decision. Inoue then went on to defeat former Japanese champion Kentaro Masuda and Indonesian journeyman Waldo Sabu. WBC Eliminator On September 11, 2018, Inoue faced Mark John Yap in a title eliminator for the WBC

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 ...

world championship. The fight was fairly competitive until Inoue floored Yap with a left hook in the fifth. From there, Inoue maintained control for the next three rounds and earned a unanimous decision win. WBC Interim Championship Inoue faced Petch Sor Chitpattana for the vacant WBC interim bantamweight title on December 30, 2018, in Ota City General Gymnasium

. He won the fight by unanimous decision (117–111, 117–111, 117–111). As the interim champion, Inoue became the mandatory challenger to the winner of the vacant WBC world title fight between Rau'shee Warren and Nordine Oubaali. WBC Bantamweight Championship Nordine Oubaali vs Takuma Inoue Inoue faced two time Olympian Nordine Oubaali for the WBC bantamweight title on November 7, 2019. He lost the fight by unanimous decision (117–110, 120–107, 115–112), marking the first loss of his professional career.

Inoue vs. Kurihara

On January 14, 2021, Inoue beat Keita Kurihara by technical decision in their 9-round contest. Kurihara was ranked #4 by the IBF at bantamweight at the time. The scorecards were announced as 82–89, 82–89, 81–90 in favor of Inoue.

Inoue vs. Wake

In his next bout, Inoue beat Shingo Wake by unanimous decision on November 11, 2021. Wake was ranked #13 by the WBO at super bantamweight. The scorecards read 117–110, 117–110, 117–110 in favor of Inoue.

Inoue vs. Furuhashi

In his next bout, on June 7, 2022, Inoue fought Gakuya Furuhashi. Inoue won the fight convincingly, winning 119–109, 120–108, 120–108 on the scorecards.

Inoue vs. Bornea

Inoue faced Jake Bornea on December 13, 2022. The fight was stopped in the 8th round due to a cut opened up on Bornea, with Inoue dominating the action up to that point.

Inoue vs. Solis

Inoue faced former WBA super flyweight champion Liborio Solis for the vacant WBA bantamweight title on April 8, 2023. He won the fight and the title by unanimous decision.

Inoue vs. Ancajas

Inoue made his first WBA bantamweight title defense against former IBF super flyweight champion Jerwin Ancajas. Inoue won the fight and retained his title by 9th round body-shot knockout.

Inoue vs. Tsutsumi

Inoue defended his WBA bantamweight title against Seiya Tsutsumi at Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan on October 13, 2024. He lost the fight by unanimous decision.

Awards

Inoue was named the 2015 The Ring magazine Prospect of the Year.

Personal life

He is the younger brother of Naoya Inoue, and the younger cousin of Koki Inoue.

Professional boxing record

References

External links

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Takuma Inoue - Profile, News Archive & Current Rankings
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Box.Live
, - , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Inoue, Takuma 1995 births Takuma Inoue Living people Japanese male boxers Sportspeople from Zama, Kanagawa Martial artists from Kanagawa Prefecture 21st-century Japanese sportsmen Super-flyweight boxers Bantamweight boxers Super-bantamweight boxers World bantamweight boxing champions World Boxing Association champions