Naoya Inoue

Born on April 10, 1993 in Zama, Kanagawa, Japan, Naoya Inoue lives up to his nickname “The Monster,” as he comes after other fighters with powerful punches, particularly to the body. He put together a successful amateur career, as he won a few junior tournaments in Japan and competed in the 2011 World Amateur Boxing Championships, although he didn’t place. After he didn’t lose in a qualification tournament for the Olympic team, he ended his amateur career with a 75-6 record.

Inoue had his first professional fight on October 2, 2012. Unlike many boxers who start their careers with fights against journeymen, he took on the 16-4-1 Crison Omayao, who was a Filipino champion. Despite the level of competition, he demonstrated his power by knocking out his opponent in the fourth round. In his next fight a few months later, he scored another KO, this one in the very first round.

His third opponent was the 17-2-4 Yuki Sano, and Naoya Inoue won that fight by TKO in the 10th and final round. That set him up for a title shot in only the fourth fight of his career, as he took on Ryoichi Taguchi on August 25, 2013 for the Japanese light flyweight title. While this was his first fight to go to a decision, he still put on a show, battering Taguchi with hard shots on his way to a 10-round unanimous decision win.

On December 6, 2013, he added another belt to his collection when he took out Jerson Mancio by way of fifth-round TKO for the OPBF light flyweight title. After that, he got his first world title fight, as he was set to fight Adrian Hernandez on April 4, 2014 for the WBC light flyweight belt. Once again, Inoue was dominant, as he finished off his opponent in the sixth round by TKO.

He defended that belt one time, against Wittawas Basapean, and won by TKO in the 11th round. Then, he decided to challenge himself by relinquishing his title and jumping up to junior bantamweight to take on Omar Narvaez. Narvaez had an impressive record of 43-1-2, along with the WBO title. It didn’t matter to Inoue, who put Narvaez on the canvas in the first minute of the fight and didn’t let up from there, eventually scoring a knockout in just the second round.

Naoya Inoue was out of action for almost a year after that, but came back on December 29, 2015 to defend his WBO title for the first time. It didn’t take him long to defeat Warlito Parrenas, as he won by TKO in the second round. On May 8, 2016, he fought David Carmona, who would become just the second fighter to last until a decision against him, but he still picked up the win after 12 rounds. He fought two more times that year. First, he beat Karoon Jarupianlerd in the 10th round by TKO. He then closed out 2016 with another spectacular finish, this one against Kohei Kono in the sixth round of their fight.

What is Naoya Inoue's Record?

Naoya Inoue's record currently stands at 23 wins, 0 loses and 0 draws. He is currently undefeated in a total of 23 contests. Of those 23 wins he has stopped 20 of his opponents, so his current knock-out ratio is 87%. He's boxed a total of 127 rounds, meaning his professional fights last 5.5 rounds on average.

What was Inoue's last fight?

Naoya Inoue's last fight took place against Nonito Donaire's on 7th Jun 2022, in Saitama, Japan. He won by technical knockout in the 2nd round. That fight was 3 months and 28 days ago.

How active is Naoya Inoue?

Inoue's last 5 fights have come over a period of 2 years, 10 months and 28 days, meaning he has been fighting on average every 7 months. In those fights, he fought a total of 32 rounds, meaning that they have lasted 6.4 rounds on average.

What belts does Naoya Inoue hold?

He currently holds the The Ring Bantamweight, IBF World Bantamweight, WBC World Bantamweight and WBA Super World Bantamweight championships.

He won a vacant The Ring Bantamweight and IBF World Bantamweight belts against Emmanuel Rodriguez, beating him by knockout in the 2nd round on 18th May 2019. He has held these belts for a total of 1236 days (3 years, 4 months and 18 days) and has 2 defences on the The Ring and 5 defences on the IBF. His first mandatory for his IBF belt is due against TBA.

He won WBC World Bantamweight belt against Nonito Donaire, beating him by technical knockout in the 2nd round on 7th June 2022. He has held this belt for a total of 120 days (3 months and 28 days) and is yet to make a defence of the belt. His first mandatory for his WBC belt is due against Jason Moloney.

He won WBA Super World Bantamweight belt against Nonito Donaire, beating him by unanimous decision after 12 rounds on 7th November 2019. He has held this belt for a total of 1063 days (2 years, 10 months and 28 days) and has defended the belt 4 times. He is yet to make a mandatory defence of this belt.

Where is Naoya Inoue From?

Inoue was born in Japan.

How Old Is Naoya Inoue?

The bantamweight is currently 29 years old. He was born on 10th April 1993, so he will turn 30 in 6 months and 5 days.

How long has Inoue been fighting?

Naoya Inoue made his professional debut in October 2012, so he has been a pro for 10 years.

How tall is Naoya Inoue?

Inoue is 5' 5" (5 Foot and 5 inches) which is 164cm (1 meter and 64 centimeters).

What is Inoue's Reach?

His reach is 68.1 inches (68.1") which is 173 cm (1 meter and 73 centimeters).

What stance does Naoya Inoue use?

Inoue fights from a traditional orthodox stance, which means he favours his right hand as his power hand when fighting.

What are some potential opponents for Naoya Inoue?

Some potential future fights for Inoue include Unified Super Bantamweight Champion Stephen Fulton, Roman ‘Chocolatito’ Gonzalez, Zolani Tete, Unified Super Flyweight Champion Juan Francisco Estrada and Srisaket Sor Rungvisai.

What will be Naoya Inoue's Next Fight?

Naoya Inoue is to face Paul Butler next on Tuesday 13th December 2022. The fight will take place in Japan. The fight will be broadcast on ESPN+ in the United States.

How can I stream Naoya Inoue's Fights?

In the US you can stream Naoya Inoue fight via ESPN+.

What are some recent Naoya Inoue results?

Inoue remains undefeated as a professional, stopping 4 of his last 5 opponents.

In his last fight, he beat Nonito Donaire on 7th June 2022 by technical knockout in the 2nd round in their WBC World Bantamweight, WBA Super World Bantamweight and IBF World Bantamweight championship fight at Super Arena, Saitama, Japan.

Previous to that, he had beat Aran Dipaen on 14th December 2021 by technical knockout in the 8th round in their WBA Super World Bantamweight and IBF World Bantamweight championship fight at Kokugikan, Tokyo.

Going into that contest, he had won against Michael Dasmarinas on 19th June 2021 by knockout in the 3rd round in their WBA Super World Bantamweight and IBF World Bantamweight championship fight at Virgin Hotels, Las Vegas, United States.

Before that, he had beat Jason Moloney on 31st October 2020 by technical knockout in the 7th round in their WBA Super World Bantamweight, IBF World Bantamweight and The Ring Bantamweight championship fight at The Bubble, MGM Grand, Nevada.

He had defeated Nonito Donaire on 7th November 2019 by unanimous decision in their WBA Super World Bantamweight, IBF World Bantamweight and The Ring Bantamweight championship fight at Super Arena, Saitama, Japan.