Sports • Boxing

Naoya Inoue

Naoya Inoue is a Japanese professional boxer born on 10 April 1993.

By Ethan Anderson| Reviewed by Olivia Bennett, Standards & Fact-Checking Lead| Updated July 27, 2026|2 min read| Fact-checked

Naoya Inoue is a Japanese professional boxer born on 10 April 1993. Known as "The Monster," he has won world championships in four weight classes and became the undisputed champion in two divisions during the four-belt era. He is one of the leading pound-for-pound fighters of his era.

Early life and career

Naoya Inoue was born in Zama, Japan, on 10 April 1993. He turned professional and quickly rose through multiple weight divisions while winning world titles.

World championships

Inoue has won titles across light flyweight, super flyweight, bantamweight, and super bantamweight. He is recognised as a two-division undisputed champion in the four-belt era, having previously been the undisputed bantamweight champion and becoming the first and only boxer to win undisputed championships at super bantamweight.

Super bantamweight undisputed reign

Inoue defeated Marlon Tapales in December 2023 to become undisputed super bantamweight champion. He held the WBC, WBO, WBA (Super), IBF, and The Ring titles at that weight.

Professional record

Across the supplied sources, Inoue is listed with an unbeaten record of 32 wins and 0 losses, including 27 knockouts. Some sources may reflect older totals from earlier points in his career. As of the provided facts, he is the undisputed super bantamweight champion.

Key facts

Inoue is a Japanese professional boxer and one of the leading pound-for-pound fighters of his era.
He has held world titles in four weight classes.
He became the first and only boxer to win undisputed championships at super bantamweight.
He was previously the undisputed bantamweight champion.
His professional record is 32–0 with 27 knockouts.

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Canadian context

Canadian boxing fans follow Inoue closely because he has been one of the sport’s top pound-for-pound fighters and a major titleholder in the divisions watched internationally in Canada.

Frequently asked questions

Who is Naoya Inoue?

Naoya Inoue is a Japanese professional boxer known as "The Monster." He has won world titles in four weight classes and became an undisputed champion in two divisions.

How old is Naoya Inoue?

He was born on 10 April 1993, which makes him 33 years old as of 23 July 2026.

Naoya Inoue record

His professional record is listed as 32 wins, 0 losses, with 27 knockouts.

Naoya Inoue weight class

He has competed at light flyweight, super flyweight, bantamweight, and super bantamweight. His most recent major titles were at super bantamweight.

Naoya Inoue vs Tapales

Inoue defeated Marlon Tapales by knockout in round 10 in December 2023 to become undisputed super bantamweight champion.

Naoya Inoue next fight

The provided sources do not give a confirmed next fight; ESPN lists his next fight as "TBA" in the supplied result set.

References

Wikipedia — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naoya_Inoue
Supports: Date of birth, nationality, weight classes, undisputed titles, and Tapales negotiations/context.
ESPN — https://www.espn.com/boxing/story/_/id/38046833/naoya-monster-inoue-biography-record-fights-more
Supports: Record, age, fight results including Tapales, weight-class achievements, and next fight listed as TBA in the supplied result.
WBA — https://www.wbaboxing.com/wba-boxer-profile?id=2835
Supports: Birth date, record, height, reach, nationality, and boxing profile details.
WBO — https://wboboxing.com/fighter-profile/naoya-inoue/
Supports: Japanese boxer identification and championship status in the supplied profile.
CNN — https://edition.cnn.com/2024/09/02/sport/naoya-inoue-profile-boxing-japan-spt-intl/index.html
Supports: Recent profile context and ongoing undisputed super bantamweight status in the supplied result.