NAOYA INOUE is the Japanese undefeated super bantamweight boxer.
He’s earned the nickname ‘The Monster’ — here’s do we know about the champion and his career earnings so far.
Naoya Inoue’s win over Stephen Fulton made him the second-ever Japanese fighter to win major titles in four weight divisions.
Who is Naoya Inoue?
Naoya Inoue is a Japanese super bantamweight professional boxer, nicknamed “The Monster”.
Inoue was born on April 10, 1993, in Zama, Japan, not far from Tokyo.H
He inherited a love of boxing from his father, a former boxer who now coaches his son.
A four-division world champion, he holds, at the time of writing, the title of super-bantamweight world champion, and is the former bantamweight world champion.
Inoue often tops lists of the world’s best active boxers, pound for pound, by The Ring, ESPN, BoxRec, and The Independent.
As of December 2023, 2nd on The Ring’s Pound for Pound rankings, after Terence Crawford.
The 5’5” fighter is well known for his speed, power, and footwork.
What is Naoya Inoue’s net worth?
“The Monster” has an estimated net worth of $7 million, thanks to his unbeaten fighting record.
He also has signed some lucrative sponsorship details, for example with Six Pad, who also sponsors Christiano Ronaldo, and Winning Japan, a boxing gloves company.
Inoue has also been featured in adverts on Japanese television.
As for fight winnings, the undefeated champion earned a total of $1 million in 2018, from his two fights with Jamie McDonnell and Juan Carlos Payano.
For a 2021 fight with Aran Dipaen, Inoue earned a guaranteed purse of $500,000, which included a $200,000 win bonus, with sponsorship payments on top of that.
In July 2023, Inoue fought American boxer Stephen Fulton, in a hyped-up match in Tokyo— thanks to his win, Inoue took home $5 million of the $8 million purse.
What is Naoya Inoue’s boxing record?
The Japanese champion’s record is 25–0–0, with a KO rate of 88%.
Of his 25 bouts, he has only fought four outside of Japan — three in the US, and one in Scotland.
After winning the July 2023 fight against Fulton, Inoue became the second-ever Japanese fighter to win major titles in four weight divisions.
On December 26, 2023, Inoue is set to fight Philippino boxer Marlon Tapales in Tokyo, in a fixture that will be broadcast by ESPN+.
Boxing fans have taken to Inoue’s Instagram account to call for him to fight more in the US.
One wrote:
“He is one of the best however, he is refusing to fight in the USA and follow the regulations there.
“He is just a champion in Japan, not the world.
“He is even lucky that Tapales is willing to go to Japan.”
Another commented: “This dude ain’t never coming to the U.S. to fight.”