Naoya Inoue | |||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Born | 井上 尚弥 10 April 1993 Zama, Kanagawa, Japan | ||||||||||||||
Other names | The Monster (怪物 Kaibutsu) [1] | ||||||||||||||
Statistics | |||||||||||||||
Weight(s) | |||||||||||||||
Height | 5 ft 5+1⁄2 in (166 cm) [2] | ||||||||||||||
Reach | 67+1⁄2 in (171 cm) [2] | ||||||||||||||
Stance | Orthodox | ||||||||||||||
Boxing record | |||||||||||||||
Total fights | 28 | ||||||||||||||
Wins | 28 | ||||||||||||||
Wins by KO | 25 | ||||||||||||||
Medal record
|
Naoya Inoue (井上 尚弥, Inoue Naoya, born 10 April 1993) 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 weight classes in the "four-belt era". [3] [4] Nicknamed "The Monster", Inoue is known for his exceptional punching power, possessing a knockout-to-win percentage of 89.28%, with 91.30% in world title matches.
He is the first and only boxer to win the undisputed championship [a] at super bantamweight, having held all four major world titles since 2023, as well as the Ring magazine title. Previously he held the undisputed championship at bantamweight between 2022 and 2023, and the Ring title. 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. [5]
Earlier in his career, Inoue held the World Boxing Council (WBC) light flyweight title in 2014, the World Boxing Organization (WBO) junior bantamweight title from 2014 to 2018, and the World Boxing Association (WBA) bantamweight title (Unified version) from 2018 to 2019. [6] He has also held the lineal championship at bantamweight [7] and super bantamweight, [8] and won the 2018–2019 World Boxing Super Series bantamweight tournament. [9]
In June 2022, Inoue became the first Japanese boxer to be ranked No. 1 in the world, pound for pound, by The Ring [10] [11] and the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board. [12] He was named Fighter of the Year in 2023 by The Ring , the Boxer Writers Association of America, and ESPN. [13] [14] [15]
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, Iran, and won the Japanese Junior Selection Tournament. He then participated in the AIBA Youth World Championships, but lost to Yosvany Veitía in the third preliminary round. He finished in the second place at the Japanese National Championships in the same year. [16]
In July 2011, he took the gold medal in the 21st President's Cup in Jakarta, Indonesia. [17] [18] [19] He subsequently won the first place in the Japanese Interscholastic Athletic Meeting in that year. [16] However, he was eliminated in the third round by Yosvany Veitía in the 2011 World Amateur Boxing Championships at the Heydar Aliyev Sports and Exhibition Complex in Baku, Azerbaijan, and lost to Birzhan Zhakypov in the final at the 2012 Asian Boxing Olympic Qualification Tournament in Astana, Kazakhstan. [20] Inoue holds a KO win over Kenshiro Teraji in the amateurs. Inoue's amateur record was 75–6 (48 KOs). [20]
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. [21] [22] [20] [23]
On 5 January 2013, Inoue made a light work of Thai national champion Ngaoprajan Chuwatana, by scoring a first-round knockout. [20]
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. [24]
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. [20] [25]
Inoue then fought for the vacant OPBF 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. [26]
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. [6]
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. [27]
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 junior bantamweight title holder Omar Andrés Narváez. [28] Inoue won the fight by body shot KO in the 2nd round. [29]
On 29 Dec 2015, Inoue faced Warlito Parrenas. [30] 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. [31]
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. [32]
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. [33]
On 9 November, it was announced that Inoue's fourth defense would come against Kohei Kono on 30 December 2016. [34] Kono was a two-time super flyweight champion. Inoue won the fight in the sixth round. [35]
During 2016, Inoue repeatedly sought a unification bout against four-division champion and current WBC super flyweight champion Román González. [36] [37] [38] However, González chose to face Carlos Cuadras instead in the second half of the year. [39] 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. [40] [41]
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. [42]
Inoue joined the HBO Boxing After Dark card "Superfly" set at the StubHub Center on 9 September 2017 against Antonio Nieves and Inoue won the bout. [43] [44]
On 16 November, it was announced that Inoue would face Yan Boyeaux on 30 December, in a show televised by Fuji TV. [45] 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. [46]
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. [47] [48]
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. [49] [50] [51]
After defeating McDonnell, Inoue said, "I'll participate in the World Boxing Super Series 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 (27–3, 21 KOs) and IBF champion Emmanuel Rodríguez. [52]
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. [53] [54] The fight was announced to take place on 7 October at the Yokohama Arena in Yokohama, Japan. [55]
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. [56] [57] The knockout was later voted the Ring magazine Knockout of the Year. [58]
IBF bantamweight champion Emmanuel Rodríguez defeated Jason Moloney 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 in Glasgow, Scotland, on 18 May 2019. [59] [60] [61]
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. [62] [63]
Inoue was set to face Nonito Donaire in the World Boxing Super Series finals on 7 November 2019. Inoue won the fight by unanimous decision. After the fight, Inoue was presented the Muhammad Ali Trophy by Fighting Harada. Inoue revealed he had suffered a fractured orbital bone and broken nose during the fight. [64] The fight was later voted the Ring magazine Fight of the Year. [65] [66] [67]
Inoue faced future WBO bantamweight champion Jason Moloney on 31 October at the MGM Grand Conference Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. [68] Inoue landed a short right hand to drop Moloney and score a knockout victory. Referee Kenny Bayless stopped the fight at 2:59 of the 7th round. Inoue became the first fighter to stop Moloney. [69]
Inoue faced his IBF mandatory challenger and current IBO bantamweight champion Michael Dasmariñas on 19 June 2021 in Paradise, Nevada. [70] [71] 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. [72]
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 in Tokyo. [73] [74] [75] [76] [77] 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. [78] [79] Inoue was later named the 2021 "Fighter of the Year" by the Japanese Boxing Commission. [80]
Inoue made his fifth title defense as a unified bantamweight champion in a title unification bout with the reigning WBC champion Nonito Donaire on 7 June 2022, at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. [81] [82] 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. [83] Inoue was ranked as the number one pound for pound boxer by The Ring and TBRB after this victory, thus becoming the first Japanese boxer to reach that milestone. [84] [12] [85] [86]
On 25 August 2022, it was announced that Inoue would face 2 time bantamweight champion and the current reigning WBO bantamweight champion Paul Butler in a title unification bout on 13 December 2022, at the Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan. [87] [88] 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. [89] [90] [91]
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, [92] 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. [93] Inoue vacated all five titles on 13 January 2023, as he moved up to super bantamweight. [94]
On 18 January 2023, it was revealed that Inoue had entered into negotiations with the undefeated unified super bantamweight world champion Stephen Fulton. [95] The fight was expected to take place at the Yokohama Arena in Yokohama, Japan, on 7 May 2023. [96] The fight was postponed on 21 March, as Inoue suffered a fist injury during training camp. [97] The bout was rescheduled for 25 July 2023, at the Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan. [98] [99] [100]
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. [101] Inoue had out-landed his opponent 114 to 47 in total punches and 70 to 24 in power punches by that point. [102] [103]
On 21 August 2023, it was reported that Inoue had entered into negotiations with two division champion and current unified WBA (Super) and IBF super bantamweight champion Marlon Tapales for an undisputed title bout. [104] The fight was also for lineal championship and took place at Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan on 26 December 2023. [105] [106]
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. [107] 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. [108]
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. [109] [110] The bout was scheduled for 6 May 2024 at Tokyo Dome and was the first boxing match taking place at the venue since 1990. [111] [112]
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. [113] [114] [115] Due to the significance of this bout, Inoue was awarded the honorary WBC Diamond belt. [116] After this victory, Inoue was ranked as the number one pound for pound boxer for the second time in his career by The Ring and TBRB. [117] [118] This fight set the record for the highest peak viewership in Japan's Amazon Prime Video history, surpassing the 2023 World Baseball Classic finals between Japan and the United States. [119]
Inoue made the second defense of his undisputed super bantamweight title against former IBF super bantamweight champion TJ Doheny at Ariake Arena in Tokyo on 3 September 2024. [120]
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. [121]
On October 3, 2024, it was reported that Inoue would defend his undisputed super bantamweight title for the third time, against the undefeated IBF and WBO mandatory challenger Sam Goodman in Tokyo, Japan on December 24, 2024. [122] [123] [124] 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 2024. [125]
Naoya Inoue is married to his high school sweetheart and has three children. [126] He is trained by his father Shingo Inoue, who is a former amateur boxer. He has one younger brother, Takuma Inoue, and one older cousin, Koki Inoue, both of whom are professional boxers.
28 fights | 28 wins | 0 losses |
---|---|---|
By knockout | 25 | 0 |
By decision | 3 | 0 |
No. | Result | Record | Opponent | Type | Round, time | Date | Location | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
28 | Win | 28–0 | TJ Doheny | TKO | 7 (12), 0:16 | 3 Sep 2024 | Ariake Arena, Tokyo, Japan | Retained WBA (Super), WBC, IBF, WBO, and The Ring super bantamweight titles |
27 | Win | 27–0 | Luis Nery | KO | 6 (12), 1:39 | 6 May 2024 | Tokyo Dome, Tokyo, Japan | Retained WBA (Super), WBC, IBF, WBO, and The Ring super bantamweight titles |
26 | Win | 26–0 | Marlon Tapales | KO | 10 (12), 1:02 | 26 Dec 2023 | Ariake Arena, Tokyo, Japan | Retained WBC and WBO super bantamweight titles; Won WBA (Super), IBF, and vacant The Ring super bantamweight titles |
25 | Win | 25–0 | Stephen Fulton | TKO | 8 (12), 1:14 | 25 Jul 2023 | Ariake Arena, Tokyo, Japan | Won WBC and WBO super bantamweight titles |
24 | Win | 24–0 | Paul Butler | KO | 11 (12), 1:09 | 13 Dec 2022 | Ariake Arena, Tokyo, Japan | Retained WBA (Super), WBC, IBF, and The Ring bantamweight titles; Won WBO bantamweight title |
23 | Win | 23–0 | Nonito Donaire | TKO | 2 (12), 1:24 | 7 Jun 2022 | Super Arena, Saitama, Japan | Retained WBA (Super), IBF, and The Ring bantamweight titles; Won WBC bantamweight title |
22 | Win | 22–0 | Aran Dipaen | TKO | 8 (12), 2:34 | 14 Dec 2021 | Ryōgoku Kokugikan, Tokyo, Japan | Retained WBA (Super), IBF, and The Ring bantamweight titles |
21 | Win | 21–0 | Michael Dasmariñas | KO | 3 (12), 2:45 | 19 Jun 2021 | Virgin Hotels Las Vegas, Paradise, Nevada, U.S. | Retained WBA (Super), IBF, and The Ring bantamweight titles |
20 | Win | 20–0 | Jason Moloney | KO | 7 (12), 2:59 | 31 Oct 2020 | MGM Grand Conference Center, Paradise, Nevada, U.S. | Retained WBA (Super), IBF, and The Ring bantamweight titles |
19 | Win | 19–0 | Nonito Donaire | UD | 12 | 7 Nov 2019 | Super Arena, Saitama, Japan | Retained IBF and The Ring bantamweight titles; Won WBA (Super) bantamweight title; World Boxing Super Series: bantamweight final |
18 | Win | 18–0 | Emmanuel Rodríguez | KO | 2 (12), 1:20 | 18 May 2019 | SSE Hydro, Glasgow, Scotland | Retained WBA (Unified) bantamweight title; Won IBF and vacant The Ring bantamweight titles; World Boxing Super Series: bantamweight semi-final |
17 | Win | 17–0 | Juan Carlos Payano | KO | 1 (12), 1:10 | 7 Oct 2018 | Yokohama Arena, Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan | Retained WBA (Regular) bantamweight title; World Boxing Super Series: bantamweight quarter-final |
16 | Win | 16–0 | Jamie McDonnell | KO | 1 (12), 1:52 | 25 May 2018 | Ota City General Gymnasium, Tokyo, Japan | Won WBA (Regular) bantamweight title |
15 | Win | 15–0 | Yoan Boyeaux | KO | 3 (12), 1:40 | 30 Dec 2017 | Cultural Gymnasium, Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan | Retained WBO junior bantamweight title |
14 | Win | 14–0 | Antonio Nieves | RTD | 6 (12), 3:00 | 9 Sep 2017 | Dignity Health Sports Park, Carson, California, U.S. | Retained WBO junior bantamweight title |
13 | Win | 13–0 | Ricardo Rodriguez | KO | 3 (12), 1:08 | 21 May 2017 | Ariake Coliseum, Tokyo, Japan | Retained WBO junior bantamweight title |
12 | Win | 12–0 | Kohei Kono | KO | 6 (12), 1:01 | 30 Dec 2016 | Ariake Coliseum, Tokyo, Japan | Retained WBO junior bantamweight title |
11 | Win | 11–0 | Petchbarngborn Kokietgym | KO | 10 (12), 3:03 | 4 Sep 2016 | Sky Arena, Zama, Kanagawa, Japan | Retained WBO junior bantamweight title |
10 | Win | 10–0 | David Carmona | UD | 12 | 8 May 2016 | Ariake Coliseum, Tokyo, Japan | Retained WBO junior bantamweight title |
9 | Win | 9–0 | Warlito Parrenas | KO | 2 (12), 1:20 | 29 Dec 2015 | Ariake Coliseum, Tokyo, Japan | Retained WBO junior bantamweight title |
8 | Win | 8–0 | Omar Narváez | KO | 2 (12), 3:01 | 30 Dec 2014 | Metropolitan Gymnasium, Tokyo, Japan | Won WBO junior bantamweight title |
7 | Win | 7–0 | Samartlek Kokietgym | TKO | 11 (12), 1:08 | 5 Sep 2014 | Yoyogi National Gymnasium, Tokyo, Japan | Retained WBC light flyweight title |
6 | Win | 6–0 | Adrián Hernández | KO | 6 (12), 2:54 | 6 Apr 2014 | Ota City General Gymnasium, Tokyo, Japan | Won WBC light flyweight title |
5 | Win | 5–0 | Jerson Mancio | TKO | 5 (12), 2:51 | 6 Dec 2013 | Ryōgoku Kokugikan, Tokyo, Japan | Won vacant OPBF light flyweight title |
4 | Win | 4–0 | Ryoichi Taguchi | UD | 10 | 25 Aug 2013 | Sky Arena, Zama, Kanagawa, Japan | Won Japanese light flyweight title |
3 | Win | 3–0 | Yūki Sano | TKO | 10 (10), 1:09 | 16 Apr 2013 | Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan | |
2 | Win | 2–0 | Ngaoprajan Chuwatana | KO | 1 (8), 1:50 | 5 Jan 2013 | Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan | |
1 | Win | 1–0 | Crison Omayao | KO | 4 (8), 2:04 | 2 Oct 2012 | Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan |
4 fights | 0 wins | 0 losses |
---|---|---|
Non-scored | 4 |
No. | Result | Record | Opponent | Type | Round, time | Date | Location | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
4 | — | 0–0 (4) | Daigo Higa | — | 3 | 11 Feb 2021 | Yoyogi National Gymnasium, Tokyo, Japan | Non-scored bout |
3 | — | 0–0 (3) | Genesis Servania | — | 3 | 19 Aug 2018 | Sangyo Hall, Kanazawa, Japan | Non-scored bout |
2 | — | 0–0 (2) | Genesis Servania | — | 3 | 3 Jul 2016 | Happiring, Fukui, Japan | Non-scored bout |
1 | — | 0–0 (1) | Akira Yaegashi | — | 2 | 19 May 2014 | Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan | Non-scored bout |
Omar Andrés Narváez is an Argentine professional boxer. He is a two-weight world champion, having held the WBO flyweight title from 2002 to 2010, and the WBO junior bantamweight title from 2010 to 2014. Narváez holds world record for the most total successful defenses of world titles. He is the longest reigning flyweight champion in history.
Nonito Gonzales Donaire Jr. 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 bantamweight world title, as well as being the first three-time champion in that weight class. Donaire has also held world championships in three consecutive decades: the 2000s, 2010s and 2020s, being the sixth boxer to do so after Evander Holyfield, Manny Pacquiao, Bernard Hopkins, Erik Morales, and Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Donnie Liboon Nietes is a Filipino professional boxer. He is a world champion in four weight-classes, having previously held the WBO mini-flyweight title from 2007 to 2011; the WBO and The Ring magazine junior-flyweight titles between 2011 and 2016; IBF flyweight title from 2017 to 2018; and the WBO junior-bantamweight title from 2018 to 2019. He is the longest-reigning Filipino boxing world champion, surpassing in 2014 the record set in 1967 by Boxing Hall of Fame inductee Gabriel "Flash" Elorde. He was one of the first three Asian fighters with world titles in at least four weight classes alongside fellow Filipinos Manny Pacquiao and Nonito Donaire.
Nordine Oubaali is a Moroccan-French former professional boxer who competed from 2014 to 2021. He held the WBC bantamweight title from 2019 to 2021. As an amateur he won a bronze medal in the light-flyweight division at the 2007 World Championships.
Román Alberto González Luna, best known by his nickname "Chocolatito", is a Nicaraguan professional boxer. He is the first boxer from Nicaragua to win world titles in four weight classes, having surpassed his mentor, idol, and former three-weight world champion, the late great Alexis Argüello.
John Riel Reponte Casimero is a Filipino professional boxer and YouTuber. He has held world championships in three weight classes; including the IBF junior-flyweight title from 2012 to 2013; the IBF flyweight title in 2016; and the WBO bantamweight title from 2019 to 2022. Quadro Alas is Tagalog for four of a kind when translated, his moniker means Four Aces.
Kohei Kono 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.
Paul Butler is an English professional boxer and two-time bantamweight world champion, having held the International Boxing Federation (IBF) title in 2014 and the World Boxing Organisation (WBO) title in 2022. He also held multiple regional titles, including the British and Commonwealth super-flyweight titles in 2012 and 2013, respectively.
Takuma Inoue is a Japanese professional boxer who held the WBA bantamweight title from 2023 to 2024.
Marlon Tapales is a Filipino professional boxer. He has held world championships in two weight classes, including the unified WBA (Super) and IBF super-bantamweight titles from April to December 2023, and previously the WBO bantamweight title from 2016 to 2017.
Luis Esteban Nery Hernández is a Mexican professional boxer. He is a two weight world champion, having held the WBC and Ring magazine bantamweight titles between 2017 and 2018, and the WBC super bantamweight title from 2020 to 2021. Nicknamed "Pantera", Nery is known for his exceptional punching power, possessing a knockout ratio of 77.14%.
Jonas Sultan is a Filipino professional boxer, former IBF World title challenger. He is the current WBO Inter-continental bantamweight champion. He held the IBF Inter-continental junior bantamweight title since December 2016 by beating South Africa's Makazole Tete.
Reymart Grande Gaballo is a Filipino professional boxer. He held the WBC interim bantamweight title from 2020 to 2021 and previously held the WBA interim bantamweight title in 2018. He also challenged for the WBC bantamweight title in 2021.
Jason Moloney 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 Oceania bantamweight title since 2017 and held the Commonwealth bantamweight title in 2018. As an amateur he represented Australia at the 2010 Commonwealth Games.
Brandon Lee Figueroa is an American professional boxer. He is a two weight world champion, having held the World Boxing Council (WBC) featherweight title since October 2024, and previously the World Boxing Association (WBA) Regular version super bantamweight title from 2019 to 2021, and the WBC super bantamweight title in 2021.
Stephen Fulton Jr. is an American professional boxer. He is a former unified super bantamweight world champion, having held the WBO and the WBC titles from 2021 to 2023.
Naoya Inoue vs. Paul Butler, billed as Undisputed, was a bantamweight unification professional boxing match contested between WBA (Super), WBC, IBF, and The Ring champion, Naoya Inoue, and WBO champion, Paul Butler. Inoue knocked out Butler and became the undisputed bantamweight champion and the first since Enrique Pinder beat Rafael Herrera in 1972. The bout took place on 13 December 2022, at Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan.
Agustín Alexandro Santiago Barrios is a Mexican professional boxer. He held the WBC bantamweight title from July 2023 to February 2024.
Sam Goodman is an Australian boxer. As of September 2024, Goodman is ranked as the third best active super bantamweight by both The Ring and TBRB.
Sporting positions | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Regional boxing titles | ||||
Preceded by | Japanese light flyweight champion 25 August 2013 – 18 October 2013 Vacated | Vacant Title next held by Yu Kimura | ||
Vacant Title last held by Shin Ono | OPBF light flyweight champion 6 December 2013 – 28 February 2014 Vacated | Vacant Title next held by Jonathan Taconing | ||
World boxing titles | ||||
Preceded by | WBC light flyweight champion 6 April 2014 – 3 November 2014 Vacated | Vacant Title next held by Pedro Guevara | ||
Preceded by | WBO junior bantamweight champion 30 December 2014 – 6 March 2018 Vacated | Vacant Title next held by Donnie Nietes | ||
Preceded by | WBA bantamweight champion 25 May 2018 – 7 November 2019 Regular title until 18 May 2019 Won Super title | Vacant Title next held by Guillermo Rigondeaux as Regular champion | ||
Preceded by | IBF bantamweight champion 18 May 2019 – 13 January 2023 Vacated | Vacant Title next held by Emmanuel Rodríguez | ||
Vacant Title last held by Shinsuke Yamanaka | The Ring bantamweight champion 18 May 2019 – 13 January 2023 Vacated | Vacant | ||
Preceded by | WBA bantamweight champion Super title 7 November 2019 – 13 January 2023 Vacated | |||
WBC bantamweight champion 7 June 2022 – 13 January 2023 Vacated | Vacant Title next held by Alexandro Santiago | |||
Preceded by | WBO bantamweight champion 13 December 2022 – 13 January 2023 Vacated | Vacant Title next held by Jason Moloney | ||
Vacant Title last held by Enrique Pinder | Undisputed bantamweight champion 13 December 2022 – 13 January 2023 Titles fragmented | Vacant | ||
Preceded by | WBC super bantamweight champion 25 July 2023 – present | Incumbent | ||
WBO super bantamweight champion 25 July 2023 – present | ||||
Preceded by | WBA super bantamweight champion Super title 26 December 2023 – present | |||
IBF super bantamweight champion 26 December 2023 – present | ||||
Vacant Title last held by Guillermo Rigondeaux | The Ring super bantamweight champion 26 December 2023 – present | |||
Inaugural champion | Undisputed super bantamweight champion 26 December 2023 – present | |||
Achievements | ||||
Preceded by | The Ring pound for pound No. 1 boxer 11 June – 20 August 2022 | Succeeded by Oleksandr Usyk | ||
Preceded by | The Ring pound for pound No. 1 boxer 6–18 May 2024 | Succeeded by Oleksandr Usyk |