The Naoya Inoue next fight news is set as “The Monster” returns before 2024 ends to defend his undisputed junior featherweight championship.
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Who will Naoya Inoue next fight be against?
The reigning junior featherweight champion will put his title on the line against Sam Goodman. The bout will fulfill another mandatory title defense for Inoue.
How to watch Naoya Inoue vs. Sam Goodman on December 24
- Inoue vs. Goodman will take place on December 24 in Tokyo, Japan
- The venue for the bout has yet to be announced
- The championship match is expected to stream live on ESPN+
Naoya Inoue vs. TJ Doheny recap
Not many gave Doheny much of a chance, and as the fight progressed, it became obvious why. Inoue is on a different level than just about anybody in the boxing world at the moment. Despite having won each of his last four fights in Japan, the former champion had no shot in this one.
Inoue would land almost double the punches of his challenger. That included a 46 percent success rate to just 29 percent for Doheny. He also connected on over half of his power strikes, which ultimately led to the finish for “The Monster.”
The early finish was the fourth time in six fights that the bout was stopped before the ninth round even started. A remarkable feat for the division, and an obvious example of the skill for Inoue.
A finishing champion: The win marked the 28th in the career of Inoue. Of those 28 pro fights, 25 have been finishes for him. That includes stoppage wins in each of his last nine fights, all of which have been title defenses.
Inoue last went to the scorecards in 2019 vs. Nonito Donaire.
Best of the best: Inoue is widely-regarded as one of the top boxers in the world. He ranks near the top of the charts on the pound-for-pound list. Among his many accolades, he is one of the just two male boxers to hold undisputed titles in two weight classes in the four-belt era. The other being Terence Crawford.
What makes Naoya Inoue so popular?
His willingness to stand and deliver the knockout blow. With those 23 finishes, Inoue is a finisher. Plus, ever since his decision to turn pro, he has always taken on the toughest challenges.
His first pro fight was against a Filipino national champion. From there, he battled a Thai national champion and Japan’s No. 1 ranked light flyweight at the time. In just his fourth pro bouts, he was competing for titles, winning the Japanese light flyweight belt.
- Naoya Inoue record: 87-0
- Naoya Inoue age: 31 years old
- In his pro debut, Inoue claimed a fourth round knockout of Crison Omayao. He followed with back-to-back finishes before going the full 10 rounds with Ryoichi Taguchi in 2013 for the title.
- Since winning the Japanese light flyweight belt, each of Inoue’s matches have been with a title on the line.
- He won his first major crown in 2014, claiming the WBC light flyweight belt with a finish of Adrian Hernandez. He won the WBO junior bantamweight title later that year.
- Along with wins over Nonito Donaire and Paul Butler, he has also topped Emmanuel Rodriguez, Juan Carlos Payano, Stephen Fulton and Marlon Tapales.
- The Ring, BWAA and ESPN named him Fighter of the Year in 2023.
- Married to his high school sweetheart, Inoue has three children.
- He is trained by his father, Shingo Inoue, a former amateur boxer. Brother Takuma Inoue and cousin Koki Inoue are both professional boxers as well.
Naoya Inoue net worth
Through the course of his career, Inoue has amassed a net worth of $7 million.
