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Naoya Inoue is a 30-year-old Japanese professional boxer who holds the distinction of being the second male to achieve undisputed status in two different weight classes.
Inoue secured the undisputed super bantamweight champion title by knocking out Marlon Tapales in the 10th round on Tuesday. With this victory, 'The Monster' unified his WBC and WBO super bantamweight belts with Tapales's WBA and IBF titles, becoming only the second person to achieve undisputed recognition in two divisions, following Terence Crawford's accomplishment in July.
Inoue claimed the WBC and WBO titles with a seventh-round knockout in his 122-pound division debut against Stephen Fulton in July. The 30-year-old currently possesses an undefeated professional record of 26-0, achieving 23 victories through knockouts. Inoue is renowned for his impeccable timing, speed, and exceptional punching power, boasting a knockout ratio of 92%.
'The Monster' entered the professional scene in 2012, securing a fourth-round knockout victory in his debut against Crison Omayao. In just six career fights, Inoue captured the WBC light-flyweight title and later achieved undisputed bantamweight status.
Fans react to Naoya Inoue's knockout triumph over Marlon Tapales
From the beginning of the bout, Naoya Inoue took an aggressive approach and secured the initial knockdown late in the fourth round, pinning Marlon Tapales against the ropes just before the bell saved him.
Despite Tapales' determined comeback, Inoue's powerful punches began to have a significant impact. With 'Nightmare' trailing on the scorecards, the 30-year-old Japanese delivered a devastating right, rendering his opponent unable to recover just over a minute into the 10th round.
Fans reacted to Inoue's performance with an array of reactions.
One fan wrote:
"Don’t mention the word GOAT if you don’t mention the name Inoue before it! 💯"
Another wrote:
"Good fight from Tapales. Inoue's toughest battle since the first one with Nonito. 'The Monster' continues to dominate champion after champion, division after division."
Check out some more reactions below:
"THE BEST BOXER IN THE WORLD"
"Need to get him a fight in the USA"
"Crazy thing is, he didn’t even look his best tonight & still looked dominant. He’ll be undefeated all the way up to 130."
"2 fights in the division and already undisputed, legend status"
