TOKYO – He’s called the “Monster” but Naoya Inoue looks like he could be a kid’s comic book hero or in a boy band.
He has a cherubic face, a flash of light color in his dark hair, and can wreak all kinds of havoc with lightning fists that could seemingly bring down walls.
That is where the “Monster” comes in. Inoue is, for many, either the best or second-best fighter in the world, along with Terence Crawford, and he is 26-0. Twenty-three victims have been battered into defeat or knocked out. He is also, for even more, the most terrifying puncher in the sport.
Inoue fought a 10-rounder in just his third fight, won the Japanese light flyweight title in his fourth and his first world title in sixth, stopping Adrian Hernandez in six rounds.
In 2014, at 7-0, he bombed out tricky Argentine veteran Omar Narvaez, then 43-1-2 in just two rounds, becoming the first man to stop Narvaez and only the second man to defeat him after Nonito Donaire had managed it in 2011.
If Inoue hadn’t been on the radar before, he was by then. But you could be forgiven for a slow introduction.
Inoue was a good amateur with a reported 75-6 record, managing almost 50 stoppages, and we might have heard more about him had it not been for decorated Cuban Yosvany Veitia, who defeated Inoue in the World Youth Championships in 2010 and again at the World Amateur Championships in 2011. And Inoue’s Olympic dream faded in the 2012 Asian qualifiers when he lost to Kazakh Birzhan Zhakypov, who lost to eventual gold medallist Zou Shiming.
But Inoue promptly put that disappointment behind him, called himself the “Monster”, turned pro in October 2012, and then set about one of the most destructive runs in the history of the lighter weight classes. More than that, he has become one of the hottest commodities in global sport, is an idol in Japan, feared and respected in boxing and on Monday (May 6) night, will sell out the Tokyo Dome, fighting in front of 55,000 against Mexican Luis Nery in what has been labelled the biggest fight in Japanese boxing history.
As far as tidal waves go, Inoue is riding the absolute crest of one.
Yuriko Miyata is a California-based boxing journalist who has been writing for Japanese Boxing magazine for 27 years and she has covered Inoue’s career since 2014.
“He was already famous when he made his pro debut because he started his career as an interesting prospect, so already he was standing out,” she says.
“I didn’t know that he would be this big. It’s hard to compare but he’s as big a sports star next to [Shohei] Ohtani, the baseball player [who plays for the L.A. Dodgers].”
Miyata believes Inoue’s popularity skyrocketed after he won the World Boxing Super Series in 2019, whether it was the two-round destruction of the previously-unbeaten Emmanuel Rodriguez in May or the Fight of the Decade-type encounter with Filipino legend Nonito Donaire six months later.
“Before that, I think they struggled to sell some of the tickets, but after that, I don’t know what happened,” says Riyata.
So was it how Inoue fights, or was it his personality? Or was it just that the knockouts were coming thick and very fast?
“That’s a big thing,” Miyata smiles. “I think that’s the biggest.”
She also reckons the increase in weight has helped the four-division champion, that he had struggled to make 108lbs and 115lbs, so we never saw the best of him there and, from 118 upwards, he has become more explosive.
But Miyata also states that Inoue has become a better talker, and that has coincided with his rise to stardom.
She, too, scoffs at the notion that Inoue needs to fight outside of Japan to further grow his brand.
“I was thinking about that,” Miyata adds. “I moved to Los Angeles because I thought America was the center of boxing. But now I think, as people say, the center is everywhere in the world, not only America, so he can create his mecca here.”
Japanese boxing historian Joe Koizumi has witnessed so much of this sport, but even he has seen nothing like Inoue. Koizumi was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2008 and the 77-year-old ranks Inoue as the country’s greatest fighter.
“Inoue is a superstar, everybody knows Inoue and this is a very big show, so people are paying attention to this superfight,” says Koizumi.
“The reason why Inoue is so famous is first because of his record. He has unified in two divisions and that was reported in all the big newspapers and the coverage of Inoue’s achievements has been bigger and bigger and he’s become a household name.”
Koizumi, however, also believes Inoue’s character and personality has made him a magnet for brands and fans alike.
“He’s a family man,” Koizumi continues. “He is married already, he has children, there’s no scandal. He is a very straight person. Look, his father [Shingo] is his trainer, his younger brother [Takuma] is also a world champion. Inoue is surrounded by his family and he’s very diligent in his training.”
And while Koizumi does not believe Inoue needs to fight anywhere else, to either enhance his reputation or his bank balance, he feels Inoue is a fine representative for the country on the world stage.
“In his divisions, there are no strong, competitive opponents there so Inoue has no need to go to the United States,” assesses Koizumi. “Also, in Japan, because this fight is being held in Japan, Inoue can get this great amount of money. We don’t think Inoue can get as much money or more money if he fights in the United States.”
Asked about the possibility of Inoue being part of the Saudi Arabia investment into boxing, Koizumi says: “Oh yes. He is willing to go there. We are happy to see Inoue is making great achievements outside of Japan and it is great news that there could be a hero fighting in Saudi Arabia, like Tyson Fury or Oleksandr Usyk [on May 18]. Inoue has become a worldwide superstar.”
Koizumi was here in Tokyo in February 1990, helping as an agent for then heavyweight champion Mike Tyson, who was in town preparing to face an unheralded challenger named James “Buster” Douglas.
The Tokyo Dome had opened just two years earlier and, when Tyson met Douglas, the idea was for Tyson to deliver a clean-cut KO, not be on the wrong end of one of sport’s greatest upsets, groggily fumbling for his mouthpiece to the shock and amazement of just about everyone, bar Douglas.
“At the time, people just came to see the opening of the Tokyo Dome,” recalls Koizumi. “Also, they wanted to see the monster ‘Iron’ Mike. It was a big, big successful show. But this time, it’s because of Inoue’s popularity, people are coming and they will fill 55,000 in the Tokyo Dome.”
The culture of boxing in Japan is respectful and efficient. Today’s weigh-in for five fights was completed in 20 minutes, with no music and polite applause after a boxer made weight. There has been no smack talk, merely platitudes about great camps, mutual respect and good opportunities.
Nery has gone along with that this time, but there is a stain on his reputation that has made this fight especially enormous commercially.
After Nery fought Shinsuke Yamanaka in Japan in August 2017, the Mexican tested positive for a banned substance having stopped the Japanese fighter in four rounds. When they brought Nery back for Yamanaka to gain a measure of revenge several months later, Nery came in overweight and this time blasted Yamanaka out in two.
Nery was promptly banned by the Japan Boxing Commission for bringing the sport into disrepute. They then dropped the suspension so Inoue could make him pay the penalty in public in front of thousands of fans.
“Luis Nery is a very ideal opponent,” Koizumi continues. “He has this bad reputation for coming in overweight against Yamanaka and in this country [coming in] overweight is a crime, so people hope to see Inoue punish bad boy Nery. Japan Boxing Commission responded to the people’s demands of boxing people, and the promoter is one, to give Nery this punishment to fight Inoue.”
Although the five-fight bill features four world title fights, this is the Inoue show. That is no disrespect to the others in the line-up, merely an accurate reflection of the 31-year-old’s starpower.
“I’m blown away,” says promoter Lou DiBella, taking it all in. “First of all, I love Japan. Second of all, [promoter Akihiko] Honda is, in my mind, the greatest promoter in the world.
“I’ve never known a man in boxing as well-respected by everyone in this industry as Honda, and if Honda is doing an event, the event is going to be first class. And now he has a superstar, this kid has aura.
“I’ve never seen a little fighter with the air about him that Inoue has. Manny [Pacquiao] was a quiet kid, a poor kid that came over. This kid looks like a J-pop Star, he’s a good kid. He has an aura about him of stardom. He’s one of the greatest fighters I’ve ever seen.
“Pound-for-pound, this might not only be the hardest puncher in boxing today, it’s the hardest puncher I’ve ever seen. And when I think about fighters, you try to think, ‘Who do you remember from the past and who’ve you seen tapes of at this weight that could beat this guy?’ I don’t know who beats this guy. I’m not talking about now; I’m talking about historically.”
DiBella understands there will be a thirst around the world to see Inoue box live. There is speculation that the Japanese megastar could head to Australia or Saudi Arabia in the near future, but for DiBella, sticking with Japan makes sense.
“He doesn’t have to crack anywhere because people don’t understand this, here, he is a superstar in one of the biggest, most powerful, economically strong countries in the world.
“His sponsorship income is unmatched by any fighter in the world. He makes more in sponsorship than most American fighters make in their purses. He’s a king over here. If there’s a reason to go anywhere, this guy’s not afraid. He’s fought in America already, but why would he leave here? He’s about to fight in a sold-out Tokyo Dome.”
Top Rank works with Ohashi Promotions on Inoue fights, and with Teiken Promotions on the worldwide deal. Todd duBeof is one of a significant travelling Top Rank contingent on hand, not only to make sure everything passes off without incident, but to watch one of sport’s biggest stars live.
“This is one of the reasons why I love coming to countries where we represent athletes we’re a little disconnected [geographically] from,” duBoef explains. “When you get your feet on the ground, you get to hear from the locals, you get to hear from the people how big they are, how huge they are. And here they say him [Inoue] and Ohtani are running one and two, you can’t pick, they’re both that big.”
What would be a U.S equivalent?
“I think you’re probably talking Michael Jordan in his day in this country,” duBeof goes on. “I think it’s what the sport and the athlete represents at the time. It’s hard to go back in time because basketball was huge with Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson and guys who were that good and that powerful, but I think universally at that time Michael Jordan was known as the greatest basketball player on the planet. I think people would say Ohtani is the greatest baseball player on the planet and now Inoue is probably the best boxer on the planet. He’s just that good. He’s spectacular.”
Asked for a financial steer on Inoue’s purses, an official could only say: “It’s staggering. His endorsements alone are staggering.”
“You’re talking Mike Tyson in his day, who everybody was after, so you’re looking at that level, relative here,” duBeof states, about how in-demand Inoue finds himself with sponsors.
“I think if you look at a metric of ticket sales; one thing is numbers and the other is amounts, and I can tell you that other than [Floyd] Mayweather and [Manny] Pacquiao that was an outlier, he [Inoue]’s delivering at the highest level with all the fighters that we’ve ever had and with the biggest fights in the United States and all over the world and the biggest MMA events, if it is was UFC 300, or Conor McGregor. He’s at that level.”
Top Rank used to work with Japanese middleweight Ryota Murata. He was a commercial hit, advertised a stack of products, and Inoue has been able to seize that lucrative momentum.
This fight with Nery starts another partnership with Amazon Prime in Japan, too, who Top Rank worked with for Murata vs. Gennady Golovkin and the second Inoue fight with Donaire.
Inoue also fights on docomo – the mobile company – who show his fights on PPV outside of when he boxes on Prime.
Inside the ring, however, is where Inoue excels.
Former opponent Jason Moloney knows the sport inside out, has seen plenty on his travels and is the current WBO bantamweight champion. He was poleaxed by Inoue with one of the best punches of 2020, a crunching right hand.
“I think he’s the most complete fighter and pound-for-pound the best fighter on the planet, and I don’t see anyone beating him,” says the Australian, who knew how high the stakes were if he could defeat Inoue in the Las Vegas Bubble in 2020.
“If I beat Naoya Inoue, I’m a superstar in the sport. So it was a high risk, high reward fight.
“He has incredible speed, incredible footwork, great control and distance, and extreme power. He’s the full package. When I was trying to get close to him or trying to land my punches, his feet were just incredible at backing up and pulling you onto a counter. It’s hard for you to be aggressive against him, and then he obviously backs his power up and just comes in so explosively.
“His first step’s insanely fast but he’s strong with those legs he explodes in off, and he’s hard to see coming. It’s not just power, it’s a great mix of timing, speed and power. He’s a very complete fighter.”
This week, Moloney has been dubbed the “Road Warrior” for travelling into the fire for big fights. He says Inoue has no need to follow his path and leave these shores.
“Why would he leave Japan when you can see the magnitude of this event? He’s a superstar over here.”
Asked how far Inoue could possibly go up in weight, Moloney takes a while to give it some thought. He smiled, possibly thinking of some outrageous matches, and then replies: “Probably 130 [junior lightweight], but you’ve got to see if you can build on his frame. He does have a small frame, so 130, 135 guys are going to be very big.
“I think he would struggle to jump to 135 but you never know. As good as Inoue is, size matters and that’s why we have weight classes and just giving up that much of an advantage is too much.”
Would he write him off against the very best at 135? Tank Davis, Shakur Stevenson and alike?
“I wouldn’t, no,” Moloney shoots back quickly with a chuckle, almost born out of disbelief. “I’d give him a good chance of beating Tank and beating Shakur. This guy’s a freak. But you’re giving away a big disadvantage. These guys are a lot bigger than him.”
“I think he maybe taps out at 126lbs,” adds a more conservative duBoef. “I think you have the [Rafael] Espinozas, the [Luis] Lopezs… A dream match for me would be amazing if you could get [Vasiliy] Loma [Lomachenko] to go back to ’26. That’s a dream match.”
The stage is set here at the Tokyo Dome, as it was for Mike Tyson to bring his own brand of shock, awe and destruction 34 years ago. That script did not go to plan.
What if Inoue loses on Monday?
“We don’t need to say that,” smiles Koizumi, stunned by the question.
No one is ready for this story to end and no one wants the Inoue train derailed because, sure, it is a lucrative one, but it is a good, wholesome story for boxing.
Inoue is so good, there are suspicions of why he is so good. But he is enrolled with VADA and he and Nery have been tested for this fight since February.
DuBoef quickly swept aside that kind of negative chatter that manifests online, too, saying they were “narratives that are just mean spirited” and the Top Rank president adds that Inoue is the best fighter that he has laid eyes on.“You’re talking about an athlete who – I entered the sport in 1993 – I’ve never seen such a complete fighter as him.
“We get polluted a lot hearing, ‘You fighters don’t want to lose, don’t take the risks’, he’s all risk. From when he was like, ‘Let’s unify the titles. Let’s do it again. This is what I want.’ When you take that perspective and you want to do that and be great and prove it and have confidence in yourself, I think it elevates the sport. He’s a poster boy for that.
“With ability and marketability, this kid is off the charts on both, but I think even better than that is this insatiable appetite for fighting and being fucking great.”