Naoya Inoue: The Little Angel that Became “The Monster”

On April 10th of 1993, the wife of Shingo Inoue conceived their firstborn child in the city of Zama, Kanagawa Prefecture. Little did the parents know that their child, who they considered to be such a little angel, would one day become one of the fiercest competitors in boxing.

But as the saying goes “The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree”. Both of Shingo’s sons were inspired by their father’s amateur career, and decided to train under his watchful eye. The youngest son, Takuma, also tried his hand at the sweet science, but ultimately fell short in comparison to his older brother.

As time went on, Naoya adopted his now signature alias “The Monster“, which accurately represents the brutal power within his fists.

The 25-year-old Naoya isn’t just a brute force brawler, he’s a complete fighter, with his technical elegance inside the ring rivaling the force of his punches. His deceivingly slim figure may give the impression that he lacks power but don’t be fooled, there’s dynamite inside those hands.

After winning world titles in three different weight classes (Bantamweight, Light Flyweight, Super Flyweight), Noaya is determined to win the World Boxing Super Series at 118 lbs and obtain the Muhammed Ali trophy. The other 7 competitors in the Bantamweight division are: Ryan Burnett (North Ireland), Nonito Donaire (Philippines), Zolani Tete (South Africa), Mijail Aloyan (Russia), Emmanuel Rodríguez (Puerto Rico), Jason Moloney (Australia) and Juan Carlos Payano (Dominican Republic).

Payano was Noaya’s first victim. This past October 7th, “The Monster” knocked out the Dominican @1:10 of the very first round, in the Yokohama Arena. This was Noaya’s first time defending the WBA Bantamweight title.

Just moments after the first bell, without any hesitation, Naoya unleashed a devastating one-two combination sending Payano crashing down to the canvas. Referee Pinit Prayadsab was forced to step in and stop the fight. At the end of the bout, Payano stated that his opponent’s hand speed was just too quick and he couldn’t react in time to defend himself.

Five months before, Inoue defeated Jamie McDonnell for the WBA Bantamweight title, at Ota-City General Gymnasium, in Japan. McDonnell was also incapable of withstanding Inoue’s power, getting knocked down in the first round and consequently having the fight stopped by referee Luis Pavón in under two minutes.  Inoue, inferior in both height and reach, landed a left hook that stunned his opponent, and then quickly followed up with a three-punch combination that ended the fight. This was McDonnell’s 7th title defense, a title he earned back in 2014.

Face off: Inoue and Rodríguez

Next fight in the WBSS:

After his outstanding victory in the quarter finals of the World Super Series, Inoue will face the Puerto Rican Emmanuel Rodríguez (19-0-0, 12 KOs) in the next round.  Rodríguez defeated the Australian Jason Moloney on October 20th, at the CFE Arena in Orlando, Florida.

Regardless of the fact that both the time and place remain unknown, the odds are already heavily leaning towards Inoue due to his impressive victories and elite pound for pound skill. It will be a true challenge for the Puerto Rican Rodríguez to withstand the punching power of Inoue. Naoya is vigorously chasing the trophy and the one-million-dollar prize that comes with winning the World Super Series. As further testament of the challenge that Rodríguez stands to face, Naoya has only fought fourteen rounds in his last five fights.

The other Fighters competing in the semi-final are the South African Zolani “The Last Born” Tete (28-3-0, 21 KOs) and the winner of Ryan Burnett vs Nonito “The Flash” Donaire, which will take place the 3rd of November at The SSE Hydro, in Glasgow, Scotland. Southpaws Zolani Tete and Mijail Aloyan faced each other on the 3rd of October in Yekaterinburg, Russia. Tete defeated Aloyan for the WBO Bantamweight title, securing his position in the semi-finals.

Kalle Sauerland

Kalle Sauerland Impressed by Inoue:

The German promoter Kalle Sauerland, creator of last year’s World Super Series, stated that the punching power of Inoue, exceeds the likes of Heavyweight Anthony Joshua and Middleweights Gennady Golovkin and Saúl “El Canelo” Alvarez.  “These other fighters have respectable power, but Inoue is the best of all”, said Sauerland to British media after Inoue defeated Payano. “I’m convinced he’s not only the number one power puncher in Japan, Asia or America. He’s the best on the planet”.

Translated by E.G. for J.J. Alvarez of Boxeo.tv