Knockout machine Naoya Inoue has gathered headlines over the years thanks to his brutal performances.
From Inoue winning his first world title with a knockout to having an almost 90% knockout rate, ‘The Monster’ is always worth tuning in to watch.
The Japanese superstar made his professional debut in 2012. Within two years, Inoue could call himself a world champion.
As one of the few undisputed world champions in the four-belt era, Inoue’s talents cannot be denied. In 2018, he was able to show his ruthlessness with a win over a world champion.
Naoya Inoue defeated Jamie McDonnell with a first-round knockout
Moving up from the super flyweight division, Inoue set his sights on becoming a world champion at bantamweight. Competing at 118 lbs for the first time, he would challenge world champion Jamie McDonnell from England.
The pair met in Japan in May 2018 as McDonnell had not been bested in his last 22 fights. Although he was looking to defend his WBA World Bantamweight for the seventh time, he would not get much time to show his skill.
At the halfway point of the round, McDonnell would be knocked down by a body shot. Despite being able to briefly return, the fight would end shortly after the restart.
An aggressive onslaught from the Japanese fighter would cause the champion to eventually crumble. The referee waved off the bout as Inoue won a world title in a second weight class.
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Naoya Inoue unified the bantamweight division in 2022
Inoue’s win over McDonnell would turn out to be his first step towards unifying the bantamweight division. Defending his WBA title once, he would pick up the IBF World Bantamweight belt in 2019.
He then retained his WBA and IBF titles a further four times before adding a third belt to his collection.
Defeating Nonito Donaire in a rematch, Inoue claimed the WBC title from his opponent in June 2022.
Six months later, Inoue would be able to call himself an undisputed world champion. Facing Paul Butler, who was the WBO champion, Inoue would unify the division.
An 11th-round knockout would end Butler’s title reign, making the Japanese fighter an undisputed champion.