Naoya Inoue proved himself to be one of boxing’s very best on December 26, 2023.
Most fans already had the Japanese superstar on their top five pound-for-pound list.
The 25-0 fighter has already won world titles in four weight classes and claimed undisputed status at bantamweight.
Naoya Inoue gave himself the chance to repeat the feat by knocking out WBC and WBO champion Stephen Fulton in his July 2023 super bantamweight debut.
OPINION: Terence Crawford’s historic win outdoes Naoya Inoue’s activity in boxing’s Fighter of the Year award
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How Naoya Inoue equaled Terence Crawford’s feat
In July 2023, Terence Crawford made history by becoming the first boxer to claim undisputed status in two different weight classes.
‘Bud’ knocked out Errol Spence to win all four of the major welterweight titles. Six years prior, the recently retired boxing legend stopped Julius Indongo in three rounds to achieve the same feat at light welterweight.
Naoya Inoue followed in Crawford’s footsteps when he fought WBA (Super) and IBF super-bantamweight champion Marlon Tapales at the Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan.
‘The Monster’ lived up to his nickname by knocking out Tapales with a punch through the guard in round 10.
Inoue and Crawford’s exclusive club of two-weight undisputed champions added a new member soon after.
Oleksandr Usyk outpointed Tyson Fury to become the first heavyweight to hold all four major titles in May 2024.
The Ukrainian…
2025-12-26 18:00:00
