Home Boxing News Naoya Inoue renounces bantamweight titles, confirms plans to campaign at super bantamweight

Naoya Inoue renounces bantamweight titles, confirms plans to campaign at super bantamweight

Naoya Inoue. Photo credit: Getty Images

Undisputed bantamweight champion of the world Naoya ‘The Monster’ Inoue 24-0 (21) has officially renounced his four 118-pound titles to compete in the super bantamweight division.

The decision from the three-weight world from Japan comes as no surprise following his 11th round knockout of England’s Paul Butler 34-3 (15) last month to add the WBO belt to his WBC, WBA and IBF championships.

Inoue made the announcement at a press conference in Yokohama yesterday.

“I would like to inform you that I will return the belts of the four [sanctioning bodies]. Each belt is a memorable one for me,” said Inoue, who is recognised by the esteemed magazine The Ring as the one and only true world champion in his division.

“In 2023, I would like to move up one weight class and challenge the super bantamweight division. It’s the perfect match, but there’s nothing left to do in this bantamweight division and there’s no opponent I want to fight.”

Inoue shot to international fame when he won the World Boxing Super Series by defeating Juan Carlos Payano, Emmanuel Rodriguez and the evergreen Nonito Donaire.

The Donaire fight was of particular note as Inoue had to contend with a fractured orbital bone before running away the winner by unanimous decision in the final in November 2019 in what The Ring magazine called the Fight of the Year.

Never one to shirk a challenge, Inoue rematched Donaire in June last year and out him away in two frames.

But while Inoue’s star has only shone brightly in the Western world in the past five years, he was already a popular and well-known commodity in Japan.

He won his first world title in just his sixth pro bout when he dethroned the capable Adrian Hernandez by sixth-round knockout to claim the WBC junior flyweight title in April 2014.

After one title defence he jumped up two weight classes to snatch the WBO super flyweight title from longtime champion and crafty southpaw veteran Omar Narvaez by second-round knockout in December of the same year.

Seven successful title defences later, he moved up to 118-pounds.

Now that he has accomplished all he can in the weight class, it is time to move onwards and upwards in search of further challenges.

That could see him face WBC and WBO champion Stephen ‘Cool Boy’ Fulton 21-0 (8), who is expected to fight Brandon Figueroa next in a rematch at featherweight following his majority decision victory in November 2021 before dropping back down in weight.

The other option in the weight class is Uzbek southpaw Murodjon ‘MJ’ Akhmadaliev 11-0 (8), who own the WBA and IBF baubles.

Neither are easy options, but Inoue has never shirked a challenge.

“I have decided to compete in the super bantamweight division and challenge fighters who are bigger than me,” Inoue said.

“From here on out, it’s a real thing. I’m really excited about it – I think it could be the final chapter.”

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