On May 6 at the Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan, Naoya “Monster” Inoue (26-0, 23 KOs) will defend his WBC, WBO, IBF and WBA super bantamweight titles against Mexican Luis Nery (35-1, 27 KOs). In preparation for “Monster” making his 2024 bow, Big Fight Weekend are bringing you five of the best Naoya Inoue knockouts.
Five Naoya Inoue Knockouts: Looking at Memorable ‘Monster ‘ KOs
Five Naoya Inoue Knockouts: Emmanuel Rodriguez
On May 18, 2019, “Monster” faced unbeaten Puerto Rican boxer Emmanuel Rodríguez in the WBSS semi-final, defeating his opponent by 2nd round TKO. Inoue won the IBF and vacant Ring Magazine bantamweight titles with a destructive KO. He showcased impressive accuracy and phenomenal power in both hands that saw some sickening body shots bring about the early stoppage.
Jason Moloney
“Monster” faced Australian boxer Jason Moloney On October 31, 2020, with Inoue bossing the fight from start to finish. He was the aggressor and kept walking Moloney down, landing accurate combinations. A big right hand knocked the Australian down, and he was visibly hurt and couldn’t beat the count. Inoue successfully defended his WBA (Super), IBF, and Ring Magazine bantamweight titles.
Nonito Donaire II
Inoue once again faced Filipino boxer Nonito Donaire in a rematch, with Donaire testing “Monster” more than any other previously. The rematch was more straightforward for the Japanese star, winning by a 2nd round TKO. A quick right hand saw a knockdown for Inoue in round one before the end came in round two, where “Monster” made a statement as he brutally took apart Donaire, varying his attacks impressively before a straight right-left hook combination finished the fight.
Omar Narváez
An up-and-coming Inoue took on Omar Narváez at the Metropolitan Gymnasium, Tokyo, Japan, which saw the Japanese star win by second-round KO. This was a test against an experienced opponent, and Inoue passed the test with flying colours. The power in both hands was too much for his Argentinian opponent, and his ability to switch between head and body with such ferocity ensured the fight ended promptly, with Narváez unable to withstand the power of Inoue.
Stephen Fulton
“Monster” outclassed American boxer Stephen Fulton Jr. on his way to an eighth-round TKO victory on July 25, 2023. The fight began tentatively, with Fulton holding whenever Inoue landed any punches of note. Fulton began to land some cleaner shots in round five but was becoming more affected by the power punching of the Japanese star.
Inoue began to take over soon after, landing the cleaner, harder punches – and in round eight, “Monster” landed a left look after some smart combinations, which knocked the American fighter down. Despite beating the count, the end was near as Inoue pounced, unloading a vicious barrage of punches, forcing the referee to wave off the fight as Fulton was knocked down again.
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