Naoya Inoue reveals 2024 fight plans
Four-division world champion and current undisputed super-bantamweight title-holder, Naoya Inoue, has mapped out his plan for 2024 after a stellar 2023 which saw him claim the Ring Magazine Fighter of the Year award.
Inoue vacated his undisputed bantamweight title in December 2022 in pursuit of further glory up at 122lbs, taking on the poster boy of the division and WBC & WBO champion, Stephen Fulton, on his debut at the weight, delivering a devastating and generational performance that culminated in an eighth-round knockout win.
Five months later, ‘The Monster’ became just the second ever multi-divisional four-belt undisputed champion, stopping Marlon Tapales to add the WBA & IBF straps to his collection and finish conquering the super-bantamweight division is less than half a year.
Speaking to The Ring, Inoue maintained that he will remain at the weight for now and contemplate a move to featherweight in 2025.
“I’m planning on fighting three times this year. I’m sure these three fights will take place at super bantamweight. My move up to featherweight will depend on how I feel and how my body feels next year.”
“I always want to show the best Naoya Inoue. I wouldn’t decide to start fighting at featherweight or super featherweight just because the money is good. I don’t think that’s what I want. There are many fighters who have chased the money but ended up not being able to perform well and quit. The reason I box is not for the money; I do this to show my best self. It’s also true that I’m motivated by fighting strong opponents, but there are weight divisions in boxing for a reason.”
Inoue also confirmed that he plans to fight in May, September and December, with his next outing expected to be a grudge match against Luis Nery in Japan, despite the controversial Mexican being banned for life from fighting in Japan by the Japanese Boxing Commission.