“Monster” Inoue named Japan’s Boxer of the Year

By Joe Koizumi
Photos by Naoki Fukuda

Undisputed world super bantam champion Naoya “The Monster” Inoue, who brilliantly conquered the four belts in just two bouts over Stephen Fulton and Marlon Tapales, was named Japan’s Boxing of the Year today (Monday) here in Tokyo, Japan. It was more than a unanimous decision—a shutout selection by our Sports Writers Association as well as the Japan Boxing Commission (JBC). It was the seventh acquisition (in six consecutive years) that Inoue was given the highest fistic award here in Japan. Naoya said, “I wish to keep winning until the end of my career.” We hope so.

The other recipients of prestigious awards were as follows:

• Technique: Kenshiro Teraji, WBC, WBA light flyweight ruler
• Valuable victory: Junto Nakatani, WBO junior bantam titlist
• Excellent boxers: WBA super fly kingpin Kazuto Ioka, WBA bantam champ Takuma Inoue, WBC minimum titleholder Yudai Shigeoka, IBF minimum titlist Ginjiro Shigeoka
• Efforts: former Japanese bantam champ Seiya Tsutsumi
• Knockout: Naoya Inoue
• Rookie citation: Tenshin Nasukawa
• Female Boxer of the Year: WBO junior bantam ruler Mizuki Hiruta
• Fight of the Year (world): Naoya Inoue vs. Stephen Fulton
• Fight of the Year (domestic): Seiya Tsutsumi vs. Kazuki Anaguchi (who unfortunately passed away after this grueling bout for the national bantam belt)
• Best trainer: Shingo Inoue (the father of “Monster” Naoya and Takuma Inoue)

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