One of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world, Naoya Inoue, has dropped a huge retirement hint.
‘The Monster’ has revealed that he can only see himself fighting for another three years, including this year. This means that the Japanese boxing superstar could retire as early as 2027.
Naoya Inoue Retirement: Is ‘The Monster’ Contemplating Hanging Up His Boxing Gloves?
Naoya Inoue is widely regarded as one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in boxing today. If not p4p #1, he is without a doubt in the top three.
The Japanese fighter was last seen in action at the beginning of May where he stopped Ramon Cardenas to defend his undisputed world super-bantamweight titles.
However, Inoue was dropped early in the fight before recovering and then getting the knockout himself. ‘The Monster’ now boasts a perfect 30-0 record with 27 stoppages, with boxing fans already excited to see the phenom back in action before the end of the year.
It has been rumored that Inoue will fight Muradjon Akhmadaliev in September, before potentially moving up to featherweight in early 2026 as he aims to become a five-division world champion.
However, Inoue has admitted in a recent interview with The Ring Magazine that he is considering retirement. In what comes as a bit of a shock given his perfect record and the fact he is still only 32-years-old, Inoue has revealed that he plans on hanging up his gloves as early as 2027.
“I want to close my fighting career when the time is right. I think I have about three years left, including this year,” Inoue said in a recent interview.
This means that retirement could be on the cards for Naoya Inoue sooner rather than later. The Japanese boxing superstar might only have a handful of fights now before he sails off into the sunset and enjoys the fruits of his labour.
Naoya Inoue tells The Ring he could retire from boxing as soon as 2027 ‼️
Do you think he'll retire undefeated? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/oBo4fYDsXv
— Ring Magazine (@ringmagazine) May 18, 2025
Who Will Naoya Inoue Fight Before He Retires?
Naoya Inoue’s recent retirement announcement has sent shivers through the boxing world. However, there is still plenty of time for ‘The Monster’ to fight some huge names and compete in some blockbuster fights between now and the end of his career.
In the aftermath of his last victory over Ramon Cardenas in Las Vegas in early May, Bob Arum of Top Rank revealed that Naoya Inoue’s next fight would likely be against MJ Akhmadaliev in September back in Tokyo.
As of today an official announcement is yet to come, but it seems that this fight is almost certainly next for ‘The monster’. But who could Inoue fight after that between now and his future retirement?
There has been plenty of talk that Inoue will move up to featherweight in 2026. If he does, a fight with Britain’s Nick Ball has been mentioned on numerous occasions. A rematch with WBC champion Stephen Fulton also appeals for Inoue, given the fact he has already beaten the American at 122-pounds.
Another potential future fight for Inoue before he calls it a day is the all Japan clash with the undefeated Junto Nakatani. That fight would be the biggest in Japanese boxing history without a doubt and one of the biggest fights in all of boxing today.
These are just some of the potential fight before Naoya Inoue retires for good as early as 2027. Time will tell who he fights between now and then, and if indeed he will move up to featherweight, win a world title and become a five-division world champion.
