Naoya Inoue continues to add to his legacy as perhaps the greatest fighter to ever come out of Japan.
The undefeated four-division champion once again took home Japan’s Male Fighter of the Year honors during this year’s JBC (Japanese Boxing Commission) Boxing Awards, held Tuesday in Tokyo. Inoue, 32-0 (27 KOs) claimed the award for an unprecedented eighth consecutive time and ninth overall.
As was the case last year, Inoue – the reigning undisputed 122lbs champion – was joined at the ceremony by top rival Junto Nakatani, 32-0 (24 KOs), who shared the 2025 Best Skill award with Takuma Inoue, Naoya’s brother.
The elder Inoue and Nakatani made headlines at the ceremony one year ago when they committed to a gentleman’s agreement to meet in 2026. True to their word, the best two active boxers in Japan remain on course to meet May 2 at the Tokyo Dome.
“We were both able to fulfill our promises,” Inoue told the crowd upon accepting his award. “In May this year, at Tokyo Dome, I'll clash head-on with Junto Nakatani.
“Everyone, please make sure to witness that courageous showdown.”
Inoue made four successful championship defenses in 2025. It marked the busiest campaign for any male lineal champion since 1987, when Brian Mitchell successfully defended his 130lbs championship four times.
The run is unheard of among modern-day fighters. Amazinging, the feat was duplicated by his female counterpart.
Mizuki “MiMi” Hiruta, 10-0 (2 KOs) repeated as Japan’s Women’s Fighter of the Year after four big wins in 2025. The unbeaten WBO junior bantamweight titlist also claimed The Ring and lineal championship with her May 17 points win over Carla Merino in Commerce, California.
All four of her wins took place in the U.S., beginning with a January 7 technical decision victory over Maribel Ramirez, also in Commerce. The charismatic southpaw – trained by Manny Robles – also earned Ring Magazine’s 2025 Women’s Fighter of the Year honors to cap a memorable campaign.
The 2025 Fight of the Year went to the terrific Kenshiro Teraji-Seigo Yuri Akui WBC-WBA flyweight unification bout. Teraji won their fiercely contested March 13 battle via 12th round stoppage to become a two-division unified champ. His reign ended, however, in an upset defeat to Ricardo Sandoval last July.
Nakatani was a double award winner in 2024 but limited to shared honors during this year’s ceremony. His 2025 campaign began hot, with knockout wins over David Cuellar and Ryosuke Nishida all in the first half of the year.
The win over Nishida saw Nakatani become the unified WBC/IBF 118lbs champ and also net The Ring championship. However, it was his last fight at the weight as he took a huge leap towards bridging the gap for a long-sought showdown with Inoue at 122lbs.
Nakatani’s debut at the weight was shaky, as many considered him fortunate to edge out Mexico’s Sebastian Hernandez. Their 12-round, non-title fight was the co-feature to the December 27 “Japan vs. the World” card in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Inoue topped the bill with a decisive points win over Alan David Picasso.
With the stage set for the biggest all-Japanese clash ever, Inoue hopes to add to his already historic run.
“I received the annual Most Outstanding Fighter for the 9th time and in 8 consecutive years. This year, I'll smash it even higher.”
Naturally, his fiercest rival had something to say about that.
“In 2025, I was able to see new scenery with a unification bout at bantamweight and a move up to super bantamweight, so I’m truly happy to receive this Skill Award,” Nakatani stated during his acceptance speech. “In 2026, I will do my best to show everyone a more developed, stronger Junto Nakatani! I will become a world champion in super bantamweight.”
Other award winners on the evening:
Women’s Fight of the Year – Yuko Kuroki UD10 Nanako Suzuki
Best Knockout – Masamichi Yabuki, IBF flyweight titlist
Fighting Spirit – Seiya Tsutsumi, WBA bantamweight titlist (2nd consecutive year)
Fighting Courage – Tomoya Tsuboi
Prospect of the Year – Kyosuke Takami
Amateur Fighter of the Year – Shudai Harada
Special Awards Honoring Retirees – Kosei Tanaka, Hiroto Kyoguchi, Yudai Shigeoka, Ginjiro Shigeoka, Sho Kimura
