Takuma Inoue: record, next fight and profile →
Takuma Inoue (14-1, 3 KOs) of Japan, the younger brother of WBA, IBF bantamweight champion Naoya 'The Monster' Inoue, picked up the Oriental and Pacific Boxing Federation (OPBF) bantamweight belt with a nine round technical decision win over his compatriot Keita Kurihara (15-6, 13 KOs). (photos by Naoki Fukuda)
By Corey Erdman - Back in 2015, it looked as though there was another outlier coming from the Inoue family. Takuma, the younger brother of Naoya, had blazed his way through the first six opponents of his career, and was already fighting in twelve round bouts. By that year, his brother was already a two-division world champion, and signs pointed to Takuma not being far...
If there was anything Nordine Oubaali took away from his latest win, it’s just how much more damage he can cause at full strength. The unbeaten 33-year old from France registered the second defense of his bantamweight title following a 12-round win over Japan’s Takuma Inoue in their title consolidation clash in Saitama, Japan. The Nov. 7 title fight saw Oubaali—a two-time Olympian who claimed a 118-pound belt earlier this year—ride a 4th round knockdown all the way to the finish line in ending his 2019 campaign with his third win in as many tries.
Thursday night didn’t get off to a good start for the Inoue family. In the bout before his older brother boxed Nonito Donaire in the main event, France’s Nordine Oubaali beat Takuma Inoue by unanimous decision to retain his WBC world bantamweight title at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. Oubaali knocked down Inoue in the fourth round on his way to winning on all three scorecards and dealing Inoue his first professional defeat.
Wednesday morning at the WBC’s 57th annual convention at the Grand Oasis Cancun was devoted mainly to ratings. The afternoon assembly meeting was devoted to mandatory defenses.
Boxing will once again be a family affair for Naoya and Takuma Inoue. Perhaps the best brother tandem in the sport today, the pair of unbeaten bantamweights will both appear in separate and potential career-defining bouts on Nov. 7 in Saitama, Japan. Takuma’s place on the show was confirmed during a press conference held Monday in Japan to announce his title consolidation clash with unbeaten World Boxing Council (WBC) bantamweight titlist Nordine Oubaali.
Following the announcement made by Oscar Valdez, that he was vacating the WBO featherweight title and climbing up to the 130 pounds, the boxer explained that he was very open to the possibility of fighting WBC super featherweight Miguel Berchelt.
Naoya Inoue isn’t the only one in the family with a big fight this fall. As the unbeaten three-division and reigning bantamweight titlist prepares for his recently announced Nov. 7 unification bout and World Boxing Super Series finals versus Nonito Donaire, younger brother Takuma Inoue vies for his first major title.
The next defense of the Frenchman Nordine Oubaali should be against the Japanese contender Takuma Inoue, according to information passed along by World Boxing Council President Mauricio Sulaiman to ESPN Deportes. Sulaiman also revealed that the winner must make a mandatory defense of the WBC bantamweight title against Luis Nery.
A few days ago at Tokyo's Ota City General Gymnasium, Takuma Inoue won the WBC's interim-bantamweight title. Inoue's win made him part of a bantamweight champion brother act, alongside his older brother Naoya, the WBA "regular" champion. The younger Inoue defeated Thailand's Tasana Salapat, who fights under the name Petch CP Freshmart, by unanimous decision in a fight that left both fighters gassed after the 12th round.