Former world title challenger Takeshi Inoue retires
Over the weekend it was announced, by the Japan Boxing Commission (JBC) that former world title challenger Takeshi Inoue (20-2-3, 12) [井上岳志] had retired, aged 35.
Inoue, who had been a solid amateur running up a 49-21 record in the unpaid ranks made his professional debut in 2014, fighting to a 6 round draw with Daishi Nagata, who would have a solid career himself winning Japanese, WBO Asia Pacific and OPBF titles at 140lbs. As a professional he would gradually climb through the rankings, winning the Japanese title at 154lbs in 2017, beating Koshinmaru Saito, and make a single defense before winning the OPBF and WBO Asia Pacific titles, less than 7 months later to become a triple crown champion. Those titles would be rolled into the biggest fight of his career in early 2019, when he went 12 rounds with Jaime Munguia in a bout for the WBO world title, giving the all action Munguia a genuinely tough test despite the wide scorecards. That bout saw Inoue show off his toughness, his spirit and his in ring mentality, though fall short in terms of skills against a much better, more skilled and more rounded Munguia.
Inoue bounced back from that loss to recapture the WBO Asia Pacific title, which he defended once before losing a decision in 2021 to Tim Tszyu, becoming the first fighter to go 12 with the hard hitting Aussie. From there on he remained a fixture at the top of the regional scene, reclaiming the two major regional titles which he defended through to March this year, scoring a 12 round draw with Wade Ryan in what was his final bout.
Inoue has told the press "I have had a wonderful boxing career through my matches with Munguia and Tszyu. I am very grateful."
Regarding his reason for retirement Inoue explained "After losing to Tim Tszyu, I was fighting with retirement in mind, and considering my age and growth, I decided that it would be difficult for me to become a world champion,". He also spoke about the world rankings, stating “When I decided to retire, I was 7th in the WBO, but it feels a bit complicated that my world rankings have risen even though I'm not fighting." With those comments he's referring to the fact he has some how climbed to #4 with the WBO and #14 with the WBC, despite not fighting since March.
Since deciding to retire, much earlier in the year, Inoue has been working as a trainer at the World Sports Gym, the gym that handled his professional career, and he has revealed that being a trainer is dream come true.
Speaking about his career "I couldn't become a world champion, but I had a really fulfilling boxing life. I was able to get many things that are even more valuable than that. It was the best boxing life, and I have no regrets,"
Inoue, who had been a solid amateur running up a 49-21 record in the unpaid ranks made his professional debut in 2014, fighting to a 6 round draw with Daishi Nagata, who would have a solid career himself winning Japanese, WBO Asia Pacific and OPBF titles at 140lbs. As a professional he would gradually climb through the rankings, winning the Japanese title at 154lbs in 2017, beating Koshinmaru Saito, and make a single defense before winning the OPBF and WBO Asia Pacific titles, less than 7 months later to become a triple crown champion. Those titles would be rolled into the biggest fight of his career in early 2019, when he went 12 rounds with Jaime Munguia in a bout for the WBO world title, giving the all action Munguia a genuinely tough test despite the wide scorecards. That bout saw Inoue show off his toughness, his spirit and his in ring mentality, though fall short in terms of skills against a much better, more skilled and more rounded Munguia.
Inoue bounced back from that loss to recapture the WBO Asia Pacific title, which he defended once before losing a decision in 2021 to Tim Tszyu, becoming the first fighter to go 12 with the hard hitting Aussie. From there on he remained a fixture at the top of the regional scene, reclaiming the two major regional titles which he defended through to March this year, scoring a 12 round draw with Wade Ryan in what was his final bout.
Inoue has told the press "I have had a wonderful boxing career through my matches with Munguia and Tszyu. I am very grateful."
Regarding his reason for retirement Inoue explained "After losing to Tim Tszyu, I was fighting with retirement in mind, and considering my age and growth, I decided that it would be difficult for me to become a world champion,". He also spoke about the world rankings, stating “When I decided to retire, I was 7th in the WBO, but it feels a bit complicated that my world rankings have risen even though I'm not fighting." With those comments he's referring to the fact he has some how climbed to #4 with the WBO and #14 with the WBC, despite not fighting since March.
Since deciding to retire, much earlier in the year, Inoue has been working as a trainer at the World Sports Gym, the gym that handled his professional career, and he has revealed that being a trainer is dream come true.
Speaking about his career "I couldn't become a world champion, but I had a really fulfilling boxing life. I was able to get many things that are even more valuable than that. It was the best boxing life, and I have no regrets,"