Naoya Inoue savored the moment on Thursday when he became the first Japanese fighter to receive the Sugar Ray Robinson Award as the Boxing Writers Association of America's Fighter of the Year for 2023. The undefeated super bantamweight world champion savored the moment.
Japan's Naoya Inoue speaks after receiving the Sugar Ray Robinson Award as the 2023 Boxing Writers' Association of America Athlete of the Year during the awards ceremony in New York on June 6, 2024. (Kyodo News)
The 31-year-old was at the awards ceremony in New York to be honoured for defeating American Stephen Fulton and the Philippines' Marlon Tapales to become just the second man in history to unify all four major belts in two different weight classes.
Inoue began his speech in English, then switched to Japanese, saying it was an “honor” to receive the plaque presented to winners.
“2023 was the biggest challenge for me,” he said. “Neither match was easy, but in the end I was able to come out victorious.”
Former bantamweight champion Inoue defended his four belts with another knockout win against Mexico's Luis Nery on May 6, improving his perfect career record to 27-0, with 24 of his wins coming by knockout.
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