The sport of boxing has no shortage of eminent families who have left their mark on the sport. Brothers Wladimir and Vitali Klitschko, both of whom have won the heavyweight title, father-son duos of John and Tyson Fury, and Roger and Floyd Mayweather are among the most famous families you may have heard of.

Add to that list Naoya Inoue and Takuma Inoue, both of whom don’t just share a nickname (The Monster) but also a passion and love for the sweet science, and have excelled at the sport, albeit at different levels. In this article, we look at the relationship between the Inoue siblings and how Naoue’s brilliance helped Takuma succeed at the highest level of the sport.

Are Naoya Inoue and Takuma brothers?

Yes, as we have already mentioned, Naoya and Takuma Inoue are indeed brothers. In fact, Naoya is most of the main reason Takuma even became a boxer. Older brothers, of course, are every boy’s role model and idol, and it seems that was the case in the case of Takuma, too, who is three years younger than ‘The Monster’.

Seeing his brother excel at the sport and win multiple high school championships seems to have been the most important factor in inspiring the younger Inoue to follow in his brother’s inspirational footsteps. But there’s another, perhaps even more important family member who is responsible for both Inoue and Takuma becoming boxers. Their father, Shingo Inoue. “My father was a boxer, so naturally, I followed him into the sport,” Naoya would say of his father’s influence in his career choice.

Although Shingo never went pro, he used to be an amateur boxer when he was young. Inoue Sr. was a world champion in another sport, ultramarathon, where he won the 2010 Men’s 24-hour run. But his background in boxing was crucial for Naoya and Takuma’s success, as he trained them both in the sport from a very young age.

Takuma Inoue’s boxing records and stats

Takuma Inoue, like his older brother, has competed at different weight classes, including super flyweight, bantamweight, and super bantamweight. The younger Inoue brother started his pro boxing career in 2013, one year after Naoya. The 29-year-old would prove himself to be a problem after he won the OPBF super-flyweight title in 2015.

In 2018, he won the WBC interim bantamweight title, further proving that he was of the same championship pedigree as his older brother. But alas, he would lose his very next fight for the undisputed strap, also losing his undefeated streak.

Takuma then put together another impressive winning run and finally got the chance to fight for the WBA bantamweight title, once held by Naoya, in 2023, which he won. He would successfully defend that title twice, but lost it to Seiya Tsutsumi in 2024, which was the second loss of his career. As of now, Takuma has a 20-2 record, and while he may not be a generational talent like his undefeated brother, the younger Inoue is still a championship-level fighter. What do you think about Takuma Inoue’s career?