Naoya Inoue: Boxing's Pound-for-Pound King Signs Lucrative Deal with Riyadh Season
Naoya Inoue is widely regarded as the pound-for-pound number one in boxing and is one of only three fighters to have achieved multi-divisional undisputed champion status since the inception of the four-belt era. Following his remarkable success, Inoue has seized the opportunity presented by the recent influx of Saudi investment in boxing, signing a lucrative deal with Turki Al-Alshikh and Riyadh Season.
Inoue has been on an incredible run over the past few years, extending his streak to 23 consecutive world title contests, all of which he has won. He has ascended through the ranks from light-flyweight to super-bantamweight, but it was at 118 pounds where he truly made his mark, defeating the legendary Nonito Donaire twice before knocking out Paul Butler to claim the undisputed bantamweight title in late 2022.
Since his victory over Butler, Inoue moved up to 122 pounds, where he halted unified champions Stephen Fulton and Marlon Tapales, becoming the undisputed super-bantamweight champion. He has successfully defended his title twice in 2024, demonstrating his dominance in the sport. "Moving up another division and dominating a fighter like Fulton is stupendous. Goodness me, Inoue is the monster everyone is saying he is," noted one observer.
Looking ahead, Inoue is scheduled to make a third defense of his titles against Australia’s Sam Goodman on Christmas Eve. In conjunction with this, it has been announced that he has signed a deal with Riyadh Season reportedly worth around £15 million, although there are no requirements for him to fight in Saudi Arabia as part of the agreement.
Turki Al-Alshikh expressed his pride, stating, “Inoue is the best and strongest boxer of all time. He has a great interest in Japan and the Japanese market. I hope he will be a good and important ambassador for Saudi Arabia and Riyadh Season.”
Inoue has indicated that he is open to the idea of fighting in Saudi Arabia but emphasized that his 2025 plans remain undecided, despite promoter Bob Arum's comments suggesting otherwise. “I think it’s all about timing. This year’s fight against Goodman has been decided. I don’t know what will happen next year. If I can fight in Saudi Arabia, I’ll just live up to those expectations,” he said.
There are also possibilities for Riyadh Season to host events in Tokyo to support their new recruit or stage a highly anticipated fight in the United States in early 2025, potentially against Murodjon Akhmadaliev.
For now, Inoue is focused on his upcoming bout against Goodman on December 24, but what unfolds in 2025 could be a pivotal moment for boxing, as the sport’s biggest stars may consider signing official and lucrative deals with Al-Alshikh’s Saudi promotion.
