Leaving it all in the ring is something Naoya Inoue loves and hates.

Calling the Japanese star a warrior isn’t conjecture. When his back is against the wall, he responds. From the broken orbital bone he suffered at the hands of Nonito Donaire to being sent to the canvas twice in his last four fights, Inoue has experienced it all in the ring and continues to respond with resilience. However, the wars that have seen him to become a fan favorite may slowly take something away from him.

Boxing has too many instances where even the greatest fighters have fought for far too long. Inoue, however, won’t follow that path. He loves the sport, respects it, lives and breathe it. But while he looks as sharp as ever, he doesn’t believe he’ll be around for too much longer.

“I want to close my fighting career when the time is right,” Inoue admitted to The Ring recently. “I think I have about three years left, including this year.”

Before fans apoplectically ball up their fists and beg him to stay, Inoue plans on using his last few years giving us the fights that we want.

Murodjon Akhmadaliev is up next in September. Then, Inoue has been linked with a fight against Nick Ball before facing Junto Nakatani in May 2026.

Those showdowns, along with a few others, won’t be easy. Inoue is a confident person, though. His confidence perhaps borders on hubris, but he’s also pragmatic.

The 32-year-old will need to be at his very best if he plans on closing out his career strong. Ultimately, that requires a candid conversation with himself. It also requires self-evaluation. After carefully doing so, he believes he’s the same old deleterious, violent fighter he’s always been.

But the clock is ticking.

“I don’t feel any decline in my physical strength or performance yet, but I’m sure that someday that day will come,” Inoue said. “I have to plan my training and fights with that in mind. As a human being, I’m sure I will inevitably decline. So I think it’s important to prepare and to know myself.”