Irie was born in Yonago, Japan in 2000.[6] She took up boxing when she was seven years old at a local gym.[6] Irie was inspired to box from the sports manga television series Ganbare Genki, which features a character who wants to become a boxer.[7] She also took her inspiration from frogs.[7]
At the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Irie beat Karriss Artingstall of Great Britain in the semi-finals of the women's featherweight, and then went on to beat Nesthy Petecio of the Philippines in the final to win the gold medal.[8][9] At the time of winning her gold medal, Irie was a university student at Nippon Sport Science University.[10][11] Irie later stated that she would retire from boxing after graduating,[7] with plans to work for a company making video games.[12]
In September 2022, she announced that she would retire from boxing after her graduation in spring 2023.[13]
