The fired-up Naoya Inoue knows that it won’t be easy to become a four-division world champion.

The former undisputed 118-pound king vacated all four of his belts and is moving up to 122 pounds in order to challenge unified super bantamweight champion Stephen Fulton on July 29 in Japan.

“From here it will be a real challenge,” Inoue said on an episode of "Camp Life" on ESPN. “I'm pushing the boundaries of my build, my limits. I really don't know what kind of fight this is going to be. I'm just going to do everything I can to win. If I get the chance I'll go for a knockout and if it doesn't go that way, I'll just focus on keeping my boxing solid to get that win.”

The 30-year-old Inoue (24-0, 21 KOs) started his career at 108 pounds in 2012. After winning a world title in the weight class, he moved up to 115 pounds and won another one there before collecting all of the crowns at 118. 

Inoue had a nine-fight run at 118 pounds starting in 2018 featuring wins against Nonito Donaire twice, as well as Jason Moloney and Juan Carlos Payano, among others.

“I do think my boxing can win. No matter my style I just need to focus on winning,” said Inoue. “I want to show my fans the belt around my waist at the end.” 

The WBC and WBO champion Fulton (21-0, 8 KOs) has strung an impressive three-fight run since 2021 with wins against Daniel Roman, Brandon Figueroa, and Angelo Leo. 

The 29-year-old Philadephia-based fighter Fulton is considered the betting underdog for the high-stakes matchup. 

“I feel like my fighting style is very smart, and intelligent fighting style. I fight to my mood and however I am feeling,” said Fulton. “I like to do things others won't do. That's what takes a man to his next level and next height.” 

The Inoue-Fulton fight was originally scheduled for May 7, but in March, Inoue suffered an undisclosed injury that pushed the fight to the summer. 

The bout will stream on ESPN+ in the early-morning hours in the United States. 

In the co-featured bout, Robeisy Ramirez will look to defend his WBO featherweight title against Satoshi Shimizu. 

Manouk Akopyan is a sports journalist, writer, and broadcast reporter. He’s also a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and the MMA Journalists Association. He can be reached on Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube at @ManoukAkopyan, through email at manouk[dot]akopyan[at]gmail.com, or via www.ManoukAkopyan.com.