Naoya Inoue: record, next fight and profile →
Rarely has Naoya Inoue needed to step into hostile territory. For the 30-year-old, he’s a rockstar in his native land of Japan. Still, despite his celebrity status reaching an all-time high, if Inoue wanted to take the next step in his career, it appeared as though he would have no choice but to make his way stateside.
As disappointed as Stephen Fulton was when he learned three months ago that his huge fight against Naoya Inoue had to be postponed, Fulton feels that the additional time to prepare for the biggest fight of his career has helped him.
Ra’eese Aleem respects Stephen Fulton for embracing the biggest challenge of Fulton’s career. One of Fulton’s 122-pound rivals just can’t envision the unbeaten WBC/WBO champion traveling to Japanese superstar Naoya Inoue’s home country and upsetting one of boxing’s most complete, dangerous fighters. Philadelphia’s Fulton
A path has been cleared to crown an undisputed 122-pound king. It’s now up to the reigning unified titlists to seize the opportunity. Newly crowned WBA/IBF junior featherweight titlist Marlon Tapales was granted permission by the WBA to enter a voluntary title defense, specifically targeting the winner of the July 25 Stephen Fulton-Naoya Inoue WBC/WBO junior
HOLLYWOOD, Calif. – Vasiliy Lomachenko has campaigned as a 135-pound fighter over the course of his last eight bouts dating back to 2018. The Ukrainian has had tremendous success in the division, unifying three versions of the lightweight title before losing them to Teofimo Lopez Jr. in 2020.
A new date and location are in place for the best matchup to grace the 2023 boxing schedule. BoxingScene.com has confirmed that the highly anticipated Stephen Fulton-Naoya Inoue championship fight will now take place on July 25 at Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan. News of the rescheduled affair comes one week after it was learned that Inoue suffered a hand injury during training camp which forced the cancellation of a May 7 event at Yokohama Arena in his hometown of Yokohama, Japan.
The first men’s title unification bout scheduled for 2023 is officially postponed. BoxingScene.com has confirmed that Kenshiro ‘The Amazing Boy’ Teraji needs a new opponent for his April 8 headliner at Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan. The lineal, WBC and WBA junior flyweight champion was due to face WBO titlist Jonathan ‘Bomba’ Gonzalez, who was forced to withdraw from their three-belt unification after coming down with mycoplasma pneumonia. “Bomba got sick and he is out of the fight,” Felix ‘Tutico’ Zabala Jr., Gonzalez’s promoter, confirmed to Boxing Scene. “They are looking for another opponent for Kenshiro.”
One of the most interesting fights on the boxing calendar has been postponed. BoxingScene.com has confirmed that Japanese superstar Naoya Inoue has suffered an undisclosed injury during training camp that has forced the three-division champion to withdraw from his 122-pound title fight against Stephen Fulton Jr.
For the first time in the career of Stephen Fulton, he’s viewed as a definitive underdog. In a showdown that will be announced in short order, the Philadelphia native is expected to mosey on over to Japan to take on current pound-for-pound luminary, Naoya Inoue. Before inking his name to the dotted line to face Fulton, Inoue (24-0, 21 KOs) has sliced through his competition.
Naoya Inoue had his mind made up well before entering the ring for his previous fight. The three-division titlist and pound-for-pound entrant already knew that a trip to the junior featherweight division was in his immediate future. Inoue was open about campaigning at the weight in the buildup to his eventual eleventh-round