Stephen Fulton: record, next fight and profile →
The lower-weight classes normally fly under the radar. They often house lesser-known names and simply don’t receive the hoopla that fighters from heavier divisions frequently receive. Naoya Inoue, however, is changing that storyline.
The best week of boxing in recent memory kicked off with one of the best big fight performances of the 21st century. That’s a hell of a start. In a performance that was reminiscent of Floyd Mayweather-Diego Corrales or Roy Jones-James Toney, Japan’s Naoya Inoue turned a highly anticipated showdown into a showcase. The thinking going in was Inoue’s power and explosiveness would be tested by the length, size, and range of Fulton.
On Tuesday, Japanese superstar Naoya Inoue further proved his pound-for-pound status when he captured the WBC and WBO super bantamweight titles with an eight round knockout of unbeaten Stephen Fulton in Tokyo, Japan.
Naoya Inoue, the pound-for-pound great from Japan, knocked out WBC/WBO junior featherweight world champion Stephen Fulton in the eighth round Tuesday at Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan. Inoue is now a four-weight world champion and is 20-0 in world title fights.
Naoya inoue delivered another reminder of why he has been regarded for years as among the best pound-for-pound fighters. The latest instance came in a fight week that features championships between four of the best fighters in the world spanning two continents. Inoue handled his business in stellar fashion, as he dethroned previously unbeaten WBC/WBO junior featherweight titlist Stephen Fulton via eighth round stoppage. Inoue floored Fulton moments before offering a final volley of punches to force the stoppage at 1:14 of round eight Tuesday from Ariake Arena in Tokyo.
The bantamweight division contains good fighters, but no one truly caught the attention of Naoya Inoue. During his time there, the 30-year-old Japanese native effortlessly blasted through his competition while barely breaking a sweat.
Stephen Fulton feels he will gain Naoya Inoue’s respect relatively early in their fight Tuesday night. The WBC/WBO 122-pound champion has won only 38 percent of his professional bouts by knockout, yet Philadelphia’s Fulton thinks his power is underrated based on his low knockout ratio by those that haven’t been hit by him. Japan’s
The skills and intangibles that Stephen Fulton brings to the table is not at all lost on Naoya Inoue. It is why the unbeaten former three-division titlist targeted the reigning WBC/WBO junior featherweight titlist for his first fight at a fourth weight division. Inoue and his team met with Fulton’s representatives and quickly worked out a deal for
There is a strategic reason Robeisy Ramirez will appear on the Stephen Fulton-Naoya Inoue undercard Tuesday night in Tokyo. According to Bob Arum, whose company co-promotes Inoue, if Inoue and Ramirez continue to win Inoue eventually will move up to the featherweight limit of 126 pounds to fight for Ramirez’s WBO belt. Cuba’s Ramirez (12-1, 7 KOs) will
By the time he steps into the ring with Naoya Inoue on Tuesday morning (U.S. time), Stephen Fulton will have been in Japan more than two weeks.