Monster Lurking! Naoya Inoue Stops Stephen Fulton In 8
Boxing’s boogeyman returned in a high profile homecoming to capture the super bantamweight WBC and WBO titles in his own back yard. The night saw Naoya Inoue dominate incumbent champion Stephen Fulton from the bell and stake his first claim for undisputed in his second weight class.
Naoya Inoue: The Monster Awakens
From the start of the fight, Naoya Inoue was in control of the fight and commanded a lead with a stiff jab and lightning fast speed that had Fulton unable to land anything early and incapable of keeping Inoue off of him.
As the fight progressed, Fulton began to settle in and get some offense rolling but in exchange he was forced to allow Inoue to mount his own onslaught. Try as he may, Fulton didn’t have the power to command respect from Inoue who just kept coming forward.
In round eight, Inoue caught Fulton with a monster (pun intended) right that floored Fulton who was slow to get up and on wobbly legs. After the referee allowed the fight to continue, Inoue pounced, keeping Fulton from clinching up to survive and poured on a mass of punches that saw Fulton fall to the corner. As Naoya Inoue put the whoopin’ on Fulton, the referee called the fight off.
📋 Naoya Inoue at age 30:
👑 WBC Light-Flyweight
👑 WBO Super-Flyweight
👑 WBA Bantamweight
👑 WBC Bantamweight
👑 IBF Bantamweight
👑 WBO Bantamweight
👑 Ring Bantamweight
👑 WBC Super-Bantamweight
👑 WBO Super-Bantamweight pic.twitter.com/keknre8Waq— Michael Benson (@MichaelBensonn) July 25, 2023
The win marked Inoue’s fourth division where he captures a title. The Japanese sensation went undisputed at bantamweight and now looks to do the same at super bantamweight. With two titles in tow, Inoue’s sights are now on Marlon Tapales, a 37-3 fighter from the Philippines with 19 knockouts. He captured his titles from Murodjon Akhmadaliev in April via split decision.
Inoue fight week 🔥 pic.twitter.com/CxHl9DsjDo
— Blaine Henry (@BlaineHenryTFL) July 23, 2023
The question now turns from is Inoue going to be good at 122 to is Naoya Inoue the best pound for pound fighter in boxing. Looks like a yes, but Bud Crawford and Errol Spence have a say in that this weekend as well as Canelo Alvarez in a few weeks.
