July 25, (THEWILL) – Japanese boxing sensation, Naoya Inoue, added another impressive victory to his already illustrious career as he defeated WBC and WBO super bantamweight champion, Stephen Fulton, in a thrilling match held in Japan, on Tuesday.
Inoue, the former undisputed bantamweight champion, decided to move up to the 122lbs weight class to challenge for more titles after securing a dominant win against Britain’s Paul Butler in December 2022. The highly anticipated bout with Fulton saw Inoue’s relentless aggression and skilful performance lead to an eighth-round knockout, solidifying his position as a four-division world champion.
Inoue’s reputation for delivering powerful knockouts was evident as he entered the ring with an impressive record of 21 knockouts from 24 bouts. In contrast, Fulton, the unified champion, had eight knockouts out of 21 fights. Leading up to the match, tensions between the two fighters due to disagreements over glove regulations in Japan raised the expectations of the bout. However, once the bell rang, Inoue wasted no time in getting down to business.
In the third round, an uppercut from Inoue drew blood from Fulton, and in the fourth round, a combination added to the champion’s woes. Although Fulton briefly rallied in the fifth round, Inoue’s unwavering resolve and relentless pursuit ultimately led to a decisive knockout in the eighth round, leaving the referee with no choice but to end the contest.
With champions like Leigh Wood, Luis Alberto Lopez, and Rey Vargas potentially on the horizon, fans can look forward to the possibility of unification clashes that could further elevate the sport and provide thrilling matchups in the near future.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
