Photo: KAZUHIRO NOGI/AFP/Getty Images
Naoya Inoue successfully debuted at super bantamweight with a knockout victory in the eighth round over Stephen Fulton and wrested the World Boxing Council (WBC) and World Boxing Organization (WBO) titles from him at Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan.
The Japanese, who became champion of four different weight divisions and finished off the undefeated American, dominated Fulton for most of the fight, but in the eighth round a powerful combination from Inoue sent the former champion to the canvas.
After beating the guard count, Stephen Fulton got up and continued the match. The Japanese took the opportunity to unload a rain of blows that cornered the American into a corner and referee Hector Afu had to step in to stop the fight.
According to CompuBox statistics, the Japanese landed 114 of the 379 punches in total, while Stephen Fulton could only hit 47 of the 223 he threw. After the victory, Naoya Inoue expressed that He will come back stronger in his next fight to achieve his goal, which is to be the unified super bantamweight champion. by the end of this year.
“I think I was able to show my greatest speed and power in this fight. But I still have room to improve so I will get stronger as a super bantamweight,” Inoue said in the post-fight in-ring interview.
Now it is expected that ‘The Monster’ face Filipino Marlon Tapaleswho holds the World Boxing Association (WBA) and International Boxing Federation (IBF) super bantamweight titles, this fall in a unification bout.
Notably, Naoya Inoue is only the second fighter in Japanese history to become a four division belt holder. The Japanese knocked out Paul Butler in December to become the undisputed bantamweight champion. He then moved up the division and after postponing the fight with Fulton last May with a knuckle injury, returned with a resounding victory in his debut.
Naoya Inoue, 30, became the WBC and WBO super bantamweight champion. The Japanese has a record of 25 victories (18 of them by knockout) without defeats. For his part, Stephen Fulton, 29, He lost his undefeated record and now has a record of 21 wins (eight on the fast track) and one setback.
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