TOKYO (July 25, 2023) – That’s a wrap.
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.
“Everything I was thinking about was to fight him this year,” Inoue said. “However, unfortunately, I got injured, and I had to postpone this fight. I am sorry to my team and Fulton’s team, but thank you so much for accepting this fight once again. I am so happy right now.”
Inoue (25-0, 22 KOs) kept Fulton at bay in the opening round, peppering the Philadelphia native with a stinging jab. Soon enough, Fulton (21-1, 8 KOs) was in retreat mode, and Inoue marched forward. Fulton kept his guard high as Inoue winged left hooks and right hands. In the seventh round, Fulton had small pockets of success, but Inoue came out in round eight intent on blunting his momentum.
Inoue knocked down Fulton with a right-left combination, and when Fulton rose to his feet, “The Monster” went in for the finish. With Fulton pinned against the ropes, Inoue unleashed a blistering combination, punctuated by a fight-finishing left hook.
