Via Jake Tiernan: WBC & WBO bantamweight champions Stephen Fulton and Naoya ‘Monster’ Inoue have begun talks about a springtime bout in Japan.
Inoue will fight Fulton, one of the best boxers in the sport. To be fair, if Inoue can’t knock one of his big bombs to score a knockdown, he’ll eventually be overtaken by Fulton.
Fulton’s super high punch volume can overwhelm Inoue, as the Japanese star has a low success rate because of his habit of putting more energy into his shots, always looking for quick kills. If Fulton threw more than 1000 punches in the match, which he regularly does in his fights, then Inoue would be miserable.
One thing to note about Inoue is that he doesn’t react well when hit a lot. In Inoue’s match against David Carmona and the first against Nonito Donaire, it was clear that he was very upset with all the shots he took and lost his cool.
Inoue could fall to pieces if Fulton put out an average of 100 punches per round, and he might not be able to handle being hit 50 to 60 times per round without getting out.
It wouldn’t be embarrassing to lose to a Fulton-class fighter, but it would be a huge blow to Inoue’s ego when he was hit and defeated for the first time.
Inoue needs to give up his dream of becoming an undisputed champion at 122, which may be beyond his reach. While the Japanese star has done great things by winning titles at 112, 115 & 118 positions, there are physical limitations to what he can do.
There is a limit that Inoue can reach against a bigger fighter than Fulton at 122, but at least you have to respect him for trying. A match like this can reveal Inoue’s lack of boxing skills, as he has become too reliant on scoring kills without developing his technical abilities.
If negotiations are successful, Fulton (21-0.8 KOs) will defend his two 122 lb titles against former third-place world champion Inoue (23-0.21 KOs), who will take the title. World champion ranked his fourth title against the Philadelphia native.
“Stephen Fulton and Naoya Inoue are in negotiations for a spring 122-pound unification title match in Japan,” said Mike Coppinger. GAME.
Besides looking to claim his fourth-place title, 29-year-old Japanese superstar Inoue hopes to become the undisputed champion of super bantamweight by collecting four belts.
Inoue reportedly has no plans to rise to 126 if he successfully collects all the belts at bantamweight. If Inoue moves to featherweight, he’ll be up against the likes of Robeisy Ramirez, Mauricio Lara, Leigh Wood and Brandon Figueroa.
It’s not out of the question for Inoue to win a world title or two at 126, but it’s going to be a lot harder for him to try to win all four belts without being beaten due to his size. those fighters.
In Inoue’s final bout on December 13, he defeated WBO bantamweight champion Paul Butler by knockout in the eleventh round to become the undisputed 118 lb weight champion in the match. The match took place at Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan.
