[Boxing] Stephen Fulton vs. Naoya Inoue | WBC & WBO 122 lbs bout | July 25

[Pamadar]

Better to face Inoue and let the fans to decide who's better between them instead of taking those criticisms about ducking the unifying champ from his previous weight division.

The decision to face Inoue was not an easy one for Fulton, even if he believes he can beat him the chances are not low for Inoue to beat him as well, so he could have easily avoid him if he wanted as he had already expressed the desire to move up a division, and even if some fans criticized him he could always defend himself using this reason, fortunately for us Fulton decided to take the challenge and even decided to wait for Inoue to get healthy after the injury he suffered.

This is correct. There are boxers who want to build a legacy and gather more achievements by doing a strategy that they think, will have a better shot. It's just that Stephen Fulton is not like that and instead of moving-up weight, which is his main plan from the start even prior to Inoue moving up, he accepts the challenge of defending his title against the Japanese monster.

Because if Stephen Fulton really wants to stay at 122, he can challenge Murodjon Akhmadaliev for a unification fight. Just an update though that Murodjon Akhmadaliev is now out of the champions at the 122 as Marlon Tapales upsets him recently.

Which was his decision to stay something that will really bring a good legacy on him if he manage to defend his title and beat the Japanese sensation, a fighter legacy also a good factor for those fighters.

and if we look on the positive side, if Fulton disappoints his challenger might be possible to earn more money fight
and maybe he will unify all the belts before moving up.

[Kemarit]

If Inoue experiences his first loss in this fight, it would be appropriate for him to ask for a rematch and try to reclaim his status. As for Fulton, he will surely not say no because this is a big fight and winning against a superstar like Inoue would mean a significant boost to his career and earnings in boxing. Anyone who can beat Inoue will likely enjoy a successful career in the sport.

Take a look with Bivol as an example, he already defend his WBA belt for many times and he's nothing for many people. After he able to defend his belt against Canelo, he's included in 10 P4P boxing, his power rate is higher than Beterbiev, and everyone consider Bivol is an one of strongest boxer in the world.

Inoue currently top 2 P4P boxing, of course Fulton will be included in top 10 P4P boxing too if he able to beat Inoue.

I don't think though that Fulton will automatically be in the top 10 of P4P list if he beats Inoue, it will take more than that to be including in that list.

For sure Fulton will likely give Inoue his rematch due if there is a need for it. More money for him so it will be an easy decision. On the other hand if Fulton losses then he can go up in weight and maybe fight Figueroa for a rematch and if I'm not mistaken they are due to have a second fight if not for Fulton accepting the more lucrative fight in Inoue. So still good chance for Fulton in this scenario as Brandon is a newly 126 lbs champion.

[Maslate]

If Inoue experiences his first loss in this fight, it would be appropriate for him to ask for a rematch and try to reclaim his status. As for Fulton, he will surely not say no because this is a big fight and winning against a superstar like Inoue would mean a significant boost to his career and earnings in boxing. Anyone who can beat Inoue will likely enjoy a successful career in the sport.

Take a look with Bivol as an example, he already defend his WBA belt for many times and he's nothing for many people. After he able to defend his belt against Canelo, he's included in 10 P4P boxing, his power rate is higher than Beterbiev, and everyone consider Bivol is an one of strongest boxer in the world.

Inoue currently top 2 P4P boxing, of course Fulton will be included in top 10 P4P boxing too if he able to beat Inoue.

I don't think though that Fulton will automatically be in the top 10 of P4P list if he beats Inoue, it will take more than that to be including in that list.

For sure Fulton will likely give Inoue his rematch due if there is a need for it. More money for him so it will be an easy decision. On the other hand if Fulton losses then he can go up in weight and maybe fight Figueroa for a rematch and if I'm not mistaken they are due to have a second fight if not for Fulton accepting the more lucrative fight in Inoue. So still good chance for Fulton in this scenario as Brandon is a newly 126 lbs champion.

The thing here is, if Fulton could destroy the career of Inoue, that would make him popular. Imagine if Inoue asks for a rematch in case he loses in his first attempt, and then Fulton beats him again, that would send Inoue back to bantamweight for sure, and his confidence will surely be affected.

So, this is a big fight for both fighters, especially for Fulton, because he is the underdog here, which means only a few believe he could win despite being the champion.

[yazher]

The thing here is, if Fulton could destroy the career of Inoue, that would make him popular. Imagine if Inoue asks for a rematch in case he loses in his first attempt, and then Fulton beats him again, that would send Inoue back to bantamweight for sure, and his confidence will surely be affected.

So, this is a big fight for both fighters, especially for Fulton, because he is the underdog here, which means only a few believe he could win despite being the champion.

I'm pretty sure Inoue has completely trained intensively just for this fight because he knows from other fighters in the past how hard it is to fight when you first time increase your weight. Fulton on the other hand need to train some unique techniques to counter Inoue's speed and power because if he doesn't practice to dodge those deadly punch, he will more likely be knockout in the early rounds unless he can take the punch and we know that some fighters can really take punches from those we thought are powerful punchers, it happens a lot before especially in this weight division.

[danherbias07]

The thing here is, if Fulton could destroy the career of Inoue, that would make him popular. Imagine if Inoue asks for a rematch in case he loses in his first attempt, and then Fulton beats him again, that would send Inoue back to bantamweight for sure, and his confidence will surely be affected.

So, this is a big fight for both fighters, especially for Fulton, because he is the underdog here, which means only a few believe he could win despite being the champion.

I'm pretty sure Inoue has completely trained intensively just for this fight because he knows from other fighters in the past how hard it is to fight when you first time increase your weight. Fulton on the other hand need to train some unique techniques to counter Inoue's speed and power because if he doesn't practice to dodge those deadly punch, he will more likely be knockout in the early rounds unless he can take the punch and we know that some fighters can really take punches from those we thought are powerful punchers, it happens a lot before especially in this weight division.

First, the weight is really not that far. Inoue doesn't need to add a lot of carbs to his system just to pass the weigh-ins. And I doubt it will affect his performance like how he did in the Bantamweight. His speed will still be there and the power might get better. But I don't want to expect too much when it comes to winning. Fulton had been in his weight class for a long time winning titles and defending it twice. It will be a tough fight for Inoue but I am betting for him when the fight comes.
Then who knows if it will be Tapales who will be up against him next time. That will be big for Filipino boxing fans.

[Silberman]

The thing here is, if Fulton could destroy the career of Inoue, that would make him popular. Imagine if Inoue asks for a rematch in case he loses in his first attempt, and then Fulton beats him again, that would send Inoue back to bantamweight for sure, and his confidence will surely be affected.

So, this is a big fight for both fighters, especially for Fulton, because he is the underdog here, which means only a few believe he could win despite being the champion.

I'm pretty sure Inoue has completely trained intensively just for this fight because he knows from other fighters in the past how hard it is to fight when you first time increase your weight. Fulton on the other hand need to train some unique techniques to counter Inoue's speed and power because if he doesn't practice to dodge those deadly punch, he will more likely be knockout in the early rounds unless he can take the punch and we know that some fighters can really take punches from those we thought are powerful punchers, it happens a lot before especially in this weight division.

First, the weight is really not that far. Inoue doesn't need to add a lot of carbs to his system just to pass the weigh-ins. And I doubt it will affect his performance like how he did in the Bantamweight. His speed will still be there and the power might get better. But I don't want to expect too much when it comes to winning. Fulton had been in his weight class for a long time winning titles and defending it twice. It will be a tough fight for Inoue but I am betting for him when the fight comes.
Then who knows if it will be Tapales who will be up against him next time. That will be big for Filipino boxing fans.

At the same time the delay caused by the injury of Inoue is going to give him even more time to get used to the new weight, and even if he may not be able to train with the injured hand he can still train the rest of his body, so I do not really expect that the new weight is going to be too much of a problem for Inoue and he should still retain his power and speed, however the biggest problem for Inoue is Fulton, as even if the fans are making Inoue the heavy favorite to win the fight I do not think the chances for Fulton to win are as low as the fans believe.

[dunfida]

The thing here is, if Fulton could destroy the career of Inoue, that would make him popular. Imagine if Inoue asks for a rematch in case he loses in his first attempt, and then Fulton beats him again, that would send Inoue back to bantamweight for sure, and his confidence will surely be affected.

So, this is a big fight for both fighters, especially for Fulton, because he is the underdog here, which means only a few believe he could win despite being the champion.

I'm pretty sure Inoue has completely trained intensively just for this fight because he knows from other fighters in the past how hard it is to fight when you first time increase your weight. Fulton on the other hand need to train some unique techniques to counter Inoue's speed and power because if he doesn't practice to dodge those deadly punch, he will more likely be knockout in the early rounds unless he can take the punch and we know that some fighters can really take punches from those we thought are powerful punchers, it happens a lot before especially in this weight division.

First, the weight is really not that far. Inoue doesn't need to add a lot of carbs to his system just to pass the weigh-ins. And I doubt it will affect his performance like how he did in the Bantamweight. His speed will still be there and the power might get better. But I don't want to expect too much when it comes to winning. Fulton had been in his weight class for a long time winning titles and defending it twice. It will be a tough fight for Inoue but I am betting for him when the fight comes.
Then who knows if it will be Tapales who will be up against him next time. That will be big for Filipino boxing fans.

At the same time the delay caused by the injury of Inoue is going to give him even more time to get used to the new weight, and even if he may not be able to train with the injured hand he can still train the rest of his body, so I do not really expect that the new weight is going to be too much of a problem for Inoue and he should still retain his power and speed, however the biggest problem for Inoue is Fulton, as even if the fans are making Inoue the heavy favorite to win the fight I do not think the chances for Fulton to win are as low as the fans believe.

Not shocking  for Inoue fans to be having that kind of impression on which they do believe that it would really be just easy for Inoue to beat up Fulton without even trying to look on what division we are really that talking into on which this is his first time on fighting a boxer who do have the belt on this division which means that he's currently the best on this level. This is why we cant really be that so sure
not really that too confident when it comes on winning this fight or would turn out to be an easy one for Inoue.

For now this delay and having more time is something that is really that he needs. This would really be a good fight for this year and lots had been anticipating for this one.

[Distinctin]

For now this delay and having more time is something that is really that he needs.

If he wasn't injured during training, he wouldn't have needed it. But things like that can happen, and as fans, we should be thankful that the delay isn't too long. According to the latest news, the fight can still happen this month of July, so the hype will only increase more as the fight is still on.

This would really be a good fight for this year and lots had been anticipating for this one.

This is one of the most highly anticipated fights, so it's unlikely to be a boring one and could even be a candidate for the Fight of the Year award.

[Maslate]

The thing here is, if Fulton could destroy the career of Inoue, that would make him popular. Imagine if Inoue asks for a rematch in case he loses in his first attempt, and then Fulton beats him again, that would send Inoue back to bantamweight for sure, and his confidence will surely be affected.

So, this is a big fight for both fighters, especially for Fulton, because he is the underdog here, which means only a few believe he could win despite being the champion.

I'm pretty sure Inoue has completely trained intensively just for this fight because he knows from other fighters in the past how hard it is to fight when you first time increase your weight. Fulton on the other hand need to train some unique techniques to counter Inoue's speed and power because if he doesn't practice to dodge those deadly punch, he will more likely be knockout in the early rounds unless he can take the punch and we know that some fighters can really take punches from those we thought are powerful punchers, it happens a lot before especially in this weight division.

It's expected that both camps are having their own intensive trainings and preparations to counter each other as despite from the fact that they are risking their unscathed records, a defeat on this fight will give their name an unusual effects that they surely don't want and the winner will sure increase its value as these two is already a big name in the industry.
This will be a good fight to watch, although it's been delayed because of a minor problem, I'm still glad that they are now back on the track.

[Yaunfitda]

The thing here is, if Fulton could destroy the career of Inoue, that would make him popular. Imagine if Inoue asks for a rematch in case he loses in his first attempt, and then Fulton beats him again, that would send Inoue back to bantamweight for sure, and his confidence will surely be affected.

So, this is a big fight for both fighters, especially for Fulton, because he is the underdog here, which means only a few believe he could win despite being the champion.

I'm pretty sure Inoue has completely trained intensively just for this fight because he knows from other fighters in the past how hard it is to fight when you first time increase your weight. Fulton on the other hand need to train some unique techniques to counter Inoue's speed and power because if he doesn't practice to dodge those deadly punch, he will more likely be knockout in the early rounds unless he can take the punch and we know that some fighters can really take punches from those we thought are powerful punchers, it happens a lot before especially in this weight division.

And his hand injuries could be the result of his hard training against Fulton. Although he could have that injury already, but might be aggravated in training and that's why he has to postponed the fight till June.

There is no report of surgery or operation though, so it might be that Inoue needs to take care of that hands and rest for a while so no training for him. As for the weight, yes, I do agree there not much issue he could even weigh less than the required limit of 122 lbs in this fight.

[carlisle1]

The thing here is, if Fulton could destroy the career of Inoue, that would make him popular. Imagine if Inoue asks for a rematch in case he loses in his first attempt, and then Fulton beats him again, that would send Inoue back to bantamweight for sure, and his confidence will surely be affected.

So, this is a big fight for both fighters, especially for Fulton, because he is the underdog here, which means only a few believe he could win despite being the champion.

I'm pretty sure Inoue has completely trained intensively just for this fight because he knows from other fighters in the past how hard it is to fight when you first time increase your weight. Fulton on the other hand need to train some unique techniques to counter Inoue's speed and power because if he doesn't practice to dodge those deadly punch, he will more likely be knockout in the early rounds unless he can take the punch and we know that some fighters can really take punches from those we thought are powerful punchers, it happens a lot before especially in this weight division.

It's expected that both camps are having their own intensive trainings and preparations to counter each other as despite from the fact that they are risking their unscathed records, a defeat on this fight will give their name an unusual effects that they surely don't want and the winner will sure increase its value as these two is already a big name in the industry.
This will be a good fight to watch, although it's been delayed because of a minor problem, I'm still glad that they are now back on the track.

Correct, the impact of this fight will reflect and mark for both the winner and the loser, whoever wins will add good hypes
to their legacy and will receive possible more money fight in their next schedules.

While for the loser, it will reflect to their rank, but for now, let's wait if how both camps will showcase their capabilities to win the fight.

Excited to see both champs to take one another, some delay because of the accident, but the fight schedule was already adjusted.

[Maslate]

The thing here is, if Fulton could destroy the career of Inoue, that would make him popular. Imagine if Inoue asks for a rematch in case he loses in his first attempt, and then Fulton beats him again, that would send Inoue back to bantamweight for sure, and his confidence will surely be affected.

So, this is a big fight for both fighters, especially for Fulton, because he is the underdog here, which means only a few believe he could win despite being the champion.

I'm pretty sure Inoue has completely trained intensively just for this fight because he knows from other fighters in the past how hard it is to fight when you first time increase your weight. Fulton on the other hand need to train some unique techniques to counter Inoue's speed and power because if he doesn't practice to dodge those deadly punch, he will more likely be knockout in the early rounds unless he can take the punch and we know that some fighters can really take punches from those we thought are powerful punchers, it happens a lot before especially in this weight division.

It's expected that both camps are having their own intensive trainings and preparations to counter each other as despite from the fact that they are risking their unscathed records, a defeat on this fight will give their name an unusual effects that they surely don't want and the winner will sure increase its value as these two is already a big name in the industry.
This will be a good fight to watch, although it's been delayed because of a minor problem, I'm still glad that they are now back on the track.

Correct, the impact of this fight will reflect and mark for both the winner and the loser, whoever wins will add good hypes
to their legacy and will receive possible more money fight in their next schedules.

While for the loser, it will reflect to their rank, but for now, let's wait if how both camps will showcase their capabilities to win the fight.

Excited to see both champs to take one another, some delay because of the accident, but the fight schedule was already adjusted.

Indeed mate. Both camp is looking forward to have an advantage to have better chances on securing the fight, even Fulton who is rumored to climb the next weight class regardless of the outcome of this fight will be needing a win on his side because defeating Naoya Inoue will make his name better when he make the climb as that will increase his chances to fight the top dogs directly instead of fighting from the bottom of the food chain.

But I bet that Naoya Inoue will be handing a fight that easily because he also needed this fight on his favor as he's looking forward to secure this belts and probably have a unification fight afterwards, and be the first boxer who will attain such feat of being an undisputed champion in two separate division. I thought that Crawford can attain that feat first but by the looks of it, I think Inoue might be the first to achieve it.

[roslinpl]

The game definitely decide the winner and loser of the game. And their will be one winner of the match, even though many people come till the final for the semifinal. We can do declare of winner in the final round. In some matches the fixings was take places, but only in few matches and not all the matches. When the fight begins the same was reflected on the few matches, when the people working in the administration can do report of matches involved in fixing. The loser only get the rank by the matches and winner get the trophy for the game. Fulton had decided to win his opponent with his own strategy. So he is waiting for the ring match to show his power of the punch on match day. The supporters of Naoya is ready for the counter strike.

[serjent05]

And his hand injuries could be the result of his hard training against Fulton. Although he could have that injury already, but might be aggravated in training and that's why he has to postponed the fight till June.

There is no report of surgery or operation though, so it might be that Inoue needs to take care of that hands and rest for a while so no training for him. As for the weight, yes, I do agree there not much issue he could even weigh less than the required limit of 122 lbs in this fight.

Even in perfect condition, I hope the injury will not hinder the performance of Inoue.  There are cases where a person, even though fully healed, is affected by the injury(psychological effect).  I hope to see a 100% performing Inoue in the fight against Fulton on July 25.

when the people working in the administration can do report of matches involved in fixing.

I do not think that there will be a match-fixing on this because lots of cameras are focused on this fight and we can see clearly whether the fight is rigged on not. Besides this is a title fight and a very popular one, the council won't be making such move to destroy the credibility of the boxing sport.

[Pamadar]

The thing here is, if Fulton could destroy the career of Inoue, that would make him popular. Imagine if Inoue asks for a rematch in case he loses in his first attempt, and then Fulton beats him again, that would send Inoue back to bantamweight for sure, and his confidence will surely be affected.

So, this is a big fight for both fighters, especially for Fulton, because he is the underdog here, which means only a few believe he could win despite being the champion.

I'm pretty sure Inoue has completely trained intensively just for this fight because he knows from other fighters in the past how hard it is to fight when you first time increase your weight. Fulton on the other hand need to train some unique techniques to counter Inoue's speed and power because if he doesn't practice to dodge those deadly punch, he will more likely be knockout in the early rounds unless he can take the punch and we know that some fighters can really take punches from those we thought are powerful punchers, it happens a lot before especially in this weight division.

And his hand injuries could be the result of his hard training against Fulton. Although he could have that injury already, but might be aggravated in training and that's why he has to postponed the fight till June.

There is no report of surgery or operation though, so it might be that Inoue needs to take care of that hands and rest for a while so no training for him. As for the weight, yes, I do agree there not much issue he could even weigh less than the required limit of 122 lbs in this fight.

I also see that there's a possibility that it has been triggered by the hard training. This preparation is something that Inoue needs to do an extra effort since he will be facing a champion in a much heavier division.

Not that much, but it will be different from those he competes against with before he becomes a unified champ, let see what he will
bring to his fans when the fight takes place.

[harizen]

Even in perfect condition, I hope the injury will not hinder the performance of Inoue.  There are cases where a person, even though fully healed, is affected by the injury(psychological effect).  I hope to see a 100% performing Inoue in the fight against Fulton on July 25.

I must say, nothing to worry about that. Knowing how Inoue deals with his difficulties on the ring during a match, if there are any, something like that won't trigger something related to psychological wherein there will be a concern that the said injury might worsen if forced.

Remember when he was beaten badly by Nonito Donaire Jr. during the early rounds of their first meetup? That was even worst compare to that recent hand injury but no such thing as Inoue being affected mentally during that fight and in the end, he was still able to bounce back and won the fight unanimously.

I'm sure if everything goes smoothly and he is really fit to fight, he will give his 100% performance in that fight.

[TravelMug]

Even in perfect condition, I hope the injury will not hinder the performance of Inoue.  There are cases where a person, even though fully healed, is affected by the injury(psychological effect).  I hope to see a 100% performing Inoue in the fight against Fulton on July 25.

I must say, nothing to worry about that. Knowing how Inoue deals with his difficulties on the ring during a match, if there are any, something like that won't trigger something related to psychological wherein there will be a concern that the said injury might worsen if forced.

Remember when he was beaten badly by Nonito Donaire Jr. during the early rounds of their first meetup? That was even worst compare to that recent hand injury but no such thing as Inoue being affected mentally during that fight and in the end, he was still able to bounce back and won the fight unanimously.

I'm sure if everything goes smoothly and he is really fit to fight, he will give his 100% performance in that fight.

This dude is tough, remember that he had a broken orbital bone against Inoue in their first fight and still manage to finished it in 12 full runs and with in the judges scorecard.

So having a hand injury and then fully healing it and fighting, I think he will still go and fight even if it broke in the middle of the fight. So he has this very mentally of a great boxers to overcome injuries in the fight itself and win.

[Oasisman]

And his hand injuries could be the result of his hard training against Fulton. Although he could have that injury already, but might be aggravated in training and that's why he has to postponed the fight till June.

There is no report of surgery or operation though, so it might be that Inoue needs to take care of that hands and rest for a while so no training for him. As for the weight, yes, I do agree there not much issue he could even weigh less than the required limit of 122 lbs in this fight.

Even in perfect condition, I hope the injury will not hinder the performance of Inoue.  There are cases where a person, even though fully healed, is affected by the injury(psychological effect).  I hope to see a 100% performing Inoue in the fight against Fulton on July 25.

Psychologically? No, I don't think he'll get bothered by it considering how much beating he had been into from training down to taking a lot of heavy punches in the ring against his opponents .
Hand injuries maybe vital for any fighters, but an injury as a result of over training might not be too serious. His injury was first been reported late in March - so I guess he still have enough time to heal those, thus in does not need surgery though.

[inthelongrun]

For now this delay and having more time is something that is really that he needs.

If he wasn't injured during training, he wouldn't have needed it. But things like that can happen, and as fans, we should be thankful that the delay isn't too long. According to the latest news, the fight can still happen this month of July, so the hype will only increase more as the fight is still on.

Yes, Inoue and even Fulton do not need this delay if not for the injury. The delay is even more costly especially to Fulton because he cannot be in fighting mode training camp for many months, which will burn his body. Fighters usually set up training camps for 2 to 3 months, they cannot overtrain. So this means both fighters have to stop their training for some weeks and then they will set up their training camps again for the coming July fight.

This would really be a good fight for this year and lots had been anticipating for this one.

This is one of the most highly anticipated fights, so it's unlikely to be a boring one and could even be a candidate for the Fight of the Year award.

This is my most anticipated of all the scheduled upcoming fights. Inoue is #1 or #2 pound for pound right now and he is on a mission to become a 4-division champion which will be the highest a Japanese can accomplish (only Ioka is their 4-division champion). The most important mission for Inoue though is to become the first 2-division undisputed champion in the 4-belt era.

I am also curious if the light-handed Fulton will try to become the aggressor against the heavy-handed speedster just like what he did against Brandon Figueroa.

[Sanitough]

I am also curious if the light-handed Fulton will try to become the aggressor against the heavy-handed speedster just like what he did against Brandon Figueroa.

That would not happen as he understands how powerful Inoue's punches are. If he makes a mistake, he might get knocked out, and that would be embarrassing. No fighter in this division can go toe to toe against Inoue. They should use a strategy where they have an advantage, and it's certainly not becoming the aggressor of the fight.