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

[danherbias07]

That was the first fight wherein Donaire really hurt Inoue and it was the first time that we saw Inoue got wobbly and dizzy because he was hit by a solid punch, nevertheless he didn't go down but instead continue to go on.

"Donaire just couldn't knock out Inoue, and Inoue was smart to make the right adjustments, even though he was hurt in the fight. In the next fight, although Donaire was still confident, Inoue had already made the right plans to knock him out early.

Yes and that is the actual simple truth behind why Donaire failed on his campaign to avenge his loss against Inoue on their first encounter, eventually, that latter got a 2-0 standing against Donaire because he came much more prepared which gave Donaire an unexpected early knockout. Donaire didn't made an excuse for that matter because what happened explained it all, the monster was just too much for him.

He should be the first to realize it. Donaire also defeated veterans in the sport when he was younger and now the age caught him up so it is time for him to swallow reality. But he still has a chance now that Inoue left the weight class that he is in. That may be his last chance to reclaim his throne and retire with a blast.
Right now, Inoue will need to focus on this fight as Fulton should not be underestimated. That's a champion with lots of experience and defeating him will be a hard task for the Monster. Also, Fulton may have already expected this to happen even when Inoue was in the lower weight class, so he was prepared early.

“Scooter turned around to me and said, ‘I’m going to have to go over to Japan,’ and I remember I said, ‘What? What the f—k are you talking about?’” Rahim recalled. “He said, ‘I’m going to have to go to Japan to fight Inoue.’ He told me he had to do it. I thought Stephen was f—g crazy. I immediately thought about Roy Jones being screwed over in the (1988) Olympics by the South Koreans. (And) Inoue, at the time, was 118. I didn’t think anything of it.

https://www.ringtv.com/649277-exclusive-stephen-fulton-and-trainer-say-beating-naoya-inoue-in-japan-is-key-to-respect-in-america/

[Baofeng]

@danherbias07  - It was the Olympics though that Roy Jones was robbed of the gold medal, so it can't be compare and that was a long time ago. But in any case I agree that Fulton needs to go to Japan and handle his business with the Monster.

That's the only way he can really gain the respect of being a champion, but beating Inoue in his home town. Going to be a big task for him, at least he is willing to take that and not avoiding him.

[harizen]

I guess the answer is that he is more powerful at 122 lbs than 118 lbs in my opinion.

This could be his natural weight for all we know, again no need to diet and not to eat calories because of the weight limit. Now he can eat everything he want without bothering himself and watching what food to eat and what's not.

As for every boxer, as they meet the required weight at the weigh-in, during the actual fight a day later, they are having a boost of about 1-2 lbs as they eat more because they already meet the required weight. They surely miss having that big meal after intense training.

Inoue is probably at around 122 lbs when he is fighting in his previous matches after weight-in that's why I have to agree that Inoue's natural weight is around 122. We should probably have the same quick and strength by Inoue against Fulton at 122.

[goinmerry]

Going to be a big task for him, at least he is willing to take that and not avoiding him.

Correct. Fulton is almost preparing to move up weight at 126 having a supposed rematch with Figueroa.

Instead, he skipped on that part of moving up so as to not have any regrets in his career, he needs to face Naoya Inoue.

After he wins, for let's say it will happen, Fulton will probably have big fights at 126 and a possible title fight already.

[btc_angela]

Going to be a big task for him, at least he is willing to take that and not avoiding him.

Correct. Fulton is almost preparing to move up weight at 126 having a supposed rematch with Figueroa.

Instead, he skipped on that part of moving up so as to not have any regrets in his career, he needs to face Naoya Inoue.

After he wins, for let's say it will happen, Fulton will probably have big fights at 126 and a possible title fight already.

Yes, that's the courage of Stephen Fulton he is not afraid to go and chase for bigger fights. Like in the Figueroa wherein it was really a hard fight for him, but still he surpass all expectations but fighting toe to toe at times with Brandon as he as in a disadvantage. But what's important is that he get the job done and didn't move up for a rematch but instead will go and fight Inoue with his belt on the line and in Japan. For sure, champions are waiting for him at 126 lbs. So let's see first the result of this fight for him.

[lienfaye]

@danherbias07  - It was the Olympics though that Roy Jones was robbed of the gold medal, so it can't be compare and that was a long time ago. But in any case I agree that Fulton needs to go to Japan and handle his business with the Monster.

That's the only way he can really gain the respect of being a champion, but beating Inoue in his home town. Going to be a big task for him, at least he is willing to take that and not avoiding him.

Is it official that this fight will happen in Inoue's hometown and is there a set date already?

This will be by far a tough fight for Fulton facing Inoue and might be his first loss. Fulton is also a good boxer known as defensive but is his strength and power enough to beat the monster? I don't think so. Nevertheless I admire him for his guts to face Inoue.

[Pamadar]

Going to be a big task for him, at least he is willing to take that and not avoiding him.

Correct. Fulton is almost preparing to move up weight at 126 having a supposed rematch with Figueroa.

Instead, he skipped on that part of moving up so as to not have any regrets in his career, he needs to face Naoya Inoue.

After he wins, for let's say it will happen, Fulton will probably have big fights at 126 and a possible title fight already.

Yes, that's the courage of Stephen Fulton he is not afraid to go and chase for bigger fights. Like in the Figueroa wherein it was really a hard fight for him, but still he surpass all expectations but fighting toe to toe at times with Brandon as he as in a disadvantage. But what's important is that he get the job done and didn't move up for a rematch but instead will go and fight Inoue with his belt on the line and in Japan. For sure, champions are waiting for him at 126 lbs. So let's see first the result of this fight for him.

He's giving the fans the entertainment that they wanted. Fighting the monster in front of his own countrymen, Fulton is doing something that will earn him a huge hype in his career once he manages to protect his belt.

Not an easy fight for sure, the Monster is capable of upsetting him even he's in a much bigger division
with Inoue's flexibilities, it's really interesting to see how both fighters will showcase their skills.

[Ziskinberg]

He's giving the fans the entertainment that they wanted. Fighting the monster in front of his own countrymen, Fulton is doing something that will earn him a huge hype in his career once he manages to protect his belt.

It's not easy for him, as he needs to go through the eye of a needle to win. It's like he's fighting the world, so he really needs courage and serious training to match Inoue.

Not an easy fight for sure, the Monster is capable of upsetting him even he's in a much bigger division
with Inoue's flexibilities, it's really interesting to see how both fighters will showcase their skills.

It will be tough for the champ because Inoue is not called a monster for nothing. He always unleashes his power in the ring, so Fulton needs to be fully aware of the possibilities that could happen to him if he becomes careless.

[Botnake]

It will be tough for the champ because Inoue is not called a monster for nothing. He always unleashes his power in the ring, so Fulton needs to be fully aware of the possibilities that could happen to him if he becomes careless.

I hope he won't be too careful as it might affect his fighting style. If that happens, it will result in a boring fight since he may not be as aggressive as before, knowing that Inoue can KO him with one punch if he makes a mistake. Fulton has not faced a champion like Inoue yet, so he will certainly be surprised once they are in the ring.

[Silberman]

With Inoue’s timing, punching power and body shots, it’s not surprising if he will beat Fulton in this fight and get the belt he deserves. Though Fulton has also its impressive performances inside the ring, but I must say Inoue is different. He’s the monster in the ring, that could possibly defeat the performance of Tulfon. I just hope Inoue will become more aggressive in this fight as he’s the challenger and hopefully the new champion after this match.

He's in a mission to win more titles,

After unifying all the belts, now he's aiming for another but in a different division, if basing on the past performances,
Inoue is really capable of snatching the belt from Fulton, it will be an interesting match between these two champs both
are great inside the ring but proving it against one another, might excite the fans.

And this is what makes Inoue especial, with many other boxers we can tell that they are fighting almost exclusively for the money and if they obtain a belt then they keep avoiding dangerous fights for as long as possible, Inoue is not like that, he is fighting to win titles and he will fight against anyone that is holding one, so if any boxer refuses to fight him we know he is doing it because he is afraid of him and this will affect their reputation inside and outside the ring.

[Vaculin]

@danherbias07  - It was the Olympics though that Roy Jones was robbed of the gold medal, so it can't be compare and that was a long time ago. But in any case I agree that Fulton needs to go to Japan and handle his business with the Monster.

That's the only way he can really gain the respect of being a champion, but beating Inoue in his home town. Going to be a big task for him, at least he is willing to take that and not avoiding him.

Is it official that this fight will happen in Inoue's hometown and is there a set date already?

This will be by far a tough fight for Fulton facing Inoue and might be his first loss. Fulton is also a good boxer known as defensive but is his strength and power enough to beat the monster? I don't think so. Nevertheless I admire him for his guts to face Inoue.

AFAIK, it's not yet official and I tried looking up on the web to see if there's a new update regarding their fight. What we have now is just a verbal agreement between both camps that they agreed to fight at 122 and that the said fight will take place in Japan somewhere in April or May. Although it's not yet official, the likelihood of the fight being in hosted in Japan is greater than it could happen in the U.S. soil.

[stomachgrowls]

@danherbias07  - It was the Olympics though that Roy Jones was robbed of the gold medal, so it can't be compare and that was a long time ago. But in any case I agree that Fulton needs to go to Japan and handle his business with the Monster.

That's the only way he can really gain the respect of being a champion, but beating Inoue in his home town. Going to be a big task for him, at least he is willing to take that and not avoiding him.

Is it official that this fight will happen in Inoue's hometown and is there a set date already?

This will be by far a tough fight for Fulton facing Inoue and might be his first loss. Fulton is also a good boxer known as defensive but is his strength and power enough to beat the monster? I don't think so. Nevertheless I admire him for his guts to face Inoue.

AFAIK, it's not yet official and I tried looking up on the web to see if there's a new update regarding their fight. What we have now is just a verbal agreement between both camps that they agreed to fight at 122 and that the said fight will take place in Japan somewhere in April or May. Although it's not yet official, the likelihood of the fight being in hosted in Japan is greater than it could happen in the U.S. soil.

These are still in talks but Bob had made out some talks about Asap.

https://www.badlefthook.com/2023/1/30/23578930/bob-arum-updates-on-inoue-vs-fulton-haney-lomachenko-top-rank-parting-berlanga-boxing-news-2023
https://www.boxingnews24.com/2023/01/naoya-inoue-vs-stephen-fulton-possible-for-april-says-bob-arum/

Its likely it would really be pushed on April.I thought this was already been finalized.

[chaser15]

So he is still getting stronger and smarter in any fight and keeps on progressing. So for sure he will know a thing or two against Fulton because he is a great fighter. Inoue has that ability to absorb every strengths of his opponents.

Dangerous Naoya Inoue indeed. Clearly, he struggles against Donaire in the early rounds of their bout on their 1st meetup but with his patience, he regains his momentum and comes back strongly in the later rounds. After the fight, he was sent to hospital for the first time in his boxing career. That experience makes Inoue improve and enhanced that's why in the rematch against Donaire, he makes sure that it won't happen again and he did by stopping Donaire right in the early round.

If Fulton will give Inoue a hard fight in the early rounds, he needs to make sure that Inoue won't gain his momentum in the later rounds if that happened, Fulton might probably end up in a dangerous situation as Inoue knows how to adjust in the middle of the fight.

[serjent05]

So he is still getting stronger and smarter in any fight and keeps on progressing. So for sure he will know a thing or two against Fulton because he is a great fighter. Inoue has that ability to absorb every strengths of his opponents.

Dangerous Naoya Inoue indeed. Clearly, he struggles against Donaire in the early rounds of their bout on their 1st meetup but with his patience, he regains his momentum and comes back strongly in the later rounds. After the fight, he was sent to hospital for the first time in his boxing career. That experience makes Inoue improve and enhanced that's why in the rematch against Donaire, he makes sure that it won't happen again and he did by stopping Donaire right in the early round.

Indeed, Inoue has an amazing things about adjustment and adapting to the strategy of his opponent.  The fight against Donaire is the proof for that.  He was almost beaten on their first fight but emerge dominant on their second fight by early stopage since Donaire can't go on after receiving heavy blows from Inoue.

If Fulton will give Inoue a hard fight in the early rounds, he needs to make sure that Inoue won't gain his momentum in the later rounds if that happened, Fulton might probably end up in a dangerous situation as Inoue knows how to adjust in the middle of the fight.

Or make sure that Fulton will KO Inoue in the early rounds to not give Inoue a chance to adjust and comeback on the later rounds.

[harizen]

He was almost beaten on their first fight but emerge dominant on their second fight by early stopage since Donaire can't go on after receiving heavy blows from Inoue.

Actually, the adjustment you are referring to can't just be seen on the rematch. Going back to the first fight between Inoue and Donaire, the former takes time to somehow recovers from the fatal damage he receives from Donaire in the early rounds. After slowly used on his movement even with heavy damage, Inoue comes back being aggressive and takes advantage of his much more stamina reserves compare to Donaire. Eventually, Inoue won the fight with a Unanimous decision although suffering from injuries that he was not used to getting to.

I do think that this fight between Fulton and Inoue will be a competition on who has the longer and better stamina reserves. Inoue is no doubt can sustain his strength and power level throughout the entire match but against Fulton, we don't know if that will be the same case.

[goinmerry]

Or make sure that Fulton will KO Inoue in the early rounds to not give Inoue a chance to adjust and comeback on the later rounds.

A forced attempt to Knock Out Inoue in the early rounds might be a dangerous tactic.

Instead, just keep with Inoue at all times doing more scores and attempting for the KO punch if found a good spot.

Inoue is not that dumb to let Fulton KO him in the early rounds or in the entire match. The Japanese boxing IQ is at the highest level.

[inthelongrun]

I guess the answer is that he is more powerful at 122 lbs than 118 lbs in my opinion.

This could be his natural weight for all we know, again no need to diet and not to eat calories because of the weight limit. Now he can eat everything he want without bothering himself and watching what food to eat and what's not.

As for every boxer, as they meet the required weight at the weigh-in, during the actual fight a day later, they are having a boost of about 1-2 lbs as they eat more because they already meet the required weight. They surely miss having that big meal after intense training.

Inoue is probably at around 122 lbs when he is fighting in his previous matches after weight-in that's why I have to agree that Inoue's natural weight is around 122. We should probably have the same quick and strength by Inoue against Fulton at 122.

Inoue will be happier in his training since his diet won't be the same as before. I believe he can still carry his speed and explosiveness in his new division. He can also focus on landing his own heavy shots since Fulton is not a scary heavy puncher. What is interesting is if Fulton can take Inoue's power punches or not, knowing how Fulton was able to survive the whole 12 rounds against the heavy-handed Brandon Figueroa. Fulton is also used to fighting the full 12 rounds so he might be able to win a decision if Inoue fatigues in the later rounds.

126 is probably the limit for Inoue and he will be past 30 by that time. So less quickness in both hands and feetwork, lesser stamina, and his opponents will be bigger.

[mirakal]

Going to be a big task for him, at least he is willing to take that and not avoiding him.

Correct. Fulton is almost preparing to move up weight at 126 having a supposed rematch with Figueroa.

Instead, he skipped on that part of moving up so as to not have any regrets in his career, he needs to face Naoya Inoue.

After he wins, for let's say it will happen, Fulton will probably have big fights at 126 and a possible title fight already.

Yes, Fulton almost vacated his belts at 122 to have his debut at 126 with indeed a possible rematch for Figueroa on that same weight class but that didn't happen because Inoue made a huge statement after he became the undisputed boxer and that he will vacate his belts at 118, and will make a move towards 122. Then we have the WBO proclaiming Naoya Inoue as the super-champion which pave a way to make this bout happen into reality.

After he wins, for let's say it will happen, Fulton will probably have big fights at 126 and a possible title fight already.

That is if Fulton will come out of this bout as the winner and give Inoue his first defeat, but even if that happens, I do believe that Bob Arum will demand a rematch afterwards because his cow needed to redeem himself. Although that depends on the outcome of their first fight.

[Kasabus]

Or make sure that Fulton will KO Inoue in the early rounds to not give Inoue a chance to adjust and comeback on the later rounds.

A forced attempt to Knock Out Inoue in the early rounds might be a dangerous tactic.

Instead, just keep with Inoue at all times doing more scores and attempting for the KO punch if found a good spot.

Inoue is not that dumb to let Fulton KO him in the early rounds or in the entire match. The Japanese boxing IQ is at the highest level.

Exactly! That will be a very dangerous attempt for Fulton and his camp for planning an early assassination on the first few rounds to defeat Inoue, they should think about it carefully because I strongly believe that Inoue and his camp are already looking at those factors and that might be an expensive mistake as Inoue might anticipate it already.
Other than that, Steph Fulton doesn't have a good ratio on his knockouts and it's much better for them to prepare for an early attempt that might be made by the other camp as Inoue is the one who got a good KO ratio especially on the first couple of rounds.

[Viscore]

Yep, that's how he evolved after his very first close against Nonito, he has evolved even more after that. He learn how to phase and then read his opponent and even have the mentality to survived a fight eve if he has that injury already.

And we all know after that fight, he beat Donaire by knockout and same with Butler.

So he is still getting stronger and smarter in any fight and keeps on progressing. So for sure he will know a thing or two against Fulton because he is a great fighter. Inoue has that ability to absorb every strengths of his opponents.

Inoue is on his prime and that makes him an incredibly dangerous fighter, not only he has the intelligence and skill to adjust his fighting style, he still has the physical capabilities to absorb a massive amount of damage and do whatever he wants on the ring, so it is not surprising that despite being the challenger the many different boxing fans around the world think of him as the favorite on his fight against Fulton.

Inoue is not just an ordinary professional boxer, as he can be the monster in the ring and possess a ferocious punching power that makes him strong and a dangerous opponent. The reason why Fulton should better show his best shot when the match begins, otherwise he might experience some brutal body blows from his opponent that will make Inoue defeat him inside the ring.