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

[Japinat]

@Boafeng, @bisdak40. Is there a rematch clause for Fulton and Inoue? It appears that this has not been made clear in the news. I cannot find anything that mentions a rematch clause in my hard 10 seconds of searching hehehe. I will do more searching on google later, however, this should be easy to find but is not.

It would also be good for the division if there was no rematch clause. Tapales vs. Akhmadaliev had none and Tapales does not have any mandatory defenses. This implies that he will be given the freedom to fight for a unification against either Fulton or Inoue.

There is no rematch clause, listen to this interview, straight from Fulton himself:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1HlyBFnBm4&t=109s

Go move to 1:33, he was asked about a rematch clause and this is his answer.

There is no rematch clause.

So there you go, one and done for Fulton and Inoue. He knows Inoue has been knocking out fighters in 118 lbs, but obviously he believes that this is his division and not even Inoue can beat him at 122 lbs.

Well, just as what I expected about that topic because I believe Steph Fulton will climb the next weight class regardless of the outcome if their bout with Inoue. If I'm not mistaken, Fulton was already prepared to climb but it was delayed because he waited for Naoya Inoue after he suddenly announced that he will be leaving the bantamweight and will proceed towards super-bantam.

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[Botnake]

But the question is, do we think that it will boils down or at least the fight going to full 12 rounds? Fulton survived against the volume punching of Brandon Figueroa. But this is a different fighter in Inoue so we don't know if the fight will last or Inoue's power will go with him in this new division.

Most likely he can't survive up to 12 rounds judging from the past few opponents of Inoue and now that he increase his weight, I'm sure he is stronger than before and his punches are more powerful, I just can't say if his speed is still impossible to dodge but if that is the case, the chance of Fulton to win reach the 12 rounds of exchanging with Inoue is almost zero let alone to win this fight. He just needs to train well and is expected to take more powerful punches if he is ready and knows what to do after that, his chance will increase and might gonna pull a devastating knockout against Inoue.

He needs to add more trainings in terms of counter punches and not just an ordinary counter but a solid one that can also
bring Inoue down. If he adjusts and brings something like this, the chance of winning is possible.

It's not hard for Fulton as he's also a champ and he just need to add on his aim in bringing down Inoue, upset the heavy favorite will increase
the hypes of his name from this sport.

Looking to see a good and clean fight between these two champ, more on toe-to-toe confrontations for a possible KO!

Most probably, Fulton and everybody in his camp are on it now because they already knew that in-order to defeat a monster just like Inoue, they needed something powerful and unpredictable to give a positive impact so that Inoue can't shake it off so easily and will be cautious on his actions afterwards. But if they failed on that one, Fulton needed to have another plan just in-case his most powerful punch doesn't have any effects on the monster.

[mirakal]

@Boafeng, @bisdak40. Is there a rematch clause for Fulton and Inoue? It appears that this has not been made clear in the news. I cannot find anything that mentions a rematch clause in my hard 10 seconds of searching hehehe. I will do more searching on google later, however, this should be easy to find but is not.

It would also be good for the division if there was no rematch clause. Tapales vs. Akhmadaliev had none and Tapales does not have any mandatory defenses. This implies that he will be given the freedom to fight for a unification against either Fulton or Inoue.

There is no rematch clause, listen to this interview, straight from Fulton himself:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1HlyBFnBm4&t=109s

Go move to 1:33, he was asked about a rematch clause and this is his answer.

There is no rematch clause.

So there you go, one and done for Fulton and Inoue. He knows Inoue has been knocking out fighters in 118 lbs, but obviously he believes that this is his division and not even Inoue can beat him at 122 lbs.

Well, just as what I expected about that topic because I believe Steph Fulton will climb the next weight class regardless of the outcome if their bout with Inoue. If I'm not mistaken, Fulton was already prepared to climb but it was delayed because he waited for Naoya Inoue after he suddenly announced that he will be leaving the bantamweight and will proceed towards super-bantam.

Yes, you're right. Fulton have already expressed his plans in the past that he may climb the next division much sooner and vacate the belts that he managed to possess which is the WBC and WBO. While I'm not really that sure about the reasons behind that statement because he didn't disclose it but it seems to me that his weight is not yet a factor that is why I'm also confused.

Anyway, back to the topic, I'm really glad that Fulton and Inoue have crossed path before one of them leaves the weight class because I think people have been looking forward to this fight already since Inoue made a statement that he will leave 118 once he unifies all the belts.

[Jating]

@Boafeng, @bisdak40. Is there a rematch clause for Fulton and Inoue? It appears that this has not been made clear in the news. I cannot find anything that mentions a rematch clause in my hard 10 seconds of searching hehehe. I will do more searching on google later, however, this should be easy to find but is not.

It would also be good for the division if there was no rematch clause. Tapales vs. Akhmadaliev had none and Tapales does not have any mandatory defenses. This implies that he will be given the freedom to fight for a unification against either Fulton or Inoue.

There is no rematch clause, listen to this interview, straight from Fulton himself:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1HlyBFnBm4&t=109s

Go move to 1:33, he was asked about a rematch clause and this is his answer.

There is no rematch clause.

So there you go, one and done for Fulton and Inoue. He knows Inoue has been knocking out fighters in 118 lbs, but obviously he believes that this is his division and not even Inoue can beat him at 122 lbs.

Well, just as what I expected about that topic because I believe Steph Fulton will climb the next weight class regardless of the outcome if their bout with Inoue. If I'm not mistaken, Fulton was already prepared to climb but it was delayed because he waited for Naoya Inoue after he suddenly announced that he will be leaving the bantamweight and will proceed towards super-bantam.

Actually that was his plan though if I'm not mistaken, him and Brandon Figueroa will have a rematch, but it's going to be at 126 lbs. And we've witnessed Brandon going up in weight without any problems and then defeating Mark Magsayo to end a belt. So perhaps win or lose in this fight against Inoue, he will definitely move up one class above and chase another belt.

So no surprised that he revealed a no rematch clause. And most likely believed in himself that he has the tools to beat the monster in his division. We all know that Inoue is the one moving up in weight so he is not tested at super bantamweight. And we have seen in boxing history that although you can be great in a division and dominate it, different story when you move up and facing a natural and bigger fighter than you.

[Ziskinberg]

So no surprised that he revealed a no rematch clause. And most likely believed in himself that he has the tools to beat the monster in his division. We all know that Inoue is the one moving up in weight so he is not tested at super bantamweight. And we have seen in boxing history that although you can be great in a division and dominate it, different story when you move up and facing a natural and bigger fighter than you.

Or maybe it could be the other way around. Maybe he believes that once he loses, he won't be able to win again, and his decision might be to move up in weight to try his journey in a new division. Both fighters are not champions, so honestly, I don't find it interesting to have a rematch. It will only delay Inoue's future successes if he has to fight the Fulton again in case he wins. If he can move up after winning a belt, then he is on his way to making history in boxing by winning as many championship fights in different divisions.

[owengtam09]

Well, just as what I expected about that topic because I believe Steph Fulton will climb the next weight class regardless of the outcome if their bout with Inoue. If I'm not mistaken, Fulton was already prepared to climb but it was delayed because he waited for Naoya Inoue after he suddenly announced that he will be leaving the bantamweight and will proceed towards super-bantam.

This is a solid fight to watch and I am aching to see this fight for sure, and it is a good thing that Stephen Fulton would rather wait for Naoya Inoue before he leaves this division behind, but right now instead of the fight to be this May 2023, it was Postponed due to Naoya Inoue getting injured because of his training, or it could be an elaborate reason just to make time for preparations on the upcoming fight Well some boxers if they aren't so confident in going into the fight they makes reasons on it so it may take time for some preparation, but I not saying this is the reason behind the injuries of Inoue because it is not yet confirmed,

Most probably, Fulton and everybody in his camp are on it now because they already knew that in-order to defeat a monster just like Inoue, they needed something powerful and unpredictable to give a positive impact so that Inoue can't shake it off so easily and will be cautious on his actions afterwards. But if they failed on that one, Fulton needed to have another plan just in-case his most powerful punch doesn't have any effects on the monster.

Boxing and even other combat sports are like a game of chess you need to make preparations and plan of attack before making a move, and If some of Fulton's power punch won't take effect on Inoue then will need to make preparations in making another move or attack, well just like in the previous Gervonta Davis VS Ryan Garcia fight Davis has set up a trap for Garcia to take preparation for the catchweight and that extra rehydration thing just to make the fight ideal for Davis and it is a plan to weaken Garcia for those body shots to take effect, well, I can not wait until June because the fight was postponed,

[lienfaye]

But the question is, do we think that it will boils down or at least the fight going to full 12 rounds? Fulton survived against the volume punching of Brandon Figueroa. But this is a different fighter in Inoue so we don't know if the fight will last or Inoue's power will go with him in this new division.

Most likely he can't survive up to 12 rounds judging from the past few opponents of Inoue and now that he increase his weight, I'm sure he is stronger than before and his punches are more powerful, I just can't say if his speed is still impossible to dodge but if that is the case, the chance of Fulton to win reach the 12 rounds of exchanging with Inoue is almost zero let alone to win this fight. He just needs to train well and is expected to take more powerful punches if he is ready and knows what to do after that, his chance will increase and might gonna pull a devastating knockout against Inoue.

He needs to add more trainings in terms of counter punches and not just an ordinary counter but a solid one that can also
bring Inoue down. If he adjusts and brings something like this, the chance of winning is possible.

It's not hard for Fulton as he's also a champ and he just need to add on his aim in bringing down Inoue, upset the heavy favorite will increase
the hypes of his name from this sport.

Looking to see a good and clean fight between these two champ, more on toe-to-toe confrontations for a possible KO!

I'm not underestimating Fulton because he is a champ too. However, his chances to win against Inoue is slim IMO. Just like what we always say, Inoue is a monster, powerful and fast. It will he hard for Fulton to dominate Inoue if he can't improve himself to win.

But as you have said, this will be a huge victory for Fulton if ever he defeat the monster. A record breaking fight as the first of loss of Inoue. For sure if this happened, there's a rematch that will follow. Anyway, it's just a possibility and a motivation for Fulton to do his best and prove us wrong in our assumption.

[Japinat]

Well, just as what I expected about that topic because I believe Steph Fulton will climb the next weight class regardless of the outcome if their bout with Inoue. If I'm not mistaken, Fulton was already prepared to climb but it was delayed because he waited for Naoya Inoue after he suddenly announced that he will be leaving the bantamweight and will proceed towards super-bantam.

This is a solid fight to watch and I am aching to see this fight for sure, and it is a good thing that Stephen Fulton would rather wait for Naoya Inoue before he leaves this division behind, but right now instead of the fight to be this May 2023, it was Postponed due to Naoya Inoue getting injured because of his training, or it could be an elaborate reason just to make time for preparations on the upcoming fight Well some boxers if they aren't so confident in going into the fight they makes reasons on it so it may take time for some preparation, but I not saying this is the reason behind the injuries of Inoue because it is not yet confirmed,

That is quite an interesting speculation mate, I haven't really gave it a thought and believed right away that Inoue was indeed injured that is why their supposed fight in May has to be delayed and moved towards the month of July. You may be right or wrong about that, we never know because both camps didn't disclose any information about Inoue's injury and what we know was just he acquired a minor injury while preparing for their fight.

[Pamadar]

Well, just as what I expected about that topic because I believe Steph Fulton will climb the next weight class regardless of the outcome if their bout with Inoue. If I'm not mistaken, Fulton was already prepared to climb but it was delayed because he waited for Naoya Inoue after he suddenly announced that he will be leaving the bantamweight and will proceed towards super-bantam.

This is a solid fight to watch and I am aching to see this fight for sure, and it is a good thing that Stephen Fulton would rather wait for Naoya Inoue before he leaves this division behind, but right now instead of the fight to be this May 2023, it was Postponed due to Naoya Inoue getting injured because of his training, or it could be an elaborate reason just to make time for preparations on the upcoming fight Well some boxers if they aren't so confident in going into the fight they makes reasons on it so it may take time for some preparation, but I not saying this is the reason behind the injuries of Inoue because it is not yet confirmed,

That is quite an interesting speculation mate, I haven't really gave it a thought and believed right away that Inoue was indeed injured that is why their supposed fight in May has to be delayed and moved towards the month of July. You may be right or wrong about that, we never know because both camps didn't disclose any information about Inoue's injury and what we know was just he acquired a minor injury while preparing for their fight.

As long as it's a valid reason and the organization validated the concern fighter and his camp have that capability to reschedule the fight.

If Inoue's camp thinks that way and they needed more time to be more prepared, we can't confirm about it as things like that will never be disclosed to public. I see the point where the fighter is not that confident and asks for time to make sure that before fighting, he already gains all the confidence that he needs to face his opponent.

Remember that Fulton is a champ on this division where Inoue is challenging him, it's an adjustment that needs to be more prepared, but in the side of my mind I think it's the injury that really affects the upcoming fight, knowing Inoue he will not just going to create reason as he's the one who take step to challenge Fulton.

[inthelongrun]

So no surprised that he revealed a no rematch clause. And most likely believed in himself that he has the tools to beat the monster in his division. We all know that Inoue is the one moving up in weight so he is not tested at super bantamweight. And we have seen in boxing history that although you can be great in a division and dominate it, different story when you move up and facing a natural and bigger fighter than you.

Or maybe it could be the other way around. Maybe he believes that once he loses, he won't be able to win again, and his decision might be to move up in weight to try his journey in a new division. Both fighters are not champions, so honestly, I don't find it interesting to have a rematch. It will only delay Inoue's future successes if he has to fight the Fulton again in case he wins. If he can move up after winning a belt, then he is on his way to making history in boxing by winning as many championship fights in different divisions.

Inoue is the WBO mandatory so it would be hard for Fulton to demand a rematch clause. He can either oblige the mandate or vacate the WBO belt so Inoue can take it against the #2 rank. A rematch clause will also make the negotiation complicated as both Inoue and Fulton came from rival networks and promotions. Inoue just wants things straightforward and avoids the A-side, rehydration clause, catchweight, and other bs stuff the other fighters are doing.

I guess it is also more on the financial side which is why Fulton preferred this fight. The Fulton-Figueroa rematch at 126 is 50/50 and it is not even for the real belt, they will be fighting for the WBC interim version. He'll probably get paid around $1 million. Against Inoue, I heard from someone saying that he will get paid $3 million. Inoue is ranked #1 or #2 pound-for-pound and a Fulton victory means easy access to championship fights if he ever wants to move up in his next fight. 

[Jating]

So no surprised that he revealed a no rematch clause. And most likely believed in himself that he has the tools to beat the monster in his division. We all know that Inoue is the one moving up in weight so he is not tested at super bantamweight. And we have seen in boxing history that although you can be great in a division and dominate it, different story when you move up and facing a natural and bigger fighter than you.

Or maybe it could be the other way around. Maybe he believes that once he loses, he won't be able to win again, and his decision might be to move up in weight to try his journey in a new division. Both fighters are not champions, so honestly, I don't find it interesting to have a rematch. It will only delay Inoue's future successes if he has to fight the Fulton again in case he wins. If he can move up after winning a belt, then he is on his way to making history in boxing by winning as many championship fights in different divisions.

I doubt that fighters have that kind of mentality though, I mean they are warriors inside the ring and for sure no one cross their minds that they are going to lose. Even at defeat, some of them can't accept it and says that they still won, and there are robberies in boxing that the fighters wanted to take revenge. So no one believes that once they loses to certain fighter, they won't be able to win. They can adjust and re-adjust their strategies outside and inside the ring.

@inthelongrun - yeah, most likely Fulton is after the money fight with Inoue clash. He did say that he wanted to go out and move to 126 lbs and him and Brandon will make a rematch there. But fighting Inoue is too tempting to resist, and at the same time it's a lucrative fight for him money wise and legacy.

[Questat]

@inthelongrun - yeah, most likely Fulton is after the money fight with Inoue clash. He did say that he wanted to go out and move to 126 lbs and him and Brandon will make a rematch there. But fighting Inoue is too tempting to resist, and at the same time it's a lucrative fight for him money wise and legacy.

If Steph Fulton himself didn't say those words himself that he will leave the weight class after this fight, regardless of the outcome, then where did the rumor came from that this will be Fulton's last fight before he moves towards the featherweight division. And that his climb was just delay because Inoue became his mandatory challenger and it's a fight where he doesn't have much option but to accept as it will be a win-win situation for him.

[Jating]

@inthelongrun - yeah, most likely Fulton is after the money fight with Inoue clash. He did say that he wanted to go out and move to 126 lbs and him and Brandon will make a rematch there. But fighting Inoue is too tempting to resist, and at the same time it's a lucrative fight for him money wise and legacy.

If Steph Fulton himself didn't say those words himself that he will leave the weight class after this fight, regardless of the outcome, then where did the rumor came from that this will be Fulton's last fight before he moves towards the featherweight division. And that his climb was just delay because Inoue became his mandatory challenger and it's a fight where he doesn't have much option but to accept as it will be a win-win situation for him.

Maybe you are not aware of the supposedly rematch with Brandon Figueroa?, and they even have a date already. But then again, he decide to stay at 122 lbs and fight with Inoue. So that is not a rumor, Dan Rafael is a good source of boxing news.

Dan Rafael is reporting the news on his Substack site of WBC/WBO super bantamweight champion Fulton (21-0, 8 KOs) moving up to featherweight to battle former WBA & WBC 122-lb champion Figueroa (23-1-1, 18 KOs) in a rematch. WBC title expected to be vacated The WBC featherweight belt is being freed up due to champion Rey Vargas going up to 130 to battle O’Shaquie Foster for the vacant WBC super featherweight title next month on February 11th in San Antonio, Texas. If Vargas wins, he’ll need to make a decision whether he wants to keep his WBC 130-lb belt or return to 126 to continue defending his title in that weight class. Returning to the 126-lb division would mean that Vargas will need to defend his WBA featherweight title against the Fulton-Figuera 2 winner.

https://www.boxingnews24.com/2023/01/stephen-fulton-vs-brandon-figueroa-ii-on-february-25th-on-showtime-in-minneapolis/

And things have change, Rey Vargas lost to Foster, Figueroa won against Magsayo and become the champion at 126 lbs. And then the original date of this fight was push through because of Inoue's hand injury.

[Japinat]

@inthelongrun - yeah, most likely Fulton is after the money fight with Inoue clash. He did say that he wanted to go out and move to 126 lbs and him and Brandon will make a rematch there. But fighting Inoue is too tempting to resist, and at the same time it's a lucrative fight for him money wise and legacy.

If Steph Fulton himself didn't say those words himself that he will leave the weight class after this fight, regardless of the outcome, then where did the rumor came from that this will be Fulton's last fight before he moves towards the featherweight division. And that his climb was just delay because Inoue became his mandatory challenger and it's a fight where he doesn't have much option but to accept as it will be a win-win situation for him.

Maybe you are not aware of the supposedly rematch with Brandon Figueroa?, and they even have a date already. But then again, he decide to stay at 122 lbs and fight with Inoue. So that is not a rumor, Dan Rafael is a good source of boxing news.

Dan Rafael is reporting the news on his Substack site of WBC/WBO super bantamweight champion Fulton (21-0, 8 KOs) moving up to featherweight to battle former WBA & WBC 122-lb champion Figueroa (23-1-1, 18 KOs) in a rematch. WBC title expected to be vacated The WBC featherweight belt is being freed up due to champion Rey Vargas going up to 130 to battle O’Shaquie Foster for the vacant WBC super featherweight title next month on February 11th in San Antonio, Texas. If Vargas wins, he’ll need to make a decision whether he wants to keep his WBC 130-lb belt or return to 126 to continue defending his title in that weight class. Returning to the 126-lb division would mean that Vargas will need to defend his WBA featherweight title against the Fulton-Figuera 2 winner.

https://www.boxingnews24.com/2023/01/stephen-fulton-vs-brandon-figueroa-ii-on-february-25th-on-showtime-in-minneapolis/

And things have change, Rey Vargas lost to Foster, Figueroa won against Magsayo and become the champion at 126 lbs. And then the original date of this fight was push through because of Inoue's hand injury.

Just curious though, will it still be called a rematch if their second fight will happen in another division? Because their first fight happened at 122 and then their supposed second fight is at 126 where Figueroa and Fulton are supposed to meet.

Anyway, I understand why Fulton chose to stay at 122 because he will never let this chance slide because this is a big payday for him and if ever he can upsets the favorite, Naoya Inoue, he can add more hype to his name and that will open more doors into his career.

[Shamm]

@inthelongrun - yeah, most likely Fulton is after the money fight with Inoue clash. He did say that he wanted to go out and move to 126 lbs and him and Brandon will make a rematch there. But fighting Inoue is too tempting to resist, and at the same time it's a lucrative fight for him money wise and legacy.

If Steph Fulton himself didn't say those words himself that he will leave the weight class after this fight, regardless of the outcome, then where did the rumor came from that this will be Fulton's last fight before he moves towards the featherweight division. And that his climb was just delay because Inoue became his mandatory challenger and it's a fight where he doesn't have much option but to accept as it will be a win-win situation for him.

Maybe you are not aware of the supposedly rematch with Brandon Figueroa?, and they even have a date already. But then again, he decide to stay at 122 lbs and fight with Inoue. So that is not a rumor, Dan Rafael is a good source of boxing news.

Dan Rafael is reporting the news on his Substack site of WBC/WBO super bantamweight champion Fulton (21-0, 8 KOs) moving up to featherweight to battle former WBA & WBC 122-lb champion Figueroa (23-1-1, 18 KOs) in a rematch. WBC title expected to be vacated The WBC featherweight belt is being freed up due to champion Rey Vargas going up to 130 to battle O’Shaquie Foster for the vacant WBC super featherweight title next month on February 11th in San Antonio, Texas. If Vargas wins, he’ll need to make a decision whether he wants to keep his WBC 130-lb belt or return to 126 to continue defending his title in that weight class. Returning to the 126-lb division would mean that Vargas will need to defend his WBA featherweight title against the Fulton-Figuera 2 winner.

https://www.boxingnews24.com/2023/01/stephen-fulton-vs-brandon-figueroa-ii-on-february-25th-on-showtime-in-minneapolis/

And things have change, Rey Vargas lost to Foster, Figueroa won against Magsayo and become the champion at 126 lbs. And then the original date of this fight was push through because of Inoue's hand injury.

Just curious though, will it still be called a rematch if their second fight will happen in another division? Because their first fight happened at 122 and then their supposed second fight is at 126 where Figueroa and Fulton are supposed to meet.

Anyway, I understand why Fulton chose to stay at 122 because he will never let this chance slide because this is a big payday for him and if ever he can upsets the favorite, Naoya Inoue, he can add more hype to his name and that will open more doors into his career.

Naoya Inoue is a good boxer that can adjust the situation and release the weapon he have during the fight day. And if this fight actually happen then there's a lot of expectation like Inoue will win the fight and there's no doubt about that it because he has done enough go convince us that he is a monster in his country that can bring his name in boxing industry with a good title. So if he win in 122lbs then the rematch must be in other weights and if he win again then for sure he must step up to another division .

[freedomgo]

Just curious though, will it still be called a rematch if their second fight will happen in another division? Because their first fight happened at 122 and then their supposed second fight is at 126 where Figueroa and Fulton are supposed to meet.

Yes, it's still counted, just like what happened to Canelo and GGG. These two guys started fighting each other when they were still in the Middleweight division until they come to a point of a rematch and their latest trilogy did happened in Super-Middleweight, so just like you were saying, they wouldn't call it a trilogy if fighting in a different division is not counted.

[harizen]

Anyway, I understand why Fulton chose to stay at 122 because he will never let this chance slide because this is a big payday for him and if ever he can upsets the favorite, Naoya Inoue, he can add more hype to his name and that will open more doors into his career.

From my own point of view, anything about the purse split or any related stuff doesn't have any bearing on why Stephen Fulton disregarded his original plan to move up at 126 to face Naoya Inoue first at 122. Even way back during the time when Inoue isn't yet the Unified Bantamweight Champion, Fulton already expresses his desire to face Inoue once the Japanese monster considers moving up a division.

Since Inoue is a rising star and already cemented his status as one of the strongest bantamweight in the entire history, defeating him is something that will bring more legacy for Fulton. Aside from that, Fulton might receive some criticism for not welcoming Inoue on the 122 and might be called ducking or worst "coward".

[mirakal]

Anyway, I understand why Fulton chose to stay at 122 because he will never let this chance slide because this is a big payday for him and if ever he can upsets the favorite, Naoya Inoue, he can add more hype to his name and that will open more doors into his career.

From my own point of view, anything about the purse split or any related stuff doesn't have any bearing on why Stephen Fulton disregarded his original plan to move up at 126 to face Naoya Inoue first at 122. Even way back during the time when Inoue isn't yet the Unified Bantamweight Champion, Fulton already expresses his desire to face Inoue once the Japanese monster considers moving up a division.

Since Inoue is a rising star and already cemented his status as one of the strongest bantamweight in the entire history, defeating him is something that will bring more legacy for Fulton. Aside from that, Fulton might receive some criticism for not welcoming Inoue on the 122 and might be called ducking or worst "coward".

That's totally the reason why Fulton decided to stay in his division and fight Inoue. While Fulton is the champion, it's obvious that Inoue is the more popular boxer. Inoue is in the top 10 of the pound-for-pound boxer list, unlike Fulton who is not on the list. A win here for Fulton will bring him up in the ladder, and I'm sure both boxers are excited to entertain us. It's definitely exciting to witness this fight.

[Hypnosis00]

A win here for Fulton will bring him up in the ladder, and I'm sure both boxers are excited to entertain us. It's definitely exciting to witness this fight.

Absolutely, it will make him a popular fighter, and big fights will come to him. It's safe to say that Inoue is already a superstar in boxing. If we talk about pound-for-pound rankings based on the article below dated April 25, 2023, Inoue is currently sitting at the number 3 spot.

source: https://www.complex.com/sports/best-pound-for-pound-boxers-ranked

1. Oleksandr Usyk
2. Canelo Alvarez
3. Naoya Inoue

[Vaculin]

Anyway, I understand why Fulton chose to stay at 122 because he will never let this chance slide because this is a big payday for him and if ever he can upsets the favorite, Naoya Inoue, he can add more hype to his name and that will open more doors into his career.

Since Inoue is a rising star and already cemented his status as one of the strongest bantamweight in the entire history, defeating him is something that will bring more legacy for Fulton. Aside from that, Fulton might receive some criticism for not welcoming Inoue on the 122 and might be called ducking or worst "coward".

That is surely the case if ever Steph Fulton did that and left the division amid Naoya Inoue's climb towards 122. People will not understand and will start calling him a coward after the statement he made even before Inoue cemented his legacy at 118, and now when Inoue made the climb, Fulton immediately evacuated away from his own division.

But fortunately, that didn't happen, and Fulton showed how glad he was when Inoue announced it and plus there's the WBO who gave Inoue some perks to legally fight the 2-belt champion, Fulton, directly without fighting the guys the from the bottom first or at least the interim holders.