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

[inthelongrun]

Inoue went the other way which is unifying and becoming undisputed. The goal of achieving them won't allow you to move up in divisions pretty quickly just like Pacquiao did. If Pacquiao went on to pursue unification fights and become undisputed, he will never reach the 8 division titles. Pacquiao only tried to unify twice which ended in a draw and a loss. Pacquiao never experienced holding 2 major belts in a division. But somehow, Pacquiao is a 5 division lineal champion IIRC which makes him unique and special. So if there is only 1 belt per division, Pacman will remain as having the most titles in as many divisions, Mayweather probably 4, De La Hoya only 2, etc. Having only 1 belt but being recognized as the lineal champion is still better than having 3 belts but unrecognized as the lineal of its division. That is why Spence despite owning 3 of the 4 belts needs Crawford to determine the lineal champion of their division. Pacman did not duck anyone and always went on to fight the best which are the lineals or #1 or #2 in the divisions that is why he made it to 5.

Inoue on the other hand has the chance to become the only 2-division undisputed champion in the 4-belt era. And this is very doable if he wins over Fulton because WBA and IBF champion Marlon Tapales expressed his willingness to unify the 4 belts as well.

[Japinat]

One good reasons why Inoue has been compared to Manny Pacquiao is because he is also from an Asian country which is just 4 hours Northeast from the Philippines where Pacquiao came from and then Inoue is still active and young while those list in the mentioned article are the boxers who is already past their prime and inactive in the professional scene for years, some even decades.
Inoue being still active in the sport means that he will likely reach that same milestone, I mean his chances are quite strong compared to Oscar that stopped from the 6th Division.

Inoue is one of a kind and you won't find someone like him nowadays, the way he finished his opponents and the way he throw those punches are quietly unique and hard to counter. He is currently in his prime and to think that he is easy to beat in his current self is honestly delusional for any boxer in their current weight division. In this upcoming fight, he is expectedly gonna dominate his opponent and will also easily gonna make everyone on the top list train harder because he is coming to beat them.

While you are right about that, you also made it sound that Inoue was somehow overrated because you are already underestimating the boxers at 122 right now. Let's not forget that no matter how good Inoue is, that was all from 118 as that's where he achieved being a unified champion but this time, let's give Fulton and others some benefit and the benefit of the doubt because this is their division while Inoue is still getting accustomed to it.

Don't take it wrong, I don't have any quarrels with Naoya Inoue and in-fact, I'm one of his believers and fans. It's just that it is better to see what he can do at 122 first before we start the praise parade as that sounds more reasonable rather than underestimating Fulton, he is a champion of a reason and Inoue knows that.

[Kemarit]

One good reasons why Inoue has been compared to Manny Pacquiao is because he is also from an Asian country which is just 4 hours Northeast from the Philippines where Pacquiao came from and then Inoue is still active and young while those list in the mentioned article are the boxers who is already past their prime and inactive in the professional scene for years, some even decades.
Inoue being still active in the sport means that he will likely reach that same milestone, I mean his chances are quite strong compared to Oscar that stopped from the 6th Division.

Inoue is one of a kind and you won't find someone like him nowadays, the way he finished his opponents and the way he throw those punches are quietly unique and hard to counter. He is currently in his prime and to think that he is easy to beat in his current self is honestly delusional for any boxer in their current weight division. In this upcoming fight, he is expectedly gonna dominate his opponent and will also easily gonna make everyone on the top list train harder because he is coming to beat them.

While you are right about that, you also made it sound that Inoue was somehow overrated because you are already underestimating the boxers at 122 right now. Let's not forget that no matter how good Inoue is, that was all from 118 as that's where he achieved being a unified champion but this time, let's give Fulton and others some benefit and the benefit of the doubt because this is their division while Inoue is still getting accustomed to it.

Don't take it wrong, I don't have any quarrels with Naoya Inoue and in-fact, I'm one of his believers and fans. It's just that it is better to see what he can do at 122 first before we start the praise parade as that sounds more reasonable rather than underestimating Fulton, he is a champion of a reason and Inoue knows that.

Yes, I don't think that we can call Fulton overrated, he has fought a great fight against Brandon Figueroa, and in that fight, he almost goes down and we don't know how he can survived that barrage or volume of punch by Figueroa and still manage to be victorious.

On the other hand, we haven't seen Inoue really being tested, the closest is against Donaire the first fight. But Nonito was somewhat late in charging in that fight and that Inoue has belt a good lead in the judges scorecard. So there's a lot of scenario here, if Fulton manage to survive Inoue's power then maybe it will make the fight more interesting.

[stomachgrowls]

One good reasons why Inoue has been compared to Manny Pacquiao is because he is also from an Asian country which is just 4 hours Northeast from the Philippines where Pacquiao came from and then Inoue is still active and young while those list in the mentioned article are the boxers who is already past their prime and inactive in the professional scene for years, some even decades.
Inoue being still active in the sport means that he will likely reach that same milestone, I mean his chances are quite strong compared to Oscar that stopped from the 6th Division.

Inoue is one of a kind and you won't find someone like him nowadays, the way he finished his opponents and the way he throw those punches are quietly unique and hard to counter. He is currently in his prime and to think that he is easy to beat in his current self is honestly delusional for any boxer in their current weight division. In this upcoming fight, he is expectedly gonna dominate his opponent and will also easily gonna make everyone on the top list train harder because he is coming to beat them.

While you are right about that, you also made it sound that Inoue was somehow overrated because you are already underestimating the boxers at 122 right now. Let's not forget that no matter how good Inoue is, that was all from 118 as that's where he achieved being a unified champion but this time, let's give Fulton and others some benefit and the benefit of the doubt because this is their division while Inoue is still getting accustomed to it.

Don't take it wrong, I don't have any quarrels with Naoya Inoue and in-fact, I'm one of his believers and fans. It's just that it is better to see what he can do at 122 first before we start the praise parade as that sounds more reasonable rather than underestimating Fulton, he is a champion of a reason and Inoue knows that.

Yes, I don't think that we can call Fulton overrated, he has fought a great fight against Brandon Figueroa, and in that fight, he almost goes down and we don't know how he can survived that barrage or volume of punch by Figueroa and still manage to be victorious.

On the other hand, we haven't seen Inoue really being tested, the closest is against Donaire the first fight. But Nonito was somewhat late in charging in that fight and that Inoue has belt a good lead in the judges scorecard. So there's a lot of scenario here, if Fulton manage to survive Inoue's power then maybe it will make the fight more interesting.

If i were on Fulton then i would surely be trying out to see the fight record of Donaire against Inoue on which it would really be a good thing or view for him to consider on what are the things needed up to improve.
Its somewhat true that Inoue isnt really that been that tested out on extreme manner but closely on what Donaire  had done into him which you could see that he do able to inflict out some damage on Inoue's
face if you do compared it it out on those previous match. Fulton could really be getting some idea on where he should really be trying out to improve but of course INoue's team wont really be that dumb on not to make out some adjustments as well because assuming or presuming that future opponents would really be having that consideration on trying out to check his previous fights about his performance or
whatever fighting style he would have. If Fulton could be able to survive several body blows or could withstand on which Inoue is known for, then for sure he would be having a chance
on surviving this.

[harizen]

In this upcoming fight, he is expectedly gonna dominate his opponent and will also easily gonna make everyone on the top list train harder because he is coming to beat them.

I'm not sure about the expectations that Inoe will dominate his opponent. Just for the record, Stephen Fulton is probably the toughest that Inoue will face in his career at this point and if I remembered it right, Inoue himself recognized that saying Fulton is the biggest challenge he will have. We never know what will happen until they meet in the ring.

Honestly, I'm more seeing the fight will go toe-to-toe and not that one of them will have a landslide and smooth victory, I hope so. Stephen Fulton waited for this fight for a long and he even says that he might probably outclass Inoue even though he's not a big puncher but will use his advantage of being a heavy volume puncher. Referring to both boxers' speeds, I found them equal.

Only the "turning point" will decide who will win.

[Kelvinid]

In this upcoming fight, he is expectedly gonna dominate his opponent and will also easily gonna make everyone on the top list train harder because he is coming to beat them.

I'm not sure about the expectations that Inoe will dominate his opponent. Just for the record, Stephen Fulton is probably the toughest that Inoue will face in his career at this point and if I remembered it right, Inoue himself recognized that saying Fulton is the biggest challenge he will have. We never know what will happen until they meet in the ring.

Honestly, I'm more seeing the fight will go toe-to-toe and not that one of them will have a landslide and smooth victory, I hope so. Stephen Fulton waited for this fight for a long and he even says that he might probably outclass Inoue even though he's not a big puncher but will use his advantage of being a heavy volume puncher. Referring to both boxers' speeds, I found them equal.

Only the "turning point" will decide who will win.

It's the majority's expectation that Inoue will dominate, and if we look at the betting odds, Inoue is quite a heavy favorite. This means that most fans are expecting Inoue to win easily. However, you make a valid point because when we consider Fulton's technical skills, we can see that he is also a decent fighter. We should not underestimate what he has done and can do in his future fights, including this one.

In the end, we never know the outcome of the fight, so let's just wait and see.

[Sanitough]

On the other hand, we haven't seen Inoue really being tested, the closest is against Donaire the first fight. But Nonito was somewhat late in charging in that fight and that Inoue has belt a good lead in the judges scorecard. So there's a lot of scenario here, if Fulton manage to survive Inoue's power then maybe it will make the fight more interesting.

Yes, that was the only fight where Inoue faced some difficulties, but in the end, he still emerged victorious via unanimous decision by making necessary adjustments despite being injured. When we compare Stephen Fulton to Nonito Donaire, I believe the latter holds more popularity, so I don't have high expectations for Fulton. However, I don't want to underestimate Fulton, but based on my personal prediction, I think this will be another relatively easy fight for Inoue.

[Pamadar]

On the other hand, we haven't seen Inoue really being tested, the closest is against Donaire the first fight. But Nonito was somewhat late in charging in that fight and that Inoue has belt a good lead in the judges scorecard. So there's a lot of scenario here, if Fulton manage to survive Inoue's power then maybe it will make the fight more interesting.

Yes, that was the only fight where Inoue faced some difficulties, but in the end, he still emerged victorious via unanimous decision by making necessary adjustments despite being injured. When we compare Stephen Fulton to Nonito Donaire, I believe the latter holds more popularity, so I don't have high expectations for Fulton. However, I don't want to underestimate Fulton, but based on my personal prediction, I think this will be another relatively easy fight for Inoue.

We can base our opinions on how we think the fighter got his edge over his opponent.

But we also need to remember that there are always upset that may happen from how we assess the outcome of this fight. Inoue
might have that advantage, but Fulton as a current champ from this division may full that triggered and make a good defense on
his current belt. We never know what's his capabilities are and how he will prepare for this upcoming fight.

[freedomgo]

Inoue went the other way which is unifying and becoming undisputed. The goal of achieving them won't allow you to move up in divisions pretty quickly just like Pacquiao did. If Pacquiao went on to pursue unification fights and become undisputed, he will never reach the 8 division titles. Pacquiao only tried to unify twice which ended in a draw and a loss. Pacquiao never experienced holding 2 major belts in a division. But somehow, Pacquiao is a 5 division lineal champion IIRC which makes him unique and special. So if there is only 1 belt per division, Pacman will remain as having the most titles in as many divisions, Mayweather probably 4, De La Hoya only 2, etc. Having only 1 belt but being recognized as the lineal champion is still better than having 3 belts but unrecognized as the lineal of its division. That is why Spence despite owning 3 of the 4 belts needs Crawford to determine the lineal champion of their division. Pacman did not duck anyone and always went on to fight the best which are the lineals or #1 or #2 in the divisions that is why he made it to 5.

Most probable reason why Manny Pacquiao chose to take that road is the fact that welterweight is the weight class since then that have big fights and offers a lot of money in almost all of the fights and as long as you're already known and a champion, it's already safe to assume to you will be having a guaranteed millions of dollars from just a single fight. Aside from that, it's a packed weight class for many known boxers at that time.

[Maslate]

Inoue went the other way which is unifying and becoming undisputed. The goal of achieving them won't allow you to move up in divisions pretty quickly just like Pacquiao did. If Pacquiao went on to pursue unification fights and become undisputed, he will never reach the 8 division titles. Pacquiao only tried to unify twice which ended in a draw and a loss. Pacquiao never experienced holding 2 major belts in a division. But somehow, Pacquiao is a 5 division lineal champion IIRC which makes him unique and special. So if there is only 1 belt per division, Pacman will remain as having the most titles in as many divisions, Mayweather probably 4, De La Hoya only 2, etc. Having only 1 belt but being recognized as the lineal champion is still better than having 3 belts but unrecognized as the lineal of its division. That is why Spence despite owning 3 of the 4 belts needs Crawford to determine the lineal champion of their division. Pacman did not duck anyone and always went on to fight the best which are the lineals or #1 or #2 in the divisions that is why he made it to 5.

Most probable reason why Manny Pacquiao chose to take that road is the fact that welterweight is the weight class since then that have big fights and offers a lot of money in almost all of the fights and as long as you're already known and a champion, it's already safe to assume to you will be having a guaranteed millions of dollars from just a single fight. Aside from that, it's a packed weight class for many known boxers at that time.

That is true and I can say that you have already watched some videos about Manny Pacquiao's life, his rugs to riches story. Just like what you have said, Pacquiao indeed aimed to be in the welterweight division because it's where most of the big fights with big paychecks have happened. But before Pacquiao arrived at that division, he made a very risky move that nobody can do it because jumped two weight class (from flyweight to super bantam) so that he can reach his goal much earlier without having any thoughts if he can bring his speed and power in a much heavier division.

Anyway, back to Naoya Inoue. If he can defeat Fulton in the process and be a 2-belt champion, that makes him a 4 division champion and he's already halfway through Pacquiao's 8 Division World Champion.

[LUCKMCFLY]

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.

Well here nothing more reading, all of us Sometimes make comments that turn out to be strong,and that can hit a boxer hard , a boxer takes great care of his ego, but when seeing these things, it is clear that Fulton cannot leave things shots, that is a fact, he can be Classified as a Coward, and we all Understand that, but of course this is spoken at a more Specific level with a high Degree of understanding of the Sport, because in other instances things can get much hotter and it is used as a publicity Trigger, but in general terms, the Person in charge of welcoming the genius boxer here is Fulton.

[btc_angela]

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.

Well here nothing more reading, all of us Sometimes make comments that turn out to be strong,and that can hit a boxer hard , a boxer takes great care of his ego, but when seeing these things, it is clear that Fulton cannot leave things shots, that is a fact, he can be Classified as a Coward, and we all Understand that, but of course this is spoken at a more Specific level with a high Degree of understanding of the Sport, because in other instances things can get much hotter and it is used as a publicity Trigger, but in general terms, the Person in charge of welcoming the genius boxer here is Fulton.

I don't think that we can classify Fulton a coward (sorry if I misunderstood your statement).

a. he travel to Japan Inoue's own backyard
b. he opted not to go for a rematch with Figueroa at 126 lbs
c. he should be moving up in weight already

So 3 facts that I think shows Fulton is not avoiding Inoue at any cost, on the contrary he might be chasing him because he wants to test himself against the best and you can only get one opportunity to fight the best fighter at the lower division. So Fulton is not going to back down.

[Hypnosis00]

I don't think that we can classify Fulton a coward (sorry if I misunderstood your statement).

a. he travel to Japan Inoue's own backyard
b. he opted not to go for a rematch with Figueroa at 126 lbs
c. he should be moving up in weight already

So 3 facts that I think shows Fulton is not avoiding Inoue at any cost, on the contrary he might be chasing him because he wants to test himself against the best and you can only get one opportunity to fight the best fighter at the lower division. So Fulton is not going to back down.

I agree with you. In fact, it was Inoue who caused the delay of the fight due to his training-related injury. We should acknowledge Fulton's patience and determination as he waited for the fight to happen. Despite being the champion, he traveled to the home of his challenger, knowing that the judges might not be biased in his favor. This shows his commitment to facing tough competition and proving himself as a true champion.

[LUCKMCFLY]

A no biggy because he already had the same situation in the previous weight class where he started from the bottom up until he unified all four belts to be the undisputed champion at 118. But even though Inoue is strong and knows how to make some actual adjustments, no doubt, Inoue himself is having some doubts whether if how will this division treat him because after all, he's just new to this and even if the weight difference is not that big, it's still a different weight class meanwhile he will fight the boxer who is already accustomed to it, a 2-belt champion.

Those are the words of Inoue and I'm glad that he's not feeding his ego because of the status he attained, he still remained to be humble and try to figure out the things that he could face when the fight starts. Still, I'm positive enough that Inoue will do just fine and will be the one who will give another headline as I see him as a boxer who is set to make his name great.

It is very true, and what Inoue has is something that I like because it identifies him as a great person, who does not have vague ideas, he only makes sure that his technique is one that he can trust, there is something that must be taken into consideration and Yes, it is the new weight, it is known that the more weight, the blows come out much stronger and he cannot allow himself to trust himself, he is a great boxer, but the more weight a blow hurts the more, his body has to get used to it to the weight that is handled to be more resistant and that is the key, I don't think there is Another way.

[inthelongrun]

I don't think that we can classify Fulton a coward (sorry if I misunderstood your statement).

a. he travel to Japan Inoue's own backyard
b. he opted not to go for a rematch with Figueroa at 126 lbs
c. he should be moving up in weight already

So 3 facts that I think shows Fulton is not avoiding Inoue at any cost, on the contrary he might be chasing him because he wants to test himself against the best and you can only get one opportunity to fight the best fighter at the lower division. So Fulton is not going to back down.

I agree with you. In fact, it was Inoue who caused the delay of the fight due to his training-related injury. We should acknowledge Fulton's patience and determination as he waited for the fight to happen. Despite being the champion, he traveled to the home of his challenger, knowing that the judges might not be biased in his favor. This shows his commitment to facing tough competition and proving himself as a true champion.

There is no way Fulton can be branded as a coward. First, he unified his belt with another undefeated KO artist Brandon Figueroa and for most of the fight, Fulton did not back down even if he is not known as a heavy-handed fighter and went on to win a close fight.

And now Fulton is once again faced with another uphill battle as he travels to Japan to defend his belts against the monster. Fulton is a very gutsy fighter which is the result of his hunger for glory.

[Kasabus]

I don't think that we can classify Fulton a coward (sorry if I misunderstood your statement).

a. he travel to Japan Inoue's own backyard
b. he opted not to go for a rematch with Figueroa at 126 lbs
c. he should be moving up in weight already

So 3 facts that I think shows Fulton is not avoiding Inoue at any cost, on the contrary he might be chasing him because he wants to test himself against the best and you can only get one opportunity to fight the best fighter at the lower division. So Fulton is not going to back down.

I agree with you. In fact, it was Inoue who caused the delay of the fight due to his training-related injury. We should acknowledge Fulton's patience and determination as he waited for the fight to happen. Despite being the champion, he traveled to the home of his challenger, knowing that the judges might not be biased in his favor. This shows his commitment to facing tough competition and proving himself as a true champion.

There is no way Fulton can be branded as a coward. First, he unified his belt with another undefeated KO artist Brandon Figueroa and for most of the fight, Fulton did not back down even if he is not known as a heavy-handed fighter and went on to win a close fight.

And now Fulton is once again faced with another uphill battle as he travels to Japan to defend his belts against the monster. Fulton is a very gutsy fighter which is the result of his hunger for glory.

I have no doubts for Stephen Fulton and if we're just talking about the credits earned at super-bantam, then surely Fulton holds the most credits for being a true warrior and stood up without waving any signs of cowardness from him. Even this time, he could've already left the said weight class because he was already open that his time at 122 might be nearing its end but instead of doing that, he chose to stay and will face the WBO super champion, Naoya Inoue.

That alone is not an easy feat to do as he could've chose the safe side but he did not, moreover, I'm thinking that he's also taking things to the next level so that he can see for himself the limit of his skills and body as Naoya Inoue being his acid test.

[LUCKMCFLY]

It is unfortunate when injuries can do things against us, because looking at it from one point of view, a boxer who has at least one injury is the vulnerability that the other boxer will take advantage of, and that is something that has a high value, for me things They cannot occur that way, I have Practiced this sport, and the worst injury that there can be and that is silent is that of the shoulder, because for me a boxer has the greatest strength there, not in the forearms but in the shoulders,but Whether it's on the wrist or hands, it's more Bearable, but one Shoulder gives everything.

Indeed, an injury will truly affect the movements of a boxer.

even that fighter can endure the pain but the limitations with his capabilities will really compromise, I see your point as you experienced this sport and you understand it well, with that shoulder injuries that you are mentioning I agree with you that it's harder to move if you have that pain, your flexibility can be exposed and your opponents can easily detect that and will take the advantages against you.

Just like what happened to Vasyl Lomachenko, just a few weeks before his fight with Teofimo Lopez, Loma happened to have an injury in his rotator cuff which is situated right on top his shoulder which literally gave him a trouble throwing good punches towards his challenger, Lopez, because having that kind of injury will really give the boxer a hard time for even lifting his arm as that is so painful.

If he didn't got that injury, his upcoming fight with Haney was already finished years ago and we may have known the outcome already because Loma only lacked the WBC which Haney possess at that time.

There's no such a great boxer or any athlete or players when it comes or in talks about injuries. You would definitely be having that disadvantage since you arent really that on tip top shape which it doesnt make

any sense if you would really be pushing forward for a certain fight. Just like on what happened on Inoue did really get that injury, they do immediately postponed it out because its never been that ideal on fighting inside the ring with having those injuries specially if its not really that totally healed up. Also there are other boxers who would really be making out some whining after he lost and telling
those and telling that about his injury which i do see that its a sign of excuse and nonsense reasoning.

Now that this fight is already that finalized since Inoue is really that healing up, lets just hope that there would be no further accidents happen to make it postponed once again.

Injuries are very common in any sport, especially in boxing, obviously a fight is not postponed for that reason, there can be a lot of speculation and many things can happen so that it doesn't happen, and of course from the moment it is postponed due to injuries , things change, many parties involved can do and take advantage to take more affirmation, it is very easy for them to say that he was not injured but that he looked for excuses so that it did not occur, it is something very common, in any case, this type of act Not much can be done, because health comes first.

[carlisle1]

I don't think that we can classify Fulton a coward (sorry if I misunderstood your statement).

a. he travel to Japan Inoue's own backyard
b. he opted not to go for a rematch with Figueroa at 126 lbs
c. he should be moving up in weight already

So 3 facts that I think shows Fulton is not avoiding Inoue at any cost, on the contrary he might be chasing him because he wants to test himself against the best and you can only get one opportunity to fight the best fighter at the lower division. So Fulton is not going to back down.

I agree with you. In fact, it was Inoue who caused the delay of the fight due to his training-related injury. We should acknowledge Fulton's patience and determination as he waited for the fight to happen. Despite being the champion, he traveled to the home of his challenger, knowing that the judges might not be biased in his favor. This shows his commitment to facing tough competition and proving himself as a true champion.

He wanted to fight Inoue and as what both of said Fulton really love to test how the monster fight and maybe it's also a pride that he wanted
to prove something like a current champ from this division.

He's willing to wait after that injury, which can give him the right to change direction, but instead he chooses to wait and give Inoue time to heal his injury.

Once Inoue is fully recovered, we will see them inside the ring fighting and trying to prove their greatness in front of their fans.

[carlfebz2]

I don't think that we can classify Fulton a coward (sorry if I misunderstood your statement).

a. he travel to Japan Inoue's own backyard
b. he opted not to go for a rematch with Figueroa at 126 lbs
c. he should be moving up in weight already

So 3 facts that I think shows Fulton is not avoiding Inoue at any cost, on the contrary he might be chasing him because he wants to test himself against the best and you can only get one opportunity to fight the best fighter at the lower division. So Fulton is not going to back down.

I agree with you. In fact, it was Inoue who caused the delay of the fight due to his training-related injury. We should acknowledge Fulton's patience and determination as he waited for the fight to happen. Despite being the champion, he traveled to the home of his challenger, knowing that the judges might not be biased in his favor. This shows his commitment to facing tough competition and proving himself as a true champion.

He wanted to fight Inoue and as what both of said Fulton really love to test how the monster fight and maybe it's also a pride that he wanted
to prove something like a current champ from this division.

He's willing to wait after that injury, which can give him the right to change direction, but instead he chooses to wait and give Inoue time to heal his injury.

Once Inoue is fully recovered, we will see them inside the ring fighting and trying to prove their greatness in front of their fans.

On boxing not every boxer would really be coming after for the fame but rather with the glory and their pride on which it wouldnt matter if they would really be needing to wait because of some sort of injury.
It is really that something that interesting to see for this upcoming fight since this is a fight of where Inoue had stepped on a higher weight division and the current champion or belt holder
had willingly to wait up until his injury would be healed up which means that Fulton is really that serious on wanting to fight Inoue because if he has not then he wont bother on waiting it up and
would rather be stepping into other path but he didnt.  July 25 is coming near and only a few months or weeks for the said event which lots of fans are
really that excited for this fight.

[harizen]

I have no doubts for Stephen Fulton and if we're just talking about the credits earned at super-bantam, then surely Fulton holds the most credits for being a true warrior and stood up without waving any signs of cowardness from him. Even this time, he could've already left the said weight class because he was already open that his time at 122 might be nearing its end but instead of doing that, he chose to stay and will face the WBO super champion, Naoya Inoue.

And as I mentioned before, Stephen Fulton already expressed his interest in sharing the ring with Naoya Inoue way back in the time when the Japanese monster was still not the unified champion at 118. It just happened that when Inoue decided to move up, Fulton is now planning on moving up to 126 but instead, keeps his feet at 122 as there's "unfinished business" to settle first.

Also as I mentioned, Stephen Fulton's legacy will be more standing-strong as defeating Naoya Inoue is really a big achievement knowing he is up against a boxer that no one in the 118 can defeat. Inoue is really a "big thing".

It's also good for Fulton to leave the 122 with no doubts and entered the 126 as a big star.