It’s rare to have a major fight in the middle of the week, but that’s just what we will see in Japan during the last week of July. One of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world will look to add another title to his resume when three-division champion Naoya Inoue moves up a division to face Stephen Fulton. Inoue (24-0 with 21 knockouts) is already one of the best fighters in Japanese history, while Fulton (21-0 with 8 knockouts) knows that a victory here would be huge for his resume.
For the Japanese holiday of Marine Day, we will see a major title fight in Tokyo. American Stephen Fulton will defend his WBC and WBO super bantamweight belts against challenger Naoya Inoue. Both of these fighters are unbeaten, but Inoue is the clear favorite with his power and with the home crowd at his back. This fight was originally supposed to take place on May 7, but it was pushed back after Inoue was injured during training. ESPN+ will be the home for the fight.
When: Tuesday, July 25, 2023
Where: Ariake Arena, Tokyo, Japan
Why: Junior Lightweight Title Belts
Stephen Fulton vs. Naoya Inoue Betting Odds
Naoya Inoue -370
Stephen Fulton +273
To no one’s surprise, Naoya Inoue is favored to win this fight. Inoue has a much more established pedigree than his opponent, and he will be the hometown hero on Tuesday. However, Inoue isn’t as much of a favorite as you might think given his background. Some are doubting whether he can continue to move up in weight without facing a loss in power, and we usually see lighter fighters hit their limit after winning titles in three different divisions.
As the fight nears, there will be decision betting too. You will be able to bet on whether the fight is decided by KO, TKO, or decision, and you can bet on which boxer will win the fight in that fashion as well.
Stephen Fulton vs. Naoya Inoue Preview
There’s no doubt that Naoya Inoue is one of the three best pound-for-pound fighters in the world. The 30-year-old is known as The Monster because he has incredible power for a fighter of his stature. Inoue only needed five fights before he received his first major title shot, and he secured a sixth round TKO against Adrian Hernandez to win the WBC light flyweight title.
After a successful title defense, Inoue moved up and easily took down WBO junior bantamweight champion Omar Narvaez by knockout in the second round. He stayed at junior bantamweight for a few years, taking on all comers until he thoroughly routed all his opponents, and then he made the move to bantamweight.
Inoue was incredible in his first three fights in that weight class. He won the title with a first-round knockout of Jamie McDonnell for the WBA bantamweight belt, and his first two title defenses were over inside of two rounds. Nonito Donaire gave him his best challenge yet in the World Boxing Super Series final, yet Inoue managed to win a comfortable unanimous decision and then stopped Donaire in the second round three years later.
Stephen Fulton’s career started with a little fanfare as he was the reigning Golden Gloves gold medalist in the super bantamweight division before turning pro in October 2014. Some were skeptical of his long-term viability given in his inability to finish his opponents during the allotted time, and that led to Fulton having to wait for more than four years before receiving his first major title opportunity.
Fulton won the IBO super bantamweight title with a unanimous decision victory over Paulus Ambunda, and he claimed the WBO super bantamweight belt in January 2021. He added the WBC super bantamweight title with a majority decision victory over Brandon Figueroa in his toughest test yet, but he was sharp in his title defense last summer.
This is going to be a tough fight for Inoue as he is at a 3.5-inch reach disadvantage against Fulton. However, his power should be enough for him to carry the day as Fulton doesn’t have much stopping power.
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