Japanese star boxer Naoya Inoue has won world titles in three different divisions. When he faces unified super bantamweight world champion Stephen Fulton in July, he will get the chance to extend that to four weights.
Inoue has been dominant in the ring since turning pro in 2012. He has won all 24 of his fights, with 21 of those coming by stoppage, a very high number considering the weight he has been competing at.
The fight against Fulton will be Inoue’s toughest challenge yet. Not only will this be the highest weight he has fought at, but the world champion has been impressive in the super bantamweight division over the last four years.
The Monster is the Favorite to Prevail
Naoya Inoue will have the majority of the crowd behind him at the Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan. He is the odds-on favorite at -275 in the outright markets, for those who want to bet on the boxing bouts. In the method of victory market, the Japanese boxer is +138 to enhance his stoppage percentage by ending the fight inside the 12 rounds.
Fulton is +210 to keep up his 100% record as a professional and inflict the fight defeat on Inoue’s career so far. Success would be a huge boost to his pound-for-pound ranking in the sport, as the Japanese boxer is second on that list behind Oleksandr Usyk.
All three of Fulton’s world title fights have been won on points by the 28-year-old. He is +275 to get the result from the three judges’ scorecards in this huge contest in Japan.
Naoya Inoue Comes Off the Back of Excellent Win Over Butler
The last time Naoya Inoue was in the ring, he stopped WBO bantamweight champion Paul Butler in the 11th round of their fight. He won every round up to that point, landing 151 punches to his opponent’s 38.
On a record that is bettered by few in the sport today, Inoue has two wins over Nonito Donaire. He needed just two rounds to stop Emmanuel Rodriguez, while Jason Moloney, Michael Dasmarinas, and Aran Dipaen all proved no match for The Monster.
To step up to the super bantamweight division, Inoue had to vacate all five of his world titles at bantamweight. Takuma Inoue is now the WBA champion, and at this stage, the former undisputed champion has no plans to return to the division.
Fulton was Running Out of Opponents
The fight against Naoya Inoue is a great opportunity for Fulton as he has beaten the majority of his rivals in the super bantamweight division. The former undisputed bantamweight champion represents a fresh challenge.
Fulton first became a world champion when he defeated Angelo Leo for the WBO title in January 2021. He was handed a unanimous decision after dominating that 12-round contest in Montville, Connecticut.
The man from the Philippines added the WBC crown to his WBO title when he beat Brandon Figueroa in a unified fight. The result on that occasion was much closer, as Fulton was given a mixed decision. Two of the scorecards read 116-112, while one judge had it as a 114-114 draw.
Winner Likely to Face Marlon Tapales
Whoever comes out on top in this super bantamweight contest in July, they are likely to face WBA (Super) and IBF champion Marlon Tapales later this year or in early 2024. That would see all four belts on the line in the division.
Tapales won his two belts when he beat Murodjon Akhmadaliev in Texas earlier this year. The former bantamweight champion lost his first world title match at this weight when he went down to Ryosuke Iwasa in 2019. He took full advantage of his second opportunity, which now puts him in the mix for a clash with either Inoue or Fulton.
With 40 professional fights, Tapales has much more experience than Inoue and Fulton in the professional ranks. He will be hoping to use that to his advantage in the unification contest.
As one of the most popular fighters around the world today, boxing fans will be counting down the days until Naoya Inoue returns to the ring in July, slightly later than the bout was initially set to take place as the Japanese boxer needed more time to recover from an injury.
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