Looks like Inoue already has a challenger, and they might fight before the year ends.
Naoya Inoue had previously said he wants to keep testing his limits.
On Tuesday, at the Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan, he did exactly that. The man dubbed “The Monster” delivered a monstrous performance—stopping the erstwhile unbeaten Stephen Fulton in the eighth round to win the latter’s WBC and WBO titles.
Ranged against a heftier, taller, rangier, and supposedly savvier opponent, Inoue used blazing speed, impeccable timing, and explosive power to flummox Fulton right at the very first round—peppering him with well-timed jabs and catching him with hard shots to the body and head. Inoue was also relentless, all fight long, stalking the American and beating him to the punch practically every time they engaged.
The beginning of the end came with under two minutes in the eighth round, when Inoue caught Fulton flush with a straight right hand set up by a left jab, followed by a left hook that sent the visitor to the canvass. Fulton got up but was on wobbly legs and visibly hurt—and was no match for a monster moving in for the kill. The now four-division world champion rained down more punches on Fulton, before the referee mercifully waived off the much-anticipated title fight.
After the fight, Inoue reiterated his other desire: to become the unified champ at 122. And, on cue, the man holding the WBA and IBF belts got inside the ring and challenged the Japanese prizefighter.
That man is Marlon Tapales, who won his titles back in April by upsetting the previously unbeaten Uzbek fighter Murodjon Akhmadaliev. He later on made it clear that he wants to fight the winner of Fulton-Inoue in the hopes of unifying the super bantamweight division.
“I want to fight Naoya Inoue because I want to prove that I am a champion,” Tapales said as he stood face-to-face in the ring with the champ.
Inoue, basking in the glow of his latest conquest, made it clear himself that he is up for Tapales’ challenge.
“Let’s do it this year!” Inoue told Tapales.
Looks like it is on.