Naoya Inoue dominated and stopped Stephen Fulton Jr. to win the WBC and WBO junior featherweight titles, becoming a four-division world champion.
After dealing with a one-sided affair on the part of Inoue (25-0, 22 KO), Fulton Jr. was put away in the eighth round by a fighter who has now laid universal claim for the top fighter on the pound-for-pound rankings.
Inoue vs. Fulton Recap
Leading into the stoppage, Fulton had already gone down but kept trying to fight on. It wasn’t until Inoue clipped Fulton, that the Japanese phenom went in for the kill.
THE SLOW-MO SHOT 🥶@NaoyaInoue_410 | #FultonInoue pic.twitter.com/X605OPAbuq
— Top Rank Boxing (@trboxing) July 25, 2023
Inoue, 30, controlled the pace of the fight from the opening bell, while Fulton was being outclassed and couldn’t find his rhythm, especially when having to deal with the fight IQ and skills of Inoue, along with his always dangerous knockout power that made Fulton Jr. a bit stagnant in the fight.
Fulton was dominated both in boxing skill and power, which has been the case for every bout Inoue has been in since his debut at 108 pounds to now 122 pounds, blazing through each division. Fulton was the best fighter the division had to offer, and Inoue steamrolled him.
For many years, boxing fans and critics have somewhat brushed Inoue to the side in talks of pound-for-pound greatness in favor of names such as Canelo Alvarez, Terence Crawford, Oleksandr Usyk, and more. But this was proof of the sheer greatness Inoue has offered the sport. He is legitimate, and he is the peak of boxing prowess.
