By: Sean Crose
If all goes nicely, 2023 will probably be remembered as a 12 months the place main fights went down within the sport of boxing, a 12 months the place the very best took on the very best repeatedly. Gervonta Davis-Ryan Garcia, Tyson Fury-Oleksandr Usyk, Errol Spence-Terence Crawford (although that one doesn’t look too promising), Vasyl Lomachenko-Devin Haney, Canelo Alvarez-Dmitry Bivol 2, these are extremely anticipated bouts which will nicely grow to be actuality inside the subsequent 12 months or so. And now stories that Naoya Inoue might throwdown with Stephen Fulton within the spring have emerged, courtesy of ESPN. It’s thrilling for followers, frankly. And the followers most definitely deserve a battle of this caliber after late 2022, the place longed for potential matchups merely evaporated into skinny air.
Doubtless, Inoue-Fulton is likely one of the finest fights that may be made within the sport. Not solely do these fighters have a number of the finest nicknames in all of boxing (“The Monster” and “Cool Boy Steph” respectively), neither man has ever tasted defeat. They usually’ve received sufficient world title belts between them to fill a glass cupboard. Inoue has received 7 world titles in three totally different weight divisions. He was final seen profitable the undisputed bantamweight championship of the world in December when he stopped Paul Butler in 11. Fulton, then again presently holds the WBC and WBO junior featherweight titles in his possession.
Inoue, after all, wish to add these belts to his personal spectacular assortment. Having polished off your complete bantamweight division, the 29 12 months outdated Japanese fighter is trying ahead to greater issues. Philly’s Fulton, nevertheless, is not any joke. Final seen in motion cruising previous Daniel Roman again within the spring, the 29 12 months outdated is as sharp as they arrive within the ring. Quick, correct, and possessing wonderful footwork, Fulton is aware of how one can make use of a premier degree battle plan and has the arrogance and athleticism to hold it out.
But Inoue is one thing totally different. As Boxing Insider’s 2022 fighter of the 12 months, the person tore by his competitors just like the star attraction that he’s. As I wrote on the time, “in a profession that’s lasted a bit over ten years, Japan’s Inoue has grow to be a world titlist in three weight divisions and presently has a resume of twenty-four wins towards zero losses. What’s extra, all however three of these wins have come inside the distance. Inoue, as is kind of apparent, can hit. Onerous. He additionally closes the present in wildly spectacular vogue.”
One thing Futlon, who seems to be as if he might bravely journey to Inoue’s residence nation to face the person, may need to bear in mind.
