"Monster" Naoya Inoue (25-0, 22 KOs) scored an impressive stoppage victory in the eighth round over Stephen Fulton (21-1, 8 KOs) and took away the WBC and WBO super bantamweight belts from him in the main event of the boxing evening at the Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan. For Inoue, this is the champion title in the fourth weight category.
30-year-old Inoue actively worked with a jab and pursued his opponent from the very first round. Fulton, 29, occasionally tried to counter the aggressive Japanese, who evaded almost all punches and continued to hit with the left, which resulted in a nosebleed in the fourth round.
In the eighth round, Inoue picked up the pace even more and landed an accurate right to the head. Steven staggered and Naoya quickly followed up with a left hook and got knocked down. Fulton bravely got up and resumed the fight, but Inoue pounced on him and cornered him with a series of blows. Referee Hector Afu signaled the go-ahead as Fulton fell back into the corner post. The time to stop the fight is 1:14.
“I am very happy to become the champion in the second bantamweight division. I sincerely appreciate the support of the fans and their contribution to this wonderful event,” said the new champion.
After the announcement of the result, the WBA and IBF champion in this weight category, Marlon Tapales, rose into the ring, demonstrated his belts and staged a battle of views with the new champion, a duel with which for all four belts could take place before the end of this year.
