By Geoffrey Ciani: Who will win the junior featherweight mega bout showdown between unified WBO/WBC champion Stephen Fulton and former three division champion Naoya Inoue?
This one is a spectacular match-up, and both boxers deserve tremendous credit for making it happen, with The Monster challenging for the unified championship in his first bout at 122, and Cool Boy Steph traveling to Japan in his opponent’s home country. There is a lot to be excited about for this championship bout between two prime undefeated prizefighters, and this one could potentially become a Fight of the Year caliber contest.
The Monster will have recently turned 30 years old by the time the fight happens, and Inoue is already a 3-division world champion, winning titles at junior flyweight, junior bantamweight, and bantamweight. Last December Inoue became the first undisputed world bantamweight champion during the modern 4-belt era. Inoue was likewise the first undisputed world bantamweight champion since way back in the 2-belt era nearly 50 years ago.
Cool Boy Steph is 28 years old, and he is the unified champion who has been on an outstanding run in recent years where he really appears to be coming into his own. In January 2021, Fulton beat Angelo Leo by 12 round unanimous decision to win the WBO junior featherweight belt. Then in November 2021, Fulton had a grueling encounter in a unification bout against Brandon Figueroa, where Fulton won a 12 round majority decision to capture the WBC belt. Most recently, last June, Fulton defended his unified championship when he won a 12 round unanimous decision against Daniel Roman.
So who will win the junior featherweight showdown between Stephen Fulton and Naoya Inoue?
This edition of Rummy’s Corner will attempt to answer that question while providing a quick preview for the upcoming junior featherweight battle between Stephen Fulton and Naoya Inoue. This is Rummy’s Corner (produced and narrated by Geoffrey Ciani).