By Dan Ambrose: Former WBC & WBO super bantamweight champion Stephen Fulton Jr says he wants a rematch with Naoya Inoue so that he can get his “get-back” to avenge his eighth-round knockout loss earlier this week on July 25th in Tokyo, Japan.
Despite getting dominated in every minute & second of their fight, the 29-year-old Fulton (21-1, 8 KOs) insists that he’s “better” than he showed.
Unfortunately for Fulton, his chances of getting a rematch with the 30-year-old Inoue are slim & none because the Japanese star has big plans of moving up to featherweight to become the undisputed champion in that weight class after he defeats IBF & WBA 122-lb champion Marlon Tapales in November to become the four-belt champ at super bantamweight.
Can Fulton win a rematch with Inoue?
Inoue exposed Fulton Jr’s complete lack of hand speed & power in their fight, and that’s not going to change in a rematch. Fulton is totally underequipped for the job of beating or even being competitive with Inoue, and that’s permanent.
If Fulton hasn’t shown power & hand speed by the age of 29, he’s not going to develop that by next year suddenly.
Without speed, without power, and the required courage, Fulton’s chances of winning a rematch with ‘Monster’ Inoue (25-0, 22 KOs) are dim.
Stephen Fulton Jr statement on Instagram:
“Disappointed in myself because I am better than that. I am better than that, and it wasn’t my night,
“I am among the elite. It isn’t the negative comments that get to me. It’s more so me knowing I am better than this, but I will be back. Hopefully, team Inoue will give me a rematch in the near future or when he has accomplished what he is set out to do.
I’ll be back by the end of the year. Don’t count me out; I’ll get my get-back!“
As bad as Fulton looked, you got to wonder how a mediocre fighter as he was able to capture two titles at super bantamweight. It’s more of a statement about the level of opposition in that division for him to have won two belts.
For Fulton to have any shot at getting a rematch with Inoue, he’s going to need to pick up some significant wins to make it worthwhile.
It won’t be enough for Fulton to run it back with guys he has already beaten, like Brandon Figueroa, Daniel Roman, or Angelo Leo. He will have to do something above & beyond to prove he deserves a rematch with the ‘Monster’ Inoue.
To get a rematch with Inoue, Fulton Jr. should move up to featherweight and beat two or three of the top guys in that weight class.
The 122 division is too barren of quality fighters for Fulton to create from the boxing public in a rematch with Inoue. The bantamweight division is a ghost town in terms of talented fighters. Hence, Fulton Jr won two titles.
Fighters Fulton MUST beat to earn a rematch with Inoue:
- Otabek Kholmatov
- Robeisy Ramirez
- Luis Antonio Lopez
- Raymond Ford
- Mauricio Lara
- Sergio Sanchez
It’s unlikely that Fulton beats any of those guys, especially Robeisy, Kholmatov & Luis Lopez. It would be a feeding frenzy, like throwing Hors d’oeuvres to hungry sharks.
Those fighters wouldn’t allow a slow-handed, weak-punching fighter like Fulton to see the eighth round unless they intentionally carried him to give the crowd something to see.
