Credit: Twitter
Naoya Inoue proved once again why he is one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world, as he stopped Stephen Fulton in the eighth round to unify the WBC and WBO junior featherweight titles on Sunday in Tokyo. The Japanese star dominated the fight from start to finish, using his jab, speed, power, and accuracy to overwhelm the American champion, who had no answer for Inoue's onslaught.
Inoue dropped Fulton with a jab to the body and a right hand to the head early in the eighth round and then followed up with a barrage of punches that forced the referee to stop the fight. It was Inoue's 22nd knockout in 25 fights, and his fourth world title in as many weight classes. He improved his record to 25-0, while Fulton suffered his first defeat in 22 bouts.
The boxing world reacted with awe and admiration for Inoue's performance, as many pro boxers and experts praised his skills and achievements on Twitter. Here are some of the tweets that captured the mood after the fight:
Inoue's victory sets up a potential showdown with WBA champion Brandon Figueroa, who was ringside to watch the fight. Figueroa is coming off a knockout win over Luis Nery in May and has expressed his desire to face Inoue in a unification bout. If that fight happens, it would be another exciting matchup between two of the best fighters in the 122-pound division.
