Stephen Fulton is one of the elite boxers in the world, one of nine unified champions in the sport. As good as he is, though, he fights in a weight class that makes him all but anonymous in the U.S.
Boxing fans in the U.S. gravitate toward the bigger fighters and 122-pound super bantamweights such as Fulton, the IBF-WBC champion, often get overlooked despite frequently possessing prodigious talent.
They don’t overlook super bantamweights in Japan, though, particularly when said fighter is competing in the biggest fight of the year in that country and one of the biggest of the year anywhere. On Tuesday (4:30 a.m. ET, ESPN+) in Tokyo before a crowd of more than 60,000, Fulton will defend his title against hometown hero and former undisputed bantamweight champion Naoya Inoue.
The bout is getting scant attention in the U.S. relative to Saturday’s welterweight showdown for the undisputed title between Errol Spence Jr. and Terence Crawford in Las Vegas. And Fulton knew that the moment he walked off the plane in Tokyo two weeks ago.
He was swarmed by media, photographers and fans, who all wanted a word, a picture or a pat on the back. The scene was like it might be if American fans caught a glimpse of Patrick Mahomes in an airport.
“It was a good feeling,” Fulton told Yahoo Sports of the reception. “It felt good. It felt like a relaxing sensation for myself. It was like, ‘This is what I’ve been needing my whole life.'”
Fulton is 21-0 with seven knockouts — more on that later — but Inoue knows the challenge he’ll face. Inoue has won championships at light flyweight (108 pounds), super flyweight (115 pounds) and bantamweight (118 pounds). He also fought at flyweight, though he never won a title there and never campaigned seriously at 112 pounds.
He’s known as “The Monster,” and is one of the best punchers in the sport. His body attacks are particularly brutal, and he’s scored 21 knockouts while racking up a 24-0 record. Fulton, though, is a different animal altogether, as Inoue admits.
“From here it will be a real challenge,” Inoue said. “This is my fifth weight class, so I’m pushing the boundaries of my build, my limits. Even I don’t know how it’s going to go. I am not underestimating it. But I do want to measure up to people’s expectations. I’m being careful, and it is what I am facing.”
Inoue is incomprehensibly better than a 3-1 favorite to defeat Fulton. At BetMGM, he is -350 while the champion is +275. Inoue is even money to win by KO, which figures to be a challenge for him given he’s competing 14 pounds higher than when he began his career in November of 2012.
There are stylistic similarities between the 2015 superfight between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao and Tuesday’s bout between Fulton and Inoue. Fulton has the boxing ability and sharp punches that Mayweather possessed, while Inoue is the smaller guy moving up and showing incredible one-punch power at each stop.
Inoue said he expects Fulton to use the ring and box, and referred to his style as “that American springiness.” Fulton liked the Mayweather-Pacquiao comparisons.
“I would never compare myself to Floyd Mayweather or anything like that,” Fulton said, beaming, when he was asked if he saw comparisons of his bout with Inoue to Mayweather-Pacquiao. “I’m my own guy, my own fighter and I have my own style. I’m smiling because a couple of people said that to me since I’ve been here, and I’ve gotten a couple of calls with the person saying I remind them of Floyd. … One of my previous opponents, Danny Romano, said the same thing when he was analyzing this fight.
“But yes, I do see myself as a great defensive fighter when I want to be, and I said that because I can really do anything I want to do in the ring. I can do any style. It comes down to how do I feel when I wake up that morning [how I’ll fight].”
His defense will have to be on point, particularly if Inoue is able to carry his vaunted power up another weight class. Inoue is extraordinarily quick, and has the kind of footwork that gets him inside easily, where he viciously attacks the body. Even if he doesn’t drop an opponent early, there are few who can sustain that kind of withering attack to the body for long.
He’s going to force Fulton to defend because he’s clearly an offensive-first fighter. Inoue believes in his power, even while beginning the journey in his fifth weight class. He just wants to be cautious because Fulton is the biggest opponent he’s met.
“If it lands, I think he will go down,” Inoue said. “If it lands, and is timed right, he will go down. It also depends on the flow of the fight, and my strategy will probably shift too.
“Also, look at the super bantamweight fighters: [Luis] Nery, [John] Casimero, [Marlon] Tapales. Looking at the top fighters, they came up from lower weight classes. Their frames aren’t so different. I don’t think I’m lacking behind fighting them with power or speed. For Fulton, he’s full super bantamweight, even on the featherweight side, and that will be the part where I will be taking precautions and making strategies for.”
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