Demonstrating why he's aptly nicknamed "The Monster," Naoya Inoue gave a masterful display of his boxing skills this Tuesday.
Inoue steadily dismantled Stephen Fulton over seven rounds, skillfully employing a stab-jab to Fulton's midsection before delivering a powerful right to the jaw and a startling left hook, which sent the American tumbling onto his back.
In the face of Fulton's agonizing struggle to rise from the canvas, Inoue seized the moment to deliver a barrage of unanswered blows. The eighth-round TKO saw him crowned as the unified WBC and WBO junior featherweight world champion to the delight of the crowd at Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan.
"My goal this year was to fight [Fulton]," Inoue shared from the ring, following his electric performance.
The victory elevates Inoue's record to an impressive 25-0 with 22 KOs, securing two significant titles in his pursuit to dominate as the super bantamweight world champion. The defeat marked the first for Fulton, dropping his record to 21-1 with 8 KOs.
Despite being physically smaller and having to move up in weight, Inoue dominated the fight, establishing an effective jab early on and stringing together a series of combinations that left Fulton scrambling for a response.
Inoue's power only intensified as the rounds progressed, overwhelming Fulton with his activity rate and precision power punches until he decided to deliver the decisive eighth-round stoppage.
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