- Naoya Inoue has opened as the -270 favorite to beat Stephen Fulton in a 122-pound title fight.
- Inoue and Fulton have reportedly agreed to fight for Fulton’s WBC and WBO belts in May.
- Inoue is aiming to win world titles in a 4th weight class while Fulton is looking to solidify his status as the best junior featherweight in the sport.
Naoya Inoue has opened as a sizable betting favorite to beat Stephen Fulton in a unified 122-pound title fight.
According to the online sportsbook SportsBetting.ag, The Japanese Monster is a -270 betting favorite to wrest Fulton’s junior featherweight titles. The American is currently listed at +210 odds.
The odds are interesting, to say the least. Inoue is the one moving up in weight and will be facing arguably the best 122-pound fighter today in Fulton. Inoue is also the challenger in this bout and likes him, Fulton is unbeaten with a 21-0 record with 8 knockouts.
Not surprisingly, this is the first time that Fulton has opened as the betting underdog in a professional boxing bout.
Naoya Inoue vs Stephen Fulton Agree on Title Fight
‼️ Stephen Fulton vs Naoya Inoue reportedly already has a deal agreed and the fight for Fulton's WBC & WBO super-bantamweight titles is being targeted for May/June in Japan. Inoue will challenge to become a four-weight world champion. [According to @BoxingScene] pic.twitter.com/NQoAkp18gl
— Michael Benson (@MichaelBensonn) January 18, 2023
The fight is expected to take place in Japan, where five out of Inoue’s last eight bouts have taken place. No date has been mentioned although it’s expected that the fight will happen in May. Inoue usually fights on Tuesday nights in his home country, so the bout will be streamed live in the morning in the United States.
Fulton has never fought outside the U.S. but given what’s at stake here – potential superstardom, he did not think twice about traveling to Japan to take on Inoue and a hostile Japanese crowd. The American believes that a win over Inoue would put him on the pound-for-pound list and cement his status as the best 122-pound fighter on the planet.
Interestingly, Fulton is promoted by Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) while Inoue is contractually obligated to Top Rank Boxing. The two promotions rarely do business with one another. However, in the case of Inoue, his Japanese promoter gets any fight done, especially if the bouts are booked in Japan.
Stephen Fulton Dominates Daniel Roman in Last Bout
Fulton, who hails from Philadelphia, is the current WBC and WBO junior featherweight champion. The 28-year-old is coming off a unanimous decision win over former WBA and IBF 122-pound king Daniel Roman last June. Fulton thoroughly outboxed Roman in the twelve-round affair and lost only one total round in three scorecards.
The no.1 ranked super featherweight by The Ring was looking at a rematch with Brandon Figueroa for the interim WBC featherweight title which was ordered by the promotion. Fulton defeated Figueroa in a narrow majority decision in one of the most action-packed fights of 2021. In that bout, Fulton annexed the WBC junior featherweight title from Figueroa.
With Fulton choosing a high-profile bout with Japanese superstar Inoue, Figueroa has turned his attention to Mark Magsayo, the Filipino who dethroned long-time featherweight champion Gary Russell Jr. last year. Figueroa and Magsayo are in the process of finalizing a deal to fight on March 4th.
Inoue Looking to Win 4th Weight Class
Meanwhile, Inoue is eyeing to become a four-division world champion by beating Fulton. The 29-year-old from Kanagawa, Japan has won world titles at light flyweight, junior bantamweight, and bantamweight. Last December, Inoue scored an 11th-round TKO of Paul Butler to become the first four-belt undisputed world champion in boxing.
He is also currently the no. 1 ranked Pound for Pound fighter by The Ring and is the only Japanese fighter in history to accomplish the feat. Known as the “Monster” because of his otherworldly punching power, Inoue owns an 88% knockout ratio, with 21 of his wins coming by KO. His last 19 bouts have been world title fights and only two opponents went the distance – David Carmona in 2016 and Nonito Donaire Jr. in 2019.
Earlier this month, Inoue announced that he will be relinquishing his four 118-pound belts to move up to the junior featherweight division. Taking on Fulton in his 122-pound debut will give Inoue the opportunity to gauge whether he keeps going up in weight or if he has reached his limit. Inoue’s opening odds against Fulton are his longest opening odds ever as a prized fighter.
