“Pound For Pound” Boxing King Naoya Inoue: What’s Next For The Bantamweight World Champion?1/11/2023 29-year-old Naoya Inoue of Japan is in the midst of a historic career, one that has him ranked among the absolute best pound for pound boxers of his generation. The 5-foot-5 Inoue is currently the undisputed bantamweight world champion. He holds a perfect 24-0 career professional boxing record, with a whopping 21 of those wins coming via knockout (the other three via decision). It all started just over a decade ago when a then-19-year-old Inoue defeated Crison Omayao in Tokyo on Oct. 2, 2012. His most recent fight took place against 34-year-old Paul Butler of England back on Dec. 13 in Tokyo. Inoue won the match via knockout, handing Butler just the third loss of his professional career. For a while now, the boxing world has held out hope for a marquee match between Inoue and 28-year-old Stephen Fulton of Philadelphia,Pennsylvania. Fulton also holds a perfect professional boxing record (21-0), with his most recent win coming against Daniel Roman on June 4, 2022 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Boxing is one of several sports that customers can bet on through the many available Pennsylvania Sports Betting Apps that are also offering special sign-up bonuses to new customers. This included a 100 percent deposit match of up to $1,000 plus $25 on the house from BetMGM, a 100 percent deposit match of up to $1,000 from Betway and a 200 percent deposit match of up to $100 from Caesars plus $10 upon registration. Through these sports apps, residents of Pennsylvania can place all sorts of different wagers. This includes futures (league champions, award winners, etc.), money lines, props and point spreads. You can bet on a specific game or combine several bets into one with the hope of a bigger payout (parlays). Inoue will turn 30 years of age on Apr. 10. He’s still very much in his prime and has several more defining moments and fights ahead of him. Having accomplished everything in the bantamweight division, Inoue’s eyes are now set on a move to the next division — with a dream fight against Fulton possibly on the horizon. Inoue Planning To Move Up To Super Bantamweight DivisionPer The Japan Times, the World Boxing Organization recently gave Inoue the bantamweight world champion status. As noted by the article, Inoue now has “priority for a title shot if he moves up to challenge” Fulton. Via The Asahi Shimbun, Inoue announced ahead of his showdown with Butler that it would be “his final chapter” in the bantamweight division. Having unified all four bantamweight titles, Inoue now plans to move up to the super bantamweight division. Moving up there would be the next big step in the career of Inoue, who simply has nothing left to prove in the bantamweight division. Inoue is also a former light-flyweight champion and super fly-weight champion. Previewing A Potential Inoue-Fulton Dream BoutA boxing match between Inoue and Fulton would be filled with tremendous hype for a variety of reasons. It’s not every day where you get to see two separate undefeated world champions from different divisions face off, after all.
Inoue cruised through the previous fighting divisions he went through. Fulton (listed at 5-foot-6 ½ in height) has eight career knockouts over his 21 fights. The former International Boxing Organization super bantamweight champion, who’s one year younger than Inoue, has displayed excellent stamina and defense throughout his boxing career. Each of Fulton’s last four fights went to 12 rounds. As previously noted, he defeated Roman in Minneapolis last June. He also had to go to 12 rounds in his bouts with Arnold Khegai (Jan. 25, 2020), Angelo Leo (Jan. 23, 2021) and Brandon Figueroa (Nov. 27, 2021). The victories over Roman, Khegai and Leo came via unanimous decision, and the win over Figueroa was by majority decision. Inoue’s strengths are his speed and punching power in both his hands. Place him in the ring with Fulton, and you truly have a once-in-a-lifetime, can’t-miss bout. Would Inoue’s offense prove too much for Fulton, or would the latter and his battle-tested stamina manage to hold off the undisputed bantamweight world champion? Boxing fans will just have to wait patiently and hope that this widely-rumored match finally comes together. Again, Inoue accomplished everything he could as a bantamweight fighter. Up next, it’s time to challenge for championship gold in the super bantamweight division.
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