WBC / WBO world champion in the second bantamweight (up to 55.3 kg) American Stephen Fulton (21-0, 8 KOs) will fight one of the leaders pound Japanese Naoe Inoue (24-0, 21 KOs), ex-absolute division below.
The fight will take place on May 23 at the 20,000th Saitama Super Arena (Saitama, Japan). The event has even appeared in the schedule of the sports complex.
But do not rush to rejoice.
Writes columnist Jake Donovan: “I’m not sure about the sources for the date of the fight Inoue vs Fulton. And yes, I can use Google search. But I was told that the date of May 23 had not been finalized. Most likely, the fight will really take place in May, but they told me briefly and clearly about the date – this is a mistake.
Inoue is the conqueror of three weight divisions. The fight with the near-pound Fulton in a new weight category for himself is a chance to gain a foothold in the top R4P rating.
If Naoya wins, he will become the second four-division conqueror in Japanese history (the first was Kazuto Ioka) and the first Japanese unified champion in two weights (previously, the same Ioka failed to do this).
And for Fulton, a victory over the Japanese would be a pass to top 10 Р4Р. By the way, he promises to declassify Inoue. Meanwhile, promoter Eddie Hearn claims that Akhmadaliev will fight the Monster for the absolute without any problems.