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Naoya Inoue may still have unfinished business at 118 pounds, but the Japanese dynamo is apparently already eyeing some of the bigger matchups at 122.
In a recent interview, Inoue, the WBC/WBA/IBF bantamweight champion, was asked to consider moving up to junior featherweight in the near future and fighting division champions Stephen Fulton ( WBO, WBC) of Philadelphia and Stephen Fulton (WBO, WBC) of Philadelphia. Murodjon Akhmadaliev of Uzbekistan (IBF, WBA).
Inoue said he watched Fulton’s unification fight with Brandon Figueroa last September at the Park Theater in Las Vegas, which Fulton won by a competitive 12-round majority decision. Inoue noted that he didn’t think Fulton (21-0, 8 KOs) showed the best of his ability in that performance, as he praised his ability to keep his distance. The three-division champion predicted that a fight between him and Philadelphia would be akin to a game of chess.
“I saw the Fulton-Brandon Figueroa fight,” Inoue told RingTV’s Daisuke Sugiura. “Fulton is a technical fighter. He can keep his distance from him very well. I only saw one of his fights and I don’t think Figueroa’s fight was the best, so I prefer not to say much more. If we fight each other, I think it will be a great technical battle. It will not be an easy fight. Fulton has a long range, and I think it’s about how (well, I close) the distance.”
Inoue added: “I haven’t fought any black fighters yet. That is also an unknown area for me. Black athletes tend to be physically strong. I would love to fight them and feel their athleticism.”
Inoue (23-0, 20 KOs) admitted he wasn’t as familiar with Akhmadaliev (11-0, 8 KOs). The Uzbek southpaw is coming off a 12-round knockout of Ronny Rios in June at San Antonio’s Tech Port Arena to retain his IBF and WBA titles.
“I haven’t seen much of Akhmadaliev yet, just a few highlights here and there,” Inoue said. “He has solid technique and he is a strong fighter. I can see that he had a formidable amateur career backed by the Uzbekistan system.”
However, a future fight with Fulton or Akhmadaliev is no guarantee, given the fragmented nature of the boxing business. Inoue, who is promoted by Top Rank in the United States, is currently the Amazon Prime flagship fighter in Japan, while Fulton is endorsed by Premier Boxing Champions and Akhmadaliev is promoted by Matchroom.
Inoue said that he would give in to his team when it comes to his career matchup.
“I will say who I would like to fight, what I would like to do, but in the end I will leave it up to my manager and promoter,” Inoue said. “I’m not going to intervene, the rest is up to them.”
Inoue will attempt to grab the last belt in the 118-pound division by taking on WBO champion Paul Butler of England in a full unification fight scheduled for December 13 in Japan, according to a recent report from ESPN.
