“Four” Naoya “Monster” Inoue is a Great Champion!

Lightning fisted Japanese superstar Naoya “Monster” Inoue has made history again, conquering a fourth weight division!

This Tuesday he brilliantly won the World Boxing Council and World Boxing Organization super bantamweight titles, by knocking out the previously undefeated Stephen Fulton in the eighth round, at the Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan.

Fulton showed great heart and tried to stay smart as well as defensive,  but Inoue dazzled and confounded him with both speed, ingenuity and pinpoint precision..

From the first round Inoue went on the attack, determined to swiftly finish the fight. Fulton looked puzzled and clinched  his rival, so Referee Hector Afú to intervened several times to break them.

In the second and third rounds Inoue increasingly pressured Fulton with his punctuating punching power, forcing him  to move and evade incoming fire. Inoue was already firmly in control at this stage, on this stage.

In the fourth round, Inoue continued to press, but Fulton decided to stand his ground and exchange blows connecting solidly. In the fifth, busy Inoue continued to press and punish his rival with sizzling power.

Fulton unleashed good combinations in the sixth and seventh rounds, but Inoue had accurate plus measured counterattack answers to each foray by the American, clearly dominating those exchanges. The pace was picking up and gathering dizzying momentum.

The end came at one minute and fourteen seconds of round eight, when a lightning right hand from Inoue reduced Fulton to cotton wool wobbly legs, before a left hook sent him to the canvas. Fulton bravely managed to get to his feet, only to take more unrelenting shell shocking punishment from Inoue, who trapped him in a corner and unleashed an irresistible bombardment onslaught, forcing Referee Hector Afu to quickly, correctly and mercifully step in to save hm and stop the drubbing.

With this resounding victory, Inoue improves his record to 25 wins with 22 knockouts. Fulton who was previously undefeated and arrived as the most solid super bantamweight champ, left with his record at 21 wins and one loss.

“Everything I was thinking about was to fight him earlier this year,” Inoue said. “However, unfortunately, I got injured, and I had to postpone this fight. I am sorry to my team and Fulton’s team, but thank you so much for accepting this fight once again. I am so happy right now.”

Photos by Naoki Fukuda