Inoue destroys Fulton to seize unified junior featherweight title
'The Monster' dominates from start to finish to become four-division champion; Ramirez stops Shimizu to retain featherweight belt
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Naoya Inoue continued his devastating run through weight classes, this time rising to junior featherweight and pounding Stephen Fulton into a one-sided eighth-round knockout on Tuesday to take his unified WBC/WBO titles before a sold-out crowd of about 12,000 at Ariake Arena in Tokyo.
Inoue won a world title in his fourth weight class with the kind of overwhelming performance that harkened back to the swath of carnage Manny Pacquiao left in his wake during his 2000s dominance of moving up the scale.
“The Monster,” who is a former junior flyweight and junior bantamweight champion, became the first undisputed bantamweight champion in 50 years in December when he pummeled Paul Butler to take the fourth belt he needed for his collection. Even before that bout, Inoue said it would be his last at 118 pounds and that he would next move up to 122 pounds.
So, he vacated the bantamweight titles and turned his attention to junior featherweight and didn’t waste anyone’s time with a tune-up fight.
Inoue went right for the No. 1 fighter in the division in Fulton, who was happily waiting for him for a fight put together quickly and with no drama. Next up, Inoue will likely fight for the undisputed title in his new weight class against IBF/WBA titleholder Marlon Tapales.
Fulton was a quality, unbeaten opponent with a good resume making his third defense, but Inoue beat him down using powerful, precision punching. He took Fulton apart with ease as he moved to a staggering 20-0 with 18 knockouts in world title fights.
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