TOKYO (AFP) – Japan’s Naoya Inoue knocked out American Stephen Fulton in his super-bantamweight debut to claim the World Boxing Council (WBC) and World Boxing Organization (WBO) world titles in Tokyo on Tuesday.
The unbeaten Inoue, nicknamed “Monster”, floored Fulton in the eighth round with a volley of juddering punches.
He took his record to 25-0, with 22 knock-outs, dethroning 29-year-old Fulton – one of the two world champions in the super-bantamweight division along with Marlon Tapales of the Philippines.
“In the super-bantamweight division, I think I can grow even stronger,” Inoue told a roaring crowd at the Ariake Arena after the fight.
“But I only hold two belts now – my goal is to unify all the four super-bantamweight titles.”
In December, Inoue became the first undisputed world bantamweight champion in half a century – a feat last accomplished by Panama’s Enrique Pinder in 1972 – by beating England’s Paul Butler to add the WBO title to his WBC, World Boxing Association and International Boxing Federation belts.
Then in January, Inoue relinquished all his titles to move up to the super-bantamweight division.
While Fulton proved tenacious and returned fire with some clean shots, the Japanese boxer lived up to his nickname. A ferocious right followed by a left hook knocked Fulton to the canvas in the eighth round.
Fulton got back up, but Inoue’s rapid fire punches drove him deep into the corner and onto the canvas, persuading the referee to call a technical knockout.
“I’m very disappointed in myself and my performance,” Fulton told reporters after the fight, but added that he “doesn’t feel bad”.
“He was a great fighter – that’s why he got to win today,” the American said of his opponent.
Tuesday’s victory means 30-year-old Inoue has now held world titles in four different weight divisions, after previously claiming belts in light-flyweight, super-flyweight and bantamweight.
Tapales of the Philippines was at the fight and afterwards declared his intention to take on Inoue “to prove (to) myself that I’m champion”.
It was just the latest boxing feat by the fierce-punching Inoue, who with his December knock-out win over Butler became only the ninth undisputed world champion since the four-belt era began in 2004.
Last year, Inoue also became the first Japanese boxer to top Ring Magazine’s prestigious pound-for-pound rankings as the best fighter across all weight divisions.
