Naoya Inoue is ready to take two more world titles and become the Pound for Pound King of Boxing when he challenges for the super bantamweight crown.
The three-division world champion, known as “Monster,” will embark on his quest to conquer a fourth weight class. He challenges WBC/WBO world champion Stephen Fulton this Tuesday, July 25.
Fulton vs Inoue occurs at Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan, and is live on ESPN+.
In the 12-round co-feature, Cuban sensation Robeisy “El Tren” Ramirez (12-1, 7 KOs) will make the first defense of his WBO featherweight world title against Japanese contender Satoshi Shimizu (11-1, 10 KOs).
Fulton-Inoue, Ramirez-Shimizu, and undercard fights will stream live and exclusively in the U.S. starting at 4:30 a.m. ET/1:30 a.m. PT.
Inoue is challenging for a belt for the first time in five years. He’s confident he can pick up another victory. A win for Inoue will stop Errol Spence or Terence Crawford from becoming P4P number one a few days later.
Naoya Inoue
“Coming up to junior featherweight to challenge Stephen Fulton for the title has given me great motivation.
“I get excited thinking about this fight and about how I will perform. I’ve been watching the film of Fulton, and I think he is a very intelligent fighter.”
“I haven’t been a challenger in five years. That has heightened my motivation as well. I think I will be able to perform better than before.”
On the delay, Inoue added: “Due to my injury, the fight had to be rescheduled for the 25th. I feel grateful for the cooperation of everyone involved in the promotion and Team Fulton to make this happen.
“And because of that gratitude, I want to fight with everything I have on the 25th.”
Robeisy Ramirez
“I feel great. We’ve had a great training camp. I’m very happy to be in Japan and to get to know this country and its culture. I’m ready for everything that lies ahead.”
“I don’t know much about my opponent, but as I have said since this fight was presented, we all know that Japanese fighters are warriors. I hope he is ready because I am coming at 100 percent.”
On defending his title, Ramirez added: “This is my first defense, and it’s always super important for any champion.
“This is the next step on my way to becoming the best featherweight in the world. I will be me and have fun, the Robeisy that everyone knows inside the ring.”
