The highly anticipated fight between Stephen Fulton and Naoya Inoue has entered some dramatic waters in Tokyo. The two were supposed to fight at the Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan on the 25th of July. But now as we inch closer by each day to the big fight, there seems to be impending trouble that shrouds the event. And this time it is Fulton’s team that has in fact threatened to walk out of the matchup if their requests are not met with clarity.

WBC and WBO super Bantamweight champion Stephen ‘Cool Boy’ Fulton 21-0 (8) was supposed to fight Naoya ‘Monster’ Inoue 24-0 (21) in the most graceful and dignified fashion. There has been no smack talk, no attempts to pull down the other. It’s been all respect and admiration, as the the two were in consensus about the thought that it is in fact the best going against the best. But three days before the two saw each other in the ring, the match entered some skeptical waters. It is Fulton’s team that is spearheading this uncertainty.

Hand Wraps, a possible reason behind Stephen Fulton vs Naoya collapse

In a press conference over the weekend, Cool Boy’s trainer, Wahid Rahim expressed his disapproval of three-weight world champion Naoya Inoue wearing hand wraps while fighting. He further threatened to walk away from the WBC/WBO junior Featherweight title fight if his concerns are not addressed. Rahim said that the way the Japanese fighter wraps his hands is considered ‘stacking’ in most commissions around the world. It is a safety hazard for his opponents in the ring.

Rahim continued by saying, “In previous fights, Inoue and his team have wrapped his hands with an excessive amount of tape, and then applied more tape to the gauze which creates a cast.” Questioning the threat to his fighter’s safety, the trainer further said, ” We can wrap our hands in the same fashion but then where is the level of safety for our fighters?”

As Fulton’s trainer made the bold statement at the conference, the fighter turned towards his trainer and smiled. The trainer gripped stronger with his threat of backing out. He further said that this remains their only requirement clause in the fight. Fulton’s team has reportedly made no demands in the contract, including that of a rematch clause.

A nail-biting undercard for the big clash

While there is no response that has come from the Japanese fighter’s camp, there is hope for the fight to still go as planned. If it does, along with the most befitting clash between Fulton and Naoya, boxing enthusiasts are also going to get an array of memorable bouts in the undercard.

First, Robeisy Ramirez will be taking on Satoshi Shimizu. They will fight each other for the WBO Featherweight title on the line. WBO Featherweight champion Ramirez is defending his title for the first time after winning it from Isaac Dogboe. Satoshi Shimizu, who is on a 3-win fight streak hopes to get his hands on the WBO title. Further, the undercard also features Chihiro Iwashita vs. Hiroyuki Takahara for a super featherweight matchup amongst other exciting bouts.

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As we await more details about the demands that Fulton’s team has put forward, it is to only see if Inoue’s camp will give what has been asked of them. Will the fight go as planned or will it collapse at the last moment? What do you think of hand wraps? Let us know in the comments section below.

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