Naoya Inoue remains at the pinnacle of his best years. As a fighter who is not American, he has powered through the major ranks, emerging as a force of nature on the international charts. As he reflects on his success in the sport of boxing, the Japanese fighter speaks about what it is like to fight his American opponents. In December last year, after defeating Filipino southpaw Marlon Tapales, Inoue emerged undisputed in the super bantamweight division, an achievement he had also secured a year ago in the bantam division. He became the only second fighter to become twice undisputed in the four-belt era, following in the footsteps of Terence Crawford.

While the Tapales fight might have given him that historic moment in his career, his other fight last year was harder than one would have imagined for him. So hard that it could have derailed his path until this moment. But that has not happened. What are his takeaways from this journey? Let’s find out.

American boxers do not like getting punched in this one body part

Speaking to Ring Magazine, the 30-year-old champion held no qualms in describing what one thing his former opponent, Stephen Fulton, avoided in their in-ring confrontation. In July last year, for his first fight in the super bantam division, he defeated his American counterpart, Fulton. By doing so, he took over the WBC and WBO titles Fulton held, officially starting his reign in the weight class. His 8th-round technical knockout over the undefeated boxer impressed many, given how able his opponent was.

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When asked if he could gauge what Fulton was thinking during the lethal fight, he spilled some major beans. He explained, “I could pretty much sense [what he wanted to do]. I try to get a sense of how my opponent feels and what he thinks about my boxing ability in the first round. I thought Fulton’s facial expressions showed it clearly.”

He noted his explanation for why he thought 29-year-old ‘Cool Boy Steph’ did not like being hit in the face. Inoue gave a generic explanation. Something has to do with Fulton being American, he said. “I don’t know if it’s because he’s American, but he doesn’t like getting punched in the face. Their boxing style is different from Japanese fighters who fight with Yamato Damashii (Japanese spirit). Well, I think there are some fighters in the U.S. who fight like that, but probably not many.”

Did Naoya Inoue intimidate Fulton?

Sports journalist Daisuke Sugiura, a contributor to Ring, asked the Japanese ‘Monster’ if he thought that his opponent on fight night was intimidated in the initial rounds of their confrontation. In an analytical response, the Yokohama-based boxer explained, “I wouldn’t say intimidated, but I felt like he became cautious. I think he was surprised that I didn’t lose the exchange of jabs in the first round. I think my jab was as good as his, if not better.”

Boxing Update: Naoya Inoue Reveals His Plans for 2024 Before Moving Up to Featherweight

The undefeated Japanese fighter has fought a plethora of abled fighters. While he’s proven himself strong against each of them, he’s also gathered much experience in such undertakings. What do you think about his fight against Fulton? Let us know in the comments section below.

Watch This Story – Stephen Fulton vs Naoya Inoue: When ‘The Monster’ Decimated The ‘Cool Boy’