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Philippines, 29 Jan 2026 |
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Naoya Inoue to Challenge Stephen Fulton for Unified 122 Belts; Could Casimero Face the Winner? By Carlos Costa PhilBoxing.com Fri, 17 Feb 2023  After stopping Nonito Donaire in 2 rounds last year, knocking out British champ Paul Butler and then vacating all his four 118 world titles, sensational Japanese KO artist “Monster” Naoya Inoue (24-0, 21 KO's) propels his stellar career even further by challenging Undefeated/Unified WBC/WBO super bantamweight world champion Stephen Fulton (21-0, 8 KO's) in a Top Rank Promotion in Japan at a date and venue TBA, live on ESPN+. Will the electrifying warrior Naoya Inoue stop the lesser-known Stephen Fulton to become THE NEW Unified champ at 122? Or will the confident 28-year-old Philadelphia-native be the one destined to shock and defeat the thrilling unbeaten Japanese superstar? AND, further down the road, should Naoya Inoue prevail, would the Japanese want to fight 34-year-old Filipino former champ Johnriel Casimero? In fact, Naoya and Johnriel were ready and willing to collide not that long ago, during the tougher times of covid. Sadly, restrictions completely disrupted and knocked out the interesting rumble. As a result, both fighters had to go their separate ways, although fans' genuine interest in Naoya and Johnriel to collide hasn't gone away. However, right now, what the disciplined 29-year-old Naoya Inoue really needs is to focus 100% on his crucial world title fight against a skilled champion warrior as Stephen Fulton, a fighter with two super bantamweight world title belts for a reason.  Sometime in future, would it be possible for boxing fans to be treated to Inoue vs Casimero? That is always a possibility, and only time will tell. That is why Casimero (32-4, 22 KO's), should better keep himself active, maintaining himself in shape and controlling his weight, making sure that he will be strong and fast - with the eye of the tiger on - ready to strike harsh when the big fight arises. The author veteran boxing reporter Carlos Costa of Panama can be reached at carlos@philboxing.com and whatsapp +639184538152. Click here to view a list of other articles written by Carlos Costa.  |
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