If you were not able to tune in this morning, you missed the fighter that many consider the #1 pound-for-pound in the world legitimizes his case for that ranking. Naoya Inoue was moving up another weight class and jumped straight into taking on the recognized champion Stephen Fulton Jr. Fulton a natural super-bantamweight was supposed to represent a bigger and stronger challenge and test Inoue’s skills like never before.

Except, none of that happened.

From the opening bell, Inoue showed that he was simply a step ahead. Despite Fulton being the bigger fighter, Inoue was able to negate Fulton’s jab, while dominating with his own. With his job a non-factor, Fulton struggled to create any real offense. As the rounds went on it felt like it was only a matter of time until Inoue was in a position to close the show. Then in the eighth round, it happened. Inoue stabbed Fulton in the body with a jab, he jabbed to the body again, then on the third jab he followed with a crushing right hand that spelled doom for Fulton. Fulton’s legs were wobbly, and his glove touched the canvas but it was a left hook that put him on the canvas. Fulton got up, but a flurry of unanswered punches brought a halt to the contest with 1:45 left to go in round eight. With his win, Inoue moves to (25-0, 22KO’s) and picked up the WBC & WBO super-bantamweight titles. The victory made him a four-division champion, and only the second Japanese fighter to accomplish that feat. Fulton drops to (21-1, 8KO’s) suffering his first-ever defeat.