The city of Philadelphia is home to many of the most prominent fighters in the sport of boxing today. Danny Garcia is currently preparing to challenge Erislandy Lara for a middleweight title. Meanwhile, Jaron “Boots” Ennis is on the doorstep of a world title shot. Not to be forgotten, Stephen Fulton Jr. has captured two super bantamweight titles while beating talented fighters like Angelo Leo, Brandon Figueroa and Daniel Roman along the way. On Tuesday, he dared to be great and took on the toughest challenge of his career — Naoya Inoue. Fulton Jr. not only agreed to fight one of the most dynamic fighters in recent memory, but he also agreed to do so in Inoue’s home country of Japan. In the end. Fulton Jr.’s slick boxing senses were not enough to fend of Inoue, who won by TKO in the eighth round.
“[I’m] upset about what happened, but it comes with the territory. Thanks to everyone who supported me. I feel like I let y’all down as well as myself. [Thanks] to the city of Philadelphia for having my back and I will bounce back,” Fulton Jr. tweeted after the fight.
Several of his Philadelphia boxing counterparts hopped on social media to back Fulton Jr. as he bounces back from his first pro loss.
“I’m proud of [Stephen Fulton Jr.]. He dared to be great like a true champion,” Garcia wrote.
“Scooter [is] still a beast. I don’t care what none of y’all say! He did something a lot of people wouldn’t have,” Ennis added.
Boxers were not the only public figures offering support for Fulton Jr. Chart-topping artist and Philadelphia native Meek Mill also offered some words of encouragement for the former super bantamweight champion.
“[Stephen Fulton Jr.] lock in [in the] gym after you rest up. Triple up the grind and fire back champ! Philly [is] rocking [with you for real],” he wrote on Instagram.
“[Tests] like this should make you tougher. We [are] from [the] jungles. Double up on [them]. Chin up!”
Meek Mill with a message to Stephen Fulton after his defeat to Naoya Inoue… pic.twitter.com/2xKnSS7NVh
— Michael Benson (@MichaelBensonn) July 26, 2023
