On Tuesday, Naoya Inoue imprinted his name within the boxing history books. In his first super bantamweight bout, the Japanese fighter stopped the previously unbeaten unified champion Stephe Fulton Jr. in the eighth round. By doing so, he entered an exclusive class of fighters with world titles in four separate weight classes. As he celebrates this accomplishment, he has received applause from one of the only fighters to know what it’s like to win titles in four different weight classes — Manny Pacquiao.
“Inoue has great speed and lots of power behind his punches. He’s a special fighter,” Pacquiao tweeted.
Inoue is not satisfied with owning half of the division’s titles. Now, he wants to dethrone fellow super bantamweight champion Marlon Tapales. Immediately after Tuesday’s bout, Tapales stepped into the ring and accepted the challenge.
“I want to fight Naoya Inoue. I want to prove to myself that I’m a champion,” Tapales said.
Tapales’ countryman, Manny Pacquiao, is also interested in seeing the two settle their differences in the ring. Shortly after praising Inoue, he tweeted about the possibility of seeing both in the ring before the end of the year.
“Can’t wait to see that fight happen,” Pacquiao added.
