Two-division world champion, Paulie Malignaggi, has highlighted the quality of Naoya Inoue after the Japanese phenomenon became a four-weight champion with a win over Stephen Fulton
Inoue knocked Fulton out in the eighth round of their contest to claim the unified super-bantamweight titles and subsequently skyrocketed to the number one spot on many fans’ pound-for-pound rankings, not only because of his achievement in defeating the previously undefeated Fulton, but also due to the manner in which he beat him.
On his YouTube channel, Malignaggi heaped praise on Inoue after the win, admitting that he can not pinpoint the ceiling of ‘The Monster’ but managed to identify one fighter whom he believes could give him a close fight.
“Man, that was explosive! This guy is good, this guy is the goods, he answered a lot of questions.”
“He was clearly head and shoulders above Fulton, who’s a good fighter and showed that craftiness in some spots, but ultimately Inoue was just too explosive and too fast.”
“A very impressive performance from Inoue, I don’t even know where he goes from here, they got this [Marlon] Tapales guy in the ring but I’ve never seen him fight. I think Brandon Figueroa is still viable for Inoue, that would be an interesting fight because of Figueroa’s ‘mauler’ style. I would wonder how that would play out with a guy like Inoue, who has fast feet and sharp punches.”
“We still have not seen the ceiling for Inoue and he is one of the most exciting fighters in the sport.”
It seems like Marlon Tapales, the other unified champion in the 122lb division, will be next for Inoue, who will be aiming to be crowned as the undisputed king for a second time in just three fights.