Japanese boxer Naoya Inoue is set to challenge Stephen Fulton of the United States for the WBC and WBO super bantamweight titles on May 7 at Yokohama Arena, his Ohashi Gym said Monday.
Inoue, nicknamed "Monster" for his domination in the ring, has moved up a division after completing a sweep of the WBA, WBC, WBO and IBF bantamweight championships with an 11th-round knockout of Britain's Paul Butler last December.
Both fighters are undefeated. The 28-year-old Fulton is 21-0 with eight knockouts, while Inoue, who will turn 30 on April 10, is 24-0 with 21 KOs.
"I'll start with a big match, and that raises my motivation," Inoue said at a press conference in Tokyo, referring to his first match in the super bantamweight division.
"I'll try to get myself into top form and have the best result."
If he wins, Inoue, ranked first by both the WBC and WBO, will become the second Japanese man to win world championships in four weight classes, following Kazuto Ioka, who achieved the feat in June 2019.
Inoue has started his preparation earlier than his past world title matches, sparring against two Mexican boxers already.
"My weight limit will go up by about 1.8 kilograms, but I'd like to show my increased power without losing speed," Inoue said.
Related coverage:
Boxing: Naoya Inoue vacates 4 belts, moves up to super bantam
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