Top-ranked World Boxing Council and World Boxing Organization super bantamweight Naoya ‘’the Monster’’ Inoue of Ohashi Boxing Gym said on July 15 at the gym in Yokohama his fight with champion Stephen Fulton of the United States on July 25 at Tokyo’s Ariake Arena will be ‘’a game of wits.’’

  Before a very short public workout at the gym, shorter than that of Fulton the preceding day, the 30-year-old Inoue told reporters, ‘’I have been training very smoothly. I think the difference of 1.8 kg (about 3.97 pounds) between bantamweight and super bantamweight will work in favor of me.’’

  Inoue, who was a former undisputed world bantamweight champion, went on by saying, ‘’I don’t think there is anything negative (about moving up to super bantamweight). In fact, I think super bantamweight is my best fighting weight, where I can fight with a sense of stability.’’

  Hideyuki Ohashi, the gym’s head, echoed this by saying, ‘’It’s great that he can engage in a firm training even in the final stage (of the training schedule), which was more than you can say for the Inoue at bantamweight because of his effort to lose his weight (to meet the bantamweight weight limit of 53.52 kg or 118 lbs.). Ever since he made his professional debut (in October 2012), I have been thinking that super bantamweight would be his best fighting weight.’’

  Since Fulton had said he would fight cleverly in the upcoming fight, Inoue said, ‘’That’s his only fighting style. I mean it would be ‘’a game of wits.’’ The one who has made a momentary mistake would lose pace.’’

  After the press meeting, Inoue did a round of jumping rope and some 30 seconds of shadow boxing, some 10 seconds shorter than what Fulton did on July 14 at the gym, at the advice of Ohashi, who said sternly, ‘’Our fight has already started.’’ Fulton’s trainer Wahid Raheem was at the gym.

  The scheduled 12-round title fight was postponed from the initially scheduled May 7 due to Inoue’s fist injuries during training in early March.

  The undefeated Fulton, who will turn 29 on July 17, has 21 straight wins, including eight knockouts. Inoue is also undefeated in his 24 professional bouts, including 21 KOs.

  It will be Fulton’s second defense of the WBC title he won in November 2021 and his third WBO crown he captured in January that year.