NEWS: NAOYA INOUE FACING STEPHEN FULTON IN THE SPRING?; BRANDON FIGUEROA VS. MARK MAGSAYO BEING PLANNED?

By: Jay Calderon

According to ESPN's Mike Coppinger, it appears as though former undisputed Bantamweight kingpin Naoya Inoue is in talks to face current unified Jr. Featherweight titlist Stephen Fulton in Japan, sometime in the spring.

Initially, reports indicated that Fulton was gearing up for a rematch with old foe Brandon Figueroa, whom he defeated back in November of 2021 in a 122 pound unification bout. However, it appears as though that plan has been altered, as both Fulton and Figueroa have new opponents in their sights.

For Figueroa, ESPN Deportes' Salvador Rodriguez is reporting, it appears as though a battle with fellow former titlist Mark Magsayo could be on the table for March 4, with an American location to be selected.

Both fights are very compelling and make a lot of sense for all parties involved. While Fulton-Figueroa 2 would have certainly been a thrilling return, it would have had some reasonable question marks.

For starters, Fulton would have moved up to 126 for the contest, leaving 122 pounds -- and Inoue, to some degree -- in limbo. Fulton would have also been debuting at a weight at which Figueroa has looked less than stellar in his only outing, a tougher-than-expected stoppage over Carlos Castro back in July.

Here, Figueroa has a chance to get sharp against Magsayo, while Fulton and Inoue chase their legacies. Then, win or lose for Fulton, he still has the ability to move up in weight and take on Figueroa (or Magsayo, for that matter).

More as these stories develop.

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