Top-rated super bantamweight contender and former WBA super bantamweight interim champion, Ra’eese Aleem, has tried to fight both Stephen Fulton Jr., and Naoya Inoue in the past, with Aleem going as far to say he’d “love to be the first man to beat Naoya Inoue.”
Aleem has even showed dismay in Fulton Jr., not even entertaining a fight with Aleem at the present moment as the two fight on the Premier Boxing Champions boxing platform.
“I think [Stephen Fulton Jr. vs Naoya Inoue] is a good fight,” said Aleem when speaking exclusively with this reporter. “Too bad [Stephen] Fulton vs. [Brandon] Figueroa fell through since that would’ve put me ring in line to fight [Naoya] Inoue.”
Aleem, who has been looking for his big fight has seen his weight class in flux as one of the best fighters in the world, Naoya Inoue is moving up from bantamweight to fight in it, but long-standing names of the division such as Brandon Figueroa and Rey Vargas have left. Aleem has yet to get in position to get a fight that affords him a life changing opportunity, and pay check.
“Originally I thought [Stephen] Fulton would win that fight, because I never really watched [Naoya] Inoue fight,” said Aleem. “[Inoue used to fight in] a whole different division that has nothing to do with me, so that is why I never watched [Inoue], but once I sat down and watched I said ‘okay, he is nice.”
Aleem’s film study of Inoue impressed him so much that he no longer favors Stephen Fulton Jr. to win the fight, and is very confident with his reasoning on why.
“I think Inoue will beat Fulton, [becuase] Fulton will work off the jab, box as much as he could, hold as much as he could and that is it,” said Aleem. “[Once] you take away Fulton’s jab, [Fulton] is average. You take away Inoue’s jab and he is still a world champion.”