Naoya Inoue is used to be being the hunted, but on Tuesday he'll become the hunter.
Inoue is the former undisputed bantamweight world champion, having held all the major belts in that division before vacating in January, and now the 30-year-old looks to defeat unified super bantamweight champion Stephen Fulton and start collecting the titles in that weight class.
It's been several years since Inoue has not had a title to his name, and the undefeated three-weight former champion says the chase of a new division has been reinvigorating.
"Coming up to [super bantamweight] to be able to challenge Stephen Fulton for the title has given me great motivation," Inoue said at a press conference. "I get excited thinking about this fight and about how I will perform. I’ve been watching film of Fulton, and I think he is a very intelligent fighter.”
Inoue enters Tuesday's bout in the unfamiliar position of being a challenger, which he says will propel him to a higher level inside the ring.
“I haven’t been a challenger in five years, and that has heightened my motivation as well," he said. "I think I will be able to perform better than before."