There was nothing objective about the rooting interest of Jaron Ennis last month.
Stephen Fulton, his good friend and fellow Philly resident, packed his bags and made the trip halfway across the world to Japan. Defeating Naoya Inoue may have been on his agenda but after the first few rounds, Fulton’s task was practically impossible.
The WBO and WBC super bantamweight titles that Fulton promised to bring back home remained in Japan around the waist of Inoue via eighth-round stoppage. Ennis cheered for his pal but was forced to swallow a bitter pill once Fulton’s head bounced off the canvas. Although things didn’t go according to plan, Ennis believes that Fulton should be praised for doing something rare.
“Scooter still a beast,” said Fulton on his social media account. “He did something a lot of people wouldn’t have.”
Defending his titles in enemy territory was a bit of a surprise but money talks. Once the check cleared, Fulton (21-1, 8 KOs) immured himself in a difficult training camp, went out to Japan, and gave it everything he had.
Before the pair agreed to square off, Fulton hinted that his days at fighting at 122 pounds were pretty much over with. A matchup against Inoue, nevertheless, was the sort of challenge that Fulton simply couldn’t pass up on.
Making the super bantamweight limit is obtrusive to Fulton at this stage. But while he hasn’t officially let it known whether or not he’ll move up in weight, Ennis is convinced that it’s the best thing for his career.
There will be new challenges and new goals for Fulton to chase in his new weight class. Ennis though, is confident that he’ll achieve everything he wants. As for his latest setback, Ennis hopes that Fulton is taking a screenshot of all of the laughing faces that left him out in the cold.
“Scooter got the heart of a lion and he’ll be back better than ever. Don’t try to jump ship when he becomes champion again at 126.”