Team Fulton Concerned About Inoue Hand Wraps: “This Is A Safety Concern!”

Rahim: "If This Issue Is Not Resolved I Will Not Let My Fighter Into The Ring!"

Collage of Naoya Inoue Stephen Fulton and Wahid Rahim
Naoya Inoue getting hand wraps (Credit: Naoki Fukuda) | Stephen Fulton and Wahid Rahim

Team Fulton Wants Inoue Hand Wrap Situation Resolved ASAP


The showdown between unified super bantamweight champion Stephen “Cool Boy Steph” Fulton (21-0, 8KO) and multi-divisional champion Naoya “Monster” Inoue (24-0, 21KO) could be in jeopardy. Drama has arisen as trainer Wahid Rahim has threatened to pull Fulton out of the fight due to a concern of how Inoue’s get his hands wrapped.

ILLEGAL HAND WRAPPING?

During a press conference, Rahim accused team Inoue of illegal hand wrapping and was adamant that Fulton would not enter the ring unless they met his demands.

“I have a safety concern I would like to address. In previous fights, Inoue and his team has wrapped his hands with excessive amounts of tape on his skin. Then placing gauges and more tape which creates a cast. This is not an assumption I have proof.

“We could also wrap our hands in the same fashion, but then again, where is the level of safety for the fighters? If this issue isn’t resolved I will not let my fighter into the ring. We are already behind enemy lines. We have made no request, nothing at all. We have not even asked for a rematch clause. This is the only request I’m demanding.”

Wahid Rahim – Trainer For Stephen Fulton

IT’S AN EASY FIX

His statement has stirred up heavy controversy and sent the boxing chatter rooms into a frenzy. Some fans are already calling it a tactic to disrupt the mental confidence of the Japanese power-puncher. Fulton is viewed as the underdog in the fight and is ready to prove everyone wrong.

In this author’s opinion, it is unlikely the fight will get called off simply because this is an easy fix. Team Fulton can make sure Inoue’s hands get wrapped to their satisfaction before stepping into the ring on the night of the fight. 

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Garrisson Bland - Head of Public Relations/Senior Journalist. Garrisson is the Head of Public relations for 3kingsboxing.com as well as a senior writer. He is also the host of YouTube boxing show "Truth And Facts Sports Talk."