Stephen Fulton has always come out on top. Whether his opponents were bigger or more naturally more gifted never quite mattered - the Philly native consistently found a way to pick up the win.

On July 25th, the 29-year-old was expecting more of the same. Sure Naoya Inoue was viewed as the big bad boogie man with generational talent but Fulton didn’t believe for a single second that he couldn’t get the job done. Eight painstaking rounds later, however, and Fulton realized that Inoue is who they say he is.

Fulton (21-1, 8 KOs) immediately slinked out of the ring and made a beeline to his locker room. Nothing appeared right on the night for the now former WBO/WBC super bantamweight champion. A plethora of excuses were at his disposal. Could it have been the time difference in Japan? Maybe it was a grueling weight cut? There was also the possibility that Fulton had an injury prior to stepping foot inside the ring.

Nevertheless, you won’t hear a peep out of Fulton in terms of making excuses. Instead, he sauntered to the nearest mirror he could find and took a long look at himself. All in all, Fulton knows good and well that he needs to work harder than ever before.

“Come back stronger, better, and smarter,” said Fulton on his social media account.

The path to redemption is now firmly on the mind of Fulton. An immediate rematch is out of the question but the slick-hitting star has a creative way of working his way back into the mix. First things first, Fulton is officially ditching the 122-pound division and will plant his flag four pounds north.

From there, Fulton will look to snag a world title. Becoming a two-division champion might be a dream of his but more than anything, he views another championship run as the perfect bait. At some point, Fulton expects the pound-for-pound luminary to move up in weight as well. When he does, Inoue’s penchant for world titles will lead him right into Fulton’s hands.

“Can’t wait to redeem myself against him.”