Stephen Fulton Jr. | |||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Born | |||||||||||||||
Other names | Cool Boy Steph Scooter | ||||||||||||||
Statistics | |||||||||||||||
Weight(s) | |||||||||||||||
Height | 5 ft 6+1⁄2 in (169 cm) [1] | ||||||||||||||
Reach | 70+1⁄2 in (179 cm) [1] | ||||||||||||||
Stance | Orthodox | ||||||||||||||
Boxing record [2] | |||||||||||||||
Total fights | 22 | ||||||||||||||
Wins | 21 | ||||||||||||||
Wins by KO | 8 | ||||||||||||||
Losses | 1 | ||||||||||||||
Medal record
|
Stephen Fulton Jr. (born July 17, 1994) is an American professional boxer. He is a former unified super bantamweight world champion, having held the WBO and the WBC titles from 2021 to July 2023. He previously held the IBO super bantamweight title from 2019 to 2020. [3]
Fulton made his professional debut against the journeyman Issac Badger on October 14, 2014. He won the fight by a second-round technical knockout. Immediately after this victory, Fulton signed with Premier Boxing Champions. Over the course of the following five years, Fulton amassed a 15–0 record with 6 stoppage victories. [4]
Fulton was scheduled to challenge Paulus Ambunda for the IBO super bantamweight title on May 11, 2019, at the EagleBank Arena in Fairfax, Virginia, United States. [5] Fulton dominated throughout the bout and scored a knockdown over the Namibian champion in the eight round. Although Fulton was unable to finish his opponent, he won the fight by a wide unanimous decision, with all three judges scoring the fight 120–107 in his favor. [6]
Fulton moved up in weight for his next fight, as he was scheduled to face Isaac Avelar in a 124 lbs catchweight bout. The fight was set for August 24, 2019, at the Bert Ogden Arena in Edinburg, Texas, United States. Fulton won the fight with a body shot in the sixth round of the ten round bout. [7] Fulton called for a title unification fight with either Brandon Figueroa or Daniel Roman in his post-fight interview, stating "...Figueroa does not want to fight me and if he does, he will get stopped in the mid rounds. If me and Danny Roman fight, it will be explosive but the same thing will happen, he will get stopped". [8]
Fulton was scheduled to face the unbeaten Arnold Khegai on January 25, 2020 at the Barclays Center in New York City, United States. The fight was for the vacant WBO Inter-Continental super bantamweight belt, as well as the status of the WBO super bantamweight mandatory title challenger. [9] Khegai took the center of the ring for the first four rounds, while Fulton remained passive and attempted to outfight. Fulton was more active from the fifth round onward, dictating the subsequent rounds. He won the fight by unanimous decision, with two judges awarding him a 117–111 scorecard, while the third judge scored the fight 116–112 in his favor. [10]
His victory against Khegai earned Fulton the right to challenge the reigning WBO champion Emanuel Navarrete. However, on July 11, 2020, Navarrete vacated the super bantamweight title in order to move up to featherweight. [11] Fulton was scheduled to face Angelo Leo for the vacant WBO super bantamweight title on August 1, 2020. [12] On July 29, 2020, Fulton and two members of his team tested positive for COVID-19, forcing him to withdraw from the title fight. [13] Leo was rescheduled to face Tramaine Williams, whom he beat by unanimous decision. [14] On December 20, 2020, it was announced that Angelo Leo would make the first defense of his WBO super bantamweight title against Fulton. The fight was scheduled as the main event of a triple-header set for January 23, 2021, at the Park Theater in Las Vegas, Nevada, United States. [15] Leo appeared slower and less powerful than Fulton, who won almost every round of the bout. Fulton won the fight by unanimous decision, with scores of 118–110, 119–109 and 119–109. [16]
Fulton was scheduled to face the WBC super bantamweight titlist Brandon Figueroa in a title unification bout on September 18, 2021, at the Park Theater in Las Vegas, Nevada, United States. The fight was originally set for September 11, but was pushed back a week, as PBC required a new main event following the negotiation breakdown between Canelo Alvarez and Caleb Plant. [17] The fight was once again postponed on September 8, as Figueroa tested positive for COVID-19. [18] The fight was rescheduled for November 27, 2021. [19] Fulton entered the bout as a -340 favorite to win the bout. [20] Fulton won by twelve rounds majority decision, with scores of 114-114 and two 116-112's for him. Figueroa out-landed Fulton 314 to 269 in total punches, although Fulton was the more accurate boxer, landing 37% of his punches to Figueroa's 29.6%. [21] The majority of media members scored the fight in Fulton's favor. [22] [23] [24]
It was revealed on March 6, 2022, that Fulton would make his first title defense as a unified champion against Daniel Roman, who was at the time the WBC mandatory super bantamweight title challenger, as well as the No. 1 ranked WBO super bantamweight contender. [25] Fulton's first title defense as a unified champion headlined a Showtime broadcast card, which took place on 4 June 2022, at the Minneapolis Armory in Minneapolis, Minnesota. [26] Fulton justified his role as the -550 betting favorite, [27] as he won the fight by a wide unanimous decision in front of a sold-out crowd of 4,695. Judges Mike Fitzgerald and Patrick Morley scored the fight 120–108 for Fulton, while judge Nathan Palmer awarded Fulton a 119–109 scorecard. He out-landed Roman 218 to 113 in total punches (with a 36% accuracy rate) and 112 to 68 in power punches (with a 46% accuracy rate). Fulton called out the WBA (Super) and IBF super bantamweight champion Murodjon Akhmadaliev in his post-fight interview, stating: "You already know what’s next. I want [Murodjon Akhmadaliev]. I got to finish this up". [28] [29]
On November 9, 2022, the WBC formally approved Fulton's petition to face Brandon Figueroa for the interim WBC featherweight championship. As the reigning featherweight champion Rey Vargas moved up in weight to contest the vacant super featherweight title, the interim title fight would have been promoted to undisputed, had Vargas stayed at a higher weight class. Fulton and Figueroa faced each other a year prior in a unified title bout, with Fulton winning by majority decision. [30] The fight was expected to take place on February 25, 2023, at the Minneapolis Armory in Central, Minneapolis. [31] On January 16, ESPN reported that Figueroa would instead face Mark Magsayo, as Fulton had entered into negotiations with the former three-division world champion Naoya Inoue. [32] The fight was expected to take place at the Yokohama Arena in Yokohama, Japan on May 7, 2023, and was Fulton's first fight outside of the United States. [33] The fight was postponed on March 21, as Inoue suffered a fist injury during training camp. [34] The bout was rescheduled for July 25, 2023, at the Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan. [35] [36] Fulton lost the fight by an eighth-round technical knockout. [37]
Fulton is scheduled to face Carlos Castro in a 10-round featherweight bout at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on September 14, 2024. [38]
22 fights | 21 wins | 1 loss |
---|---|---|
By knockout | 8 | 1 |
By decision | 13 | 0 |
No. | Result | Record | Opponent | Type | Round, Time | Date | Location | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
22 | Loss | 21–1 | Naoya Inoue | TKO | 8 (12), 1:14 | Jul 25, 2023 | Ariake Arena, Tokyo, Japan | Lost WBC and WBO super bantamweight titles |
21 | Win | 21–0 | Daniel Roman | UD | 12 | Jun 4, 2022 | Minneapolis Armory, Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S. | Retained WBC and WBO super bantamweight titles |
20 | Win | 20–0 | Brandon Figueroa | MD | 12 | Nov 27, 2021 | Park MGM, Paradise, Nevada, U.S. | Retained WBO super bantamweight title; Won WBC super bantamweight title |
19 | Win | 19–0 | Angelo Leo | UD | 12 | Jan 23, 2021 | Mohegan Sun Arena, Montville, Connecticut, U.S. | Won WBO super bantamweight title |
18 | Win | 18–0 | Arnold Khegai | UD | 12 | Jan 25, 2020 | Barclays Center, New York City, New York, U.S. | Won vacant WBO Inter-Continental super bantamweight title |
17 | Win | 17–0 | Isaac Avelar | KO | 6 (10), 1:26 | Aug 24, 2019 | Bert Ogden Arena, Edinburg, Texas, U.S. | |
16 | Win | 16–0 | Paulus Ambunda | UD | 12 | May 11, 2019 | EagleBank Arena, Fairfax, Virginia, U.S. | Won IBO super bantamweight title |
15 | Win | 15–0 | Marlon Olea | TKO | 5 (8), 1:41 | Jan 26, 2019 | Barclays Center, New York City, New York, U.S. | |
14 | Win | 14–0 | Germán Meraz | UD | 8 | Sep 30, 2018 | Citizens Business Bank Arena, Ontario, California, U.S. | |
13 | Win | 13–0 | Jesus Antonio Ahumada | TKO | 9 (10), 1:54 | Jun 16, 2018 | Ford Center at The Star, Frisco, Texas, U.S. | |
12 | Win | 12–0 | Adam Lopez | MD | 8 | Dec 8, 2017 | Park Racing & Casino, Hialeah, Florida, U.S. | |
11 | Win | 11–0 | Luis Saul Rosario | UD | 8 | Apr 4, 2017 | Sands Event Center, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, U.S. | |
10 | Win | 10–0 | Christian Renteria | TKO | 3 (6), 1:38 | Jul 2, 2016 | Santander Arena, Reading, Pennsylvania, U.S. | |
9 | Win | 9–0 | Adalberto Zorrilla DelRosa | TKO | 4 (6), 1:37 | Apr 19, 2016 | Sands Event Center, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, U.S. | |
8 | Win | 8–0 | Joshua Greer Jr. | MD | 6 | Dec 29, 2015 | Sands Event Center, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, U.S. | |
7 | Win | 7–0 | Sam Rodriguez | UD | 6 | Sep 19, 2015 | Convocation Center, California, Pennsylvania, U.S. | |
6 | Win | 6–0 | Pablo Cupul | RTD | 3 (6), 3:00 | Jun 20, 2015 | Casino Resort, Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, U.S. | |
5 | Win | 5–0 | Jamal Parram | KO | 3 (6), 1:33 | Apr 25, 2015 | Harrah's Philadelphia, Chester, Pennsylvania, U.S. | |
4 | Win | 4–0 | Eric Gotay | UD | 6 | Jan 31, 2015 | 2300 Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. | |
3 | Win | 3–0 | Benjamin Burgos | UD | 4 | Dec 5, 2014 | Harrah's Philadelphia, Chester, Pennsylvania, U.S. | |
2 | Win | 2–0 | Damen Wood | UD | 4 | Nov 20, 2014 | Sportsmen's Lodge, Studio City, California, U.S. | |
1 | Win | 1–0 | Issac Badger | TKO | 2 (4) | Oct 14, 2014 | Foxwoods Resort Casino, Ledyard, Connecticut, U.S. |
The World Boxing Association (WBA), formerly known as the National Boxing Association (NBA), is the oldest and one of four major organizations which sanction professional boxing bouts, alongside the World Boxing Council (WBC), International Boxing Federation (IBF) and World Boxing Organization (WBO). The WBA awards its world championship title at the professional level. Founded in the United States in 1921 by 13 state representatives as the NBA, in 1962 it changed its name in recognition of boxing's growing popularity worldwide and began to gain other nations as members.
Abner Mares Martínez is a Mexican-American professional boxer who also works as a boxing analyst and commentator for Showtime. He has held multiple world championships in three weight classes, including the IBF bantamweight title from 2011 to 2012, the WBC super bantamweight title from 2012 to 2013, the WBC featherweight title in 2013. He also held the WBA (Regular) featherweight title from 2016 to 2018. As an amateur boxer, Mares won numerous medals at international tournaments while representing Mexico. He grew up in the city of Hawaiian Gardens, California and holds dual citizenship with Mexico and the United States.
Gary Allen Russell Jr. is an American professional boxer who held the WBC featherweight title from 2015 to 2022.
Tomoki Kameda is a Japanese professional boxer. He is a former WBO bantamweight champion, having held the title from 2013 to 2014, and former WBC super bantamweight interim champion, he held the interim title from 2018 to 2019.
Nonito Gonzales Donaire Jr. is a Filipino American professional boxer. He has held multiple world championships in four weight classes from flyweight to featherweight, and is the oldest boxer in history to win a bantamweight world title, as well as being the first three-time champion in that weight class. Donaire has also held world championships in three consecutive decades: the 2000s, 2010s and 2020s, being the sixth boxer to do so after Evander Holyfield, Manny Pacquiao, Bernard Hopkins, Erik Morales, and Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Nordine Oubaali is a Moroccan-French former professional boxer who competed from 2014 to 2021. He held the WBC bantamweight title from 2019 to 2021. As an amateur he won a bronze medal in the light-flyweight division at the 2007 World Championships.
Óscar Rafael Valdez Fierro Jr. is a Mexican professional boxer. He is a former world champion in two weight classes, holding the WBC super featherweight title from 2021 to 2022, and the WBO featherweight title from 2016 to 2019. As an amateur boxer, Valdez qualified for the 2008 Olympics at the age of 17 and became the first Mexican Youth World Champion. Four years later, he qualified for the 2012 Summer Olympics.
Léodegario Santa Cruz is a Mexican professional boxer. He is a four-weight world champion, having held the IBF bantamweight title from 2012 to 2013, the WBC super bantamweight title from 2013 to 2015, the WBA (Super) featherweight title twice between 2015 and 2022, and the WBA (Super) super featherweight title from 2019 to 2020.
Robeisy Eloy Ramírez Carrazana is a Cuban professional boxer who held the World Boxing Organization (WBO) featherweight title between April and December 2023. As an amateur, Ramírez won gold medals at the 2012 and 2016 Olympics.
Naoya Inoue is a Japanese professional boxer. He has held multiple world championships in four weight classes, and is one of only three male boxers in history to become the undisputed champion in two weight classes in the "four-belt era". Nicknamed "Monster", Inoue is known for his exceptional punching power, possessing a knockout-to-win percentage of 88.88%, and 90.90% KO rate in world title matches.
Ash-Shakur Nafi-Shahid Stevenson is an American professional boxer. He has held multiple world championships in three weight classes from featherweight to lightweight, including unified and lineal titles at super featherweight. As an amateur, he represented the United States at the 2016 Summer Olympics, winning a silver medal in the bantamweight division.
Murodjon Kakharovich Akhmadaliev is an Uzbekistani professional boxer. He is a former unified super-bantamweight champion, having held the WBA (Super), and IBF titles between 2020 and 2023. As an amateur, he won a silver medal at the 2015 World Championships and a bronze at the 2016 Olympics as a bantamweight.
Rey Geovani Vargas Roldán is a Mexican professional boxer. He is a world champion in two weight classes, having held the WBC featherweight title since 2022 and the WBC super bantamweight title from 2017 to 2020.
Luis Esteban Nery Hernández is a Mexican professional boxer. He is a two-weight world champion, having held the WBC and Ring magazine bantamweight titles between 2017 and 2018, and the WBC super bantamweight title from 2020 to May 2021. Nicknamed "Pantera", Nery is known for his exceptional punching power, possessing a knockout-to-win percentage of 77.14%.
Daniel "Danny" Roman is an American former professional boxer. He is a former unified super bantamweight champion, having held the WBA (Unified), and IBF titles from 2019 to 2020, and previously the WBA (Regular) title from 2017 to 2019.
Brandon Lee Figueroa is an American professional boxer who has held the WBC interim featherweight title since March 2023 and previously the WBC super bantamweight title in 2021 and the WBA (Regular) super bantamweight title from 2019 to 2021.
Angelo Miguel Leo is an American professional boxer who held the WBO junior featherweight title from 2020 to January 2021.
Xavier Augustine Martinez is an American professional boxer.
Joet De Jesus Gonzalez is an American professional boxer. He is a two-time world title challenger, having fought for the WBO featherweight title in 2019 and 2021.
Sam Goodman is an Australian boxer who held the WBO Oriental from 2021 to 2023 and IBF Inter-continental super bantamweight titles from 2022 to 2023, he is also the top contender for the IBF and WBO in the super bantamweight division. As of May 7, 2024 Goodman is raned as fourth best super bantamweight by The Ring.