A Champion’s Return: Stephen Fulton’s Next Battle

Only days after his 10-round decision win over Carlos Castro, Stephen Fulton was back in the gym. Fighters often require more time to recuperate following such a grueling battle. But when it comes to boxing, relaxing just isn’t “Cool Boy’s” style. It’s why, as a prospect, he sought out the best challenges on his way to handing nine fighters their first loss. It’s how he became the unified bantamweight world champion and it’s the same mindset that led him to face the great Naoya Inoue in Inoue’s native Japan—the only blemish on Fulton’s sterling resume.

This mentality is also why Fulton (22-1, 8 KOs) took on the hard-hitting Castro instead of a tune-up. This was his first fight at 126 pounds and his first under the tutelage of new trainer Derek “Bozy” Ennis. Fulton struggled to find his footing early on and, in the fifth, a counter right from Castro dropped him.

Fulton admits the 14-month furlough following the loss to Inoue may have attributed to his uneven performance in the early going. “Real boxing under the lights is not like sparring in the gym. It’s under the clock. Everything counts.

“I wasn’t hurt. He just caught me with a good shot. I responded the way I did by grabbing him because my corner told me to because they didn’t want me to get hit with anything else that could really hurt me.”

“ Becoming a two-weight division world champion is my goal at this moment. ”
Former unified super bantamweight world champion – Stephen Fulton

The knockdown appeared to wake him up. Fulton found a new gear as the fight progressed, landing sharp counters and showing the boxing skill that led him to be considered one of boxing’s finest operators, pound for pound. After 10 rounds, public opinion was split on who won.

“I feel like it was a good scrap. He definitely came prepared. I knew I had it. But it’s still from the public eye and sometimes you never know how a judge can score things,” said Fulton. “Once they see a knockdown, that can basically put a fight in another guy’s favor. I knew I had to dig deep those last few rounds to pull it out and that’s what I did.”

Having shaken off the rust, Fulton returned to the gym one week later, with his sights set on a world title shot. True to form, his next opponent will be another stiff test. On Saturday, February 1, he battles Brandon Figueroa for Figueroa’s WBC Featherweight World Title in a rematch of their 2021 Fight of the Year candidate that Fulton won by majority decision. The bout serves as the co-main event to the David Benavidez-David Morrell scrap at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, live on Prime Video (8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT). 

It’s a crossroads battle for the 30-year-old Fulton. A loss would be a major setback. But a victory places him among the elite in the sport again—and a step closer to solidifying Hall of Fame credentials. That lofty achievement isn’t on Fulton’s mind right now.

“Becoming a two-weight division world champion is my goal at this moment,” said Fulton. “I’m focusing focus on that. Once we accomplish that, then we’ll worry about what our next battle is.”

For a closer look at Stephen Fulton, check out his fighter page.