Stephen Fulton outlasts Brandon Figueroa to unify 122-pound titles
Let’s be clear. Stephen Fulton beat Brandon Figueroa by majority decision on Saturday night inside Park MGM’s Dolby Live theater. Battled the bigger and stronger fighter for 12 rounds to unify the junior featherweight division and inch closer to his ultimate goal of undisputed 122-pound supremacy.
But Fulton offered another opinion after the most significant victory over his burgeoning career.
“The fans won tonight,” he said. “More than anything.”
That they did.
Fulton (20-0, eight knockouts) and Figueroa (22-1-1, 17 KOs) combined to throw nearly 1,800 punches in their WBC and WBO title fight, ensuring spectators would have action to enjoy throughout the arduous 36 minutes they endured. The judges ringside ultimately ruled in favor of Fulton (116-112, 116-112, 114-114).
But several rounds were tough to score amid the breakneck pace that Figueroa dictated with his pressure. The champions were awarded with a standing ovation by the raucous crowd that packed the intimate venue.
“(The victory) is special because the fight itself was a classic,” said the 27-year-old Fulton, a Philadelphia native. “It was a rough fight. … When you have fights like that, when you become the winner, it’s a hell of a feeling. It’s hard work. I feel like it was hard earned. It’s an amazing feeling.”
Figueroa was relentless with his approach, and fired 1,060 punches during the course of the fight, according to CompuBox. He marched toward Fulton and unloaded hooks and combinations. But Fulton seemed unfazed and opted to deviate from his technical style to trade on the inside.
Fulton threw 726 punches of his own and mixed uppercuts and hooks to the body around clinches designed to wear Figueroa down. He fought at range when he could and occasionally fired his jab as a means to keep Figueroa away. He also targeted the body and said he aimed specifically toward the center of Figueroa’s stomach and sternum.
The pace eventually fatigued Figueroa. But not before he stunned Fulton in the 10th round with a short left. Fulton recovered by the beginning of the 11th and landed the cleaner shots throughout the course of the fight.
Figueroa disagreed with the decision.
“I put the pressure on for the whole 12 rounds, landed the cleaner shots and hurt him. I thought I only lost four rounds at the most,” said Figueroa, 24 and of Weslaco, Texas. “It was a robbery of the year. The fans who watched this live know who won. I always come to fight and I did that all night.”
To that point, Figueroa did land 314 punches compared to 269 for Fulton. Though Fulton was more accurate, connecting at a 37.1 percent clip compared to 29.6 percent for Figueroa. Fulton said he dealt with Figueroa’s pressure by “fighting fire with fire” and added that he’d be open to a rematch.
He also wants to fight IBF and WBA unified champion Murodjon Akhmadaliev for the undisputed junior featherweight championship.
“I’m going to find a way to win. I always find a way to pull out that victory,” Fulton said. “And that’s what I did tonight.”
Aleem rolls, wants title shot
In the co-feature, fellow junior featherweight and Las Vegas resident Raeese Aleem (19-0, 12 KOs) worked his way to a 98-92, 96-94, 95-95 majority decision over Eduardo Baez (20-2-2, seven KOs) to preserve his unbeaten record.
Aleem controlled the pace of the fight as the aggressor and landed more than twice as many punches (232-111) as Baez, per Showtime’s ShoStats before calling for a shot against Fulton in his post-fight interview.
“They can run but they can’t hide,” the 31-year-old Michigan native said. “I’m a dog. I grinded it out. I turned southpaw and got caught with some shots, but I hung in there. I can hang with anyone. It doesn’t matter who steps in there against me, I’m going to win.”
Contact reporter Sam Gordon at sgordon@eviewjournal.com. Follow @BySamGordon on Twitter.
