Stephen Fulton faces Brandon Figueroa in a rematch at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on February 1. The contest serves as the co-feature to David Benavidez vs David Morrell, live on pay-per-view.
Fulton (22-1, 8 KOs) and Figueroa (25-1-1, 19 KOs) run it back following their first fight in November 2021 that saw a 12-round clash with two super bantamweight titles on the line. Fulton of Philadelphia, PA retained his WBO title, and claimed the WBC belt, by majority decision with the scores 112-116, 112-116, and 114-114. Dethroned Figueroa of Weslaco, Texas didn’t agree with the verdict, multiple times asking Fulton if he “really thought he won the fight?”.
The upcoming clash features former unified 122-pound champion Fulton challenging two-division champion Figueroa for his WBC featherweight title. The challenger, who gave himself a B- for his performance in the first fight, looks to lift the belt in his second weight class.
“He’s not gonna be able to push me around,” Stephen Fulton said. “He’s gonna try, but I’m strong. A lot of people don’t realize that. Being at a higher weight class for the rematch is gonna help both of us.”
“I give myself a B- for the first fight. I was actually tired after the second round. I had to thug it out that fight. That’s what people don’t understand. The weight was tough for me. People say it’s an excuse, but they don’t know how our bodies respond. I didn’t make weight the proper way. I had to really bite down and dig deep.”
“We were familiar with each other before the first fight because we were on a collision course for a while. He did a good job in the first fight because he fought his fight. He knows how to fight the way he fights. And I did an amazing job making the adjustments that I had to make. He fought exactly how I expected him to fight. He did well at what he does. He’s a brawler and I’m a boxer. People didn’t expect me to stand there, but I showed that I can do everything. That made it exciting.”
“Having Bozy [Derek Ennis in my corner] will add to my game. He has a different eye for things. I have a really strong corner and it’s going to help me out. I can see that Figueroa is trying to work on some new things, like his head movement and trying to box a little bit more.”
“I want that belt. That’s why the rematch happened. I just have to listen to my corner and do what they tell me to do. I’m gonna trust in my defense and believe in myself.”
The main event is a light heavyweight title bout between David Benavidez (29-0, 24 KOs) and David Morrell (11-0, 9 KOs). Benavidez of Phoenix, AZ puts his interim WBC belt on the line. Minneapolis-based Morrell of Cuba brings to the ring his WBA “Regular” strap.