Stephen Fulton is Ready to Bounce Back… Again
- Matthew Brown
- 10 minutes ago
- 3 min read
Stephen Fulton Jr. has never minded being overlooked. In fact, he embraces it.
Every time people count him out, Fulton finds another reason to prove them wrong. Now he has another opportunity to do exactly that.
The former world champion at 122 and 126 pounds returns Saturday night in Sydney, Australia, where he faces Australian contender Liam Wilson in a 12-round WBA Super Featherweight Title Eliminator. The fight serves as the co-main event to the middleweight grudge match between Errol Spence Jr. and Tim Tszyu.
A win would put Fulton right back in the title picture. More importantly, it would remind the boxing world that one disappointing night does not define his career.
That has become a familiar theme for Fulton.
Following his one-sided loss to Naoya Inoue in July 2023, many fans and pundits were quick to write him off. The defeat ended his reign as a unified junior featherweight champion and sparked questions about whether he belonged among boxing's elite.
Fulton used those doubts as fuel.
He responded by defeating longtime rival Brandon Figueroa in their rematch to capture the WBC Featherweight Championship. The victory showed that his loss to Inoue did not diminish his talent or his determination.
For a moment, Fulton was back where he belonged.
Then came another setback.
Last December, Fulton moved up to challenge O'Shaquie Foster. The fight was originally scheduled for Foster's WBC Super Featherweight title. However, Fulton came in overweight, forcing officials to adjust the contracted weight so the bout could move forward.
Things only got worse once the opening bell rang.
Foster turned in a masterful performance and controlled the fight from beginning to end. Fulton struggled to establish his rhythm as Foster dominated the action across 12 rounds.
The defeat left plenty of critics questioning Fulton once again.
No one was more disappointed than Fulton himself.
"This fight is to show that I am nowhere near finished and to redeem myself after my last performance. I let my fans and peers down in my last fight, as well as myself, so this is me coming back out strong!"
As fight week approached, reports surfaced claiming Fulton had trouble securing a visa to enter Australia. The rumors created another distraction before one of the biggest fights of his career.
Those reports turned out to be unfounded.
Sources told Brunch Boxing that Fulton had no issues obtaining his visa and received approval to travel weeks before the event. By all accounts, he has enjoyed a productive training camp and arrived in Australia fully prepared.
He knows he has to be.
Wilson will fight in front of a home crowd and enters the biggest opportunity of his career. Fulton expects nothing less than the Australian's best.
"I expect Liam to be on his A-game," Fulton said.
Fulton understands what is at stake. A victory would move him within reach of another world title opportunity and erase much of the disappointment surrounding his last performance.
History also suggests he performs his best when the pressure is highest.
Every major setback has been followed by a strong response. Every time people have questioned him, Fulton has found a way to answer.
Saturday night presents another chance to continue that trend.
If history repeats itself, Stephen Fulton Jr. could once again remind everyone why he has spent so much of his career among boxing's best.
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