WBC featherweight champion Brandon Figueroa wants to be more patient and use his boxing skills for his rematch with Stephen Fulton Jr. on February 1.
(Credit: Esther Lin and Ryan Hafey/Premier Boxing Champions)
Fulton (25-1-1, 19 KOs) feels he’s stifled his power by fighting up close, looking for his 12-round majority decision to Fulton three years ago on November 27, 2021, and he doesn’t want to make the same mistakes again .
Things are different now than in the first battle. Fulton (22-1, 8 KOs) was knocked out in the eighth round by Naoya Inoue last July, looking like a shell of himself coming off a 14-month layoff to defeat Carlos Castro by ‘ a 10-round split decision. on September 14.
Fulton was rocking in the fifth round, was sent to the canvas and hurt additional times against the non-puncher. That fight showed that there may be remnants of Fulton’s knockout loss to Inoue still lingering, hurting his ability to take a hard hit or even a not-so-hard one like the one Casto hit him with.
Fulton is now 30 and has had a long 10-year career, and he is not at the level he was when he beat Figueroa three years ago.
“I feel I pushed him too much that I suffocated myself. i can box I have other abilities that I didn’t showcase in that (Fulton) fight,” Brandon Figueroa said. Fight Hub TVtalking about his February 1st rematch with Stephen Fulton.
Punch Stats for Figueroa-Fulton Jr. 1
– Figueroa landed 314 of 1060 punches for a 30%
– Fulton Jr. was 247 of 668 for 37%
“I feel like I’m going to put everything on display. I’m going to show why I’m the best 126 pounds and just go out there and make a statement. Take a little step back, be more patient and trust my boxing ability a little more,” Figueroa said of what he felt he should have done the first time against Fulton.
Figueroa will need to use more of his boxing ability if he wants to avoid being outboxed by Fulton again. If Figueroa’s power has improved, he can duplicate what Inoue did to Fulton by landing a hard head shot to knock him out, but that will require speed and accuracy.
Figueroa’s last three fights:
– Jesse Magdalena
– Mark Magsayo
-Carlos Castro
“This time I know what I have to do. I’m going to work for it in this training camp. He is a great fighter. This is my division, and I want to prove it. Naoya is one of the best, and I’m in this sport to fight the best,” Figueroa said about whether he wants to fight Naoya Inoue.
“If I beat him, I would elevate myself to one of the pound-for-pound best. I’ve gotten a lot of comments from people. Even those who thought Fulton won last time, they’re looking for me now. I am a very exciting, aggressive fighter. I know Stephen Fulton is going to be very well prepared and we are going to give fans a great show,” Figueroa said.
Stephen Fulton’s recent competitions
-Carlos Castro
– Naoya Inoue
– Daniel Romanuch
