This is an excellent match up to start the boxing year off. It features two undefeated American fighters who are competing for Leo’s WBO Super Bantamweight title. They were supposed to face off for the vacant title last year however Fulton came down with Covid-19 and so Tremaine Williams stepped in and fought Leo with Leo coming out on top and winning the title.
Angelo Leo has a relentless work rate and showed good inside fighting skills in his last fight. He can be out boxed but you need a decent amount of power and strength to keep him off you or hes just going to walk you down the entire fight with no respect for what’s coming back to him. He isn’t that hard to hit but that comes with his style of fighting and so far hes shown a good chin so its not a massive issue.
Stephen Fulton is a good technically and is much more of a hit and don’t get hit sort of boxer than Leo is. He’s relatively hard to hit and will shuffle in and out of range while consistently jabbing to set his punches up. He has good power and enough physical strength to hold or push opponents off when they try to get on the inside and take away his technical advantages. So far hes been able to keep his style going over twelve rounds which is something Williams wasn’t able to do against Leo.
I think stylistically this is a classic match up of an evasive hit and don’t get hit boxer versus the come forward educated pressure inside fighter. I wouldn’t be all that surprised at any outcome but I think Fulton has the tools to outbox Leo from the outside and frustrate him by holding whenever he gets close enough to get his own effective offense off. Leo can be a little lazy walking in so Fulton will have opportunity’s to counter him cleanly throughout the fight but especially early on when Leo hasn’t adjusted to Fulton’s style. Towards the end of the fight Fulton may tire a little due to the pressure but I think he’ll have done enough by then to win a decision.
Boxing Fulcrum 