This is an excellent fight between two world champions at super bantamweight who only recently won their world titles. It’s great for boxing that these fighters decided to immediately unify instead of trying to eke out a few easier defences. Both have exciting styles which should gel to watch though Figueroa is the action fighter of the two.
Stephen Fulton can fight in a variety of styles and can also switch between southpaw and Orthodox effectively. He showed in his last fight that he can fight on the inside and can also work at a great pace throughout the fight. He has the skills to fight on the back foot and counter his opponents as well which makes him a very versatile fighter. He’s got decent power but I wouldn’t regard him as a puncher, more as a guy that will break fighters down over time. Fulton is a fairly complete fighter in my opinion though this fight should push him to the limit as Figueroa is a hard match up for anyone at super bantamweight due to his size and power.
Brandon Figueroa is a fighter that carries power and has a come forward all action style where he regularly throws huge amounts of punches in fights that turn out to be wars. If he’s going to win this fight he’ll have to back Fulton up to the ropes and unload a barrage of punches on him again and again. Fulton will likely fight to even terms early on when Figueroa backs him up to the ropes but the key for Figueroa is to keep the pressure on when Fulton tries to take small breaks in rounds 7-9. Fulton knows how to pace himself and sometimes takes a round or two off before making sure he wins the final rounds. If he can’t take a break then Figueroa can come on strong late and edge out a close decision win. If Figueroa doesn’t back Fulton up consistently and lets him dictate when he takes breaks in the fight then i’m not sure he has a path to victory. Fulton wins the boxing battle at range and in short bursts should win the fight on the inside because hes a bit more crisp and clever with his punches and has the better defence. Figueroa has to be consistent and to an extent hope Fulton falls apart late on or can’t take his power especially to the body, which is an area Figueroa should focus on to slow Fulton down.
I personally think Fulton will use his variety of skills to out-box Figueroa who will put forth a valiant effort but will lose the fight 8-4 or 9-3. Fulton will win the battle when they are boxing on the outside and when Figueroa does get inside I think Fulton can compete there enough to win rounds before using his footwork to get out of the danger zone of slugging with Figueroa for too long. Figueroa has been mentioning this will be his last fight at super bantamweight in the build up to the fight so I do wonder how hard it is for him to make weight and how that will effect his stamina as the fight goes on. I predict Fulton to win a unanimous decision after twelve rounds.
Boxing Fulcrum 