Stephen Fulton Jr. eked out a majority decision over Brandon Figueroa when the two met in their unifying super bantamweight world championship bout back in November 2021.
On Saturday night in Las Vegas, nearly four years later, the two will clash again as Figueroa (25-1-1, 19 KOs) puts his WBC featherweight world title on the line against Fulton (22-1, 8 KOs).
With the rematch being a pivotal one for both fighters, DAZN News analyzes who has the edge entering their sequel.
Boxing style
Alma Montiel/WBC
Their original clash back in November 2021 had judges crediting Fulton’s accuracy over Figueroa’s volume and work rate towards a controversial majority decision victory.
Since suffering the sole loss of his pro career, Figueroa has strung together a three-fight winning streak including a sixth-round TKO of Carlos Castro, a unanimous decision nod over Mark Magsayo and a ninth-round KO of Jessie Magdaleno.
Meanwhile, Fulton scored a unanimous decision over Daniel Roman but fell victim to a pulverizing eighth-round TKO at the hands of Naoya Inoue in July 2023. Fulton then bounced back with a split-decision win over Castro last September.
Figueroa has gained confidence with each victory and is capable of turning his punch volume up to a relentless frequency.
Fulton undoubtedly was rocked by the loss to Inoue but proved his skills are still sharp in a rebounding victory over Castro. The question is: Will his precise sweet science skills be enough to ward off the incessant punch volume of a younger Figueroa who believes it’s his time?
This one is close, with the slightest edge going to Figueroa.
Edge: Figueroa
Power
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It’s not that Fulton can’t load up on his punches — especially while countering — because he most certainly can. But the Philadelphia fighter is very much the ring general who’s going to bank rounds with his slippery, sound boxing skills.
That said, 19 of Figueroa’s 25 wins have come by way of knockout. Simply stated: 'The Heartbreaker' can be overwhelming when cranking up his output. That relentless attack is a power surge that is hard for any opponent to stop.
Edge: Figueroa
Mental Warfare
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Until Figueroa gets his lick back and avenges his only pro loss, Fulton will possess the mental edge heading into this bout.
There’s a quiet confidence that the former unified super bantamweight world champion has been exuding entering this rematch.
Though nearly four years ago since getting the majority decision over Figueroa, Fulton has the fact that he beat 'The Heartbreaker' already in his back pocket.
It’s going to allow 'Cool Boy Steph' to at least enter the ring February 1 with that mental edge in tow.
Edge: Fulton
So which fighter has the edge going into this fight across these three key categories? It’s Brandon Figueroa, 2-1.
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