Brandon Figueroa – Stephen Fulton Preview
By: Sean Crose
Brandon Figueroa can combine his punches. He can also maintain range very effectively. He can also end the match early, as three of his last four opponents can tell you. However, the undefeated 24-year-old WBC 22-0-1 super bantamweight champion can get his hands on Saturday night at the Park Theater in Las Vegas when he faces the 19-0 super bantamweight champion. WBO undefeated Stephen Fulton. Called the “Cool Boy Steph,” Fulton can simultaneously ramp up action sequences while using superior defense—a rare feat. Furthermore, he can work his body as if it were no one’s business.
It’s not that Figueroa cannot function on its own. Just ask his ultimate opponent, Luis Nery, who he knocked out with a perfect gut shot in the seventh inning. What makes this weekend’s title unifier so interesting is that it’s hard to know who will claim to be more effective. Both men have hearts and each man can go a long way in a duel. For example, twenty-seven-year-old Fulton versus Philly, which means he came out of a boxing culture born of grit. On the other hand, Figueroa is the brother of former footballer Omar Figueroa, which means he comes from a boxing family. They may have things in common, but it’s possible it’s their small differences that will make all the difference as Fulton and Figueroa go head to head in the 12th round match scheduled for tomorrow night.
Super heavyweight undefeated, 18-0, Raeese Aleem will also be on the card this weekend when he takes on Eduardo Baez 20-1-2 in the expected 10th round. Aleem has beaten his three closest opponents in the distance, most recently Vic Basillas, who Aleem stopped in eleventh place. As for Baez, his only loss came from Maricia Lara’s puncher thirteen fights ago. Baez’s most recent battle ended in his favor with a second-round make-up match against Arcadio Salazar.
Finally, Gary Antonio Russell 18-0 will face Alexandro Santiago 24-2-5 on Saturday in a scheduled 10th round bout at bantamweight. The 28-year-old Russell’s final match was deemed to be without a contest between him and Emmanuel Rodriguez thanks to a headbutt that happened to be 16 seconds into the first round. As for Rodriguez, the 25-year-old won his last fight – a second-round knockout against Juan Gabriel Medina.
Figueroa – Fulton will be broadcast live on Showtime starting at 10 p.m. ET on Saturday.