Stephen Fulton Jr meets Daniel Roman in a high-quality WBC and WBO super heavyweight bout on Saturday night. Luke G. Williams previews a fight between two of boxing’s best kept secrets…
Neither Stephen Fulton Jr nor Daniel Roman could be described as high-profile pugilers, but the duo represent much of what’s good about boxing.
Both men are brilliant technicians who seem happier talking with their fists than on social media or during bad press conferences.
The respect between this duo is mutual respect, not hatred, and the rivalry between them is mostly professional rather than personal as they prepare to go head-to-head this Saturday night at the Armory in London. Minneapolis for the Fulton and WBC super bantamweight world titles.
“I choose [to fight] Danny Roman,” Philadelphia native Fulton (20-0, 8 KOs) explained during match preparation. “He deserved the chance, so I gave it to him. He’s a great fighter and you can’t take that away from him.
“I don’t understand how he didn’t get a rematch with his original belts, but I decided to give him a shot of mine. I hope Roman will fight me differently than any other fight. He is looking to get back to the top of the table. I have to be smart and adaptable. That’s what I do best.”
Roman (29-3-1, 10 KOs), for his part, admitted: “I’m up against a very skilled boxer who doesn’t have many flaws, but every man has a weakness, and I will exploit Fulton’s. I believe my style will be difficult for him to adjust. He has never been in the ring with an experienced fighter like me.
“I know what it takes to win this war. The world will see a greatly improved version of me in this fight. I’m going to throw a lot of punches until the final bell rings and I’m getting ready to go.”
27-year-old Fulton is the favorite player to dominate and deserves to be, after a brilliant 2021 when he has a good case to be considered among the top contenders of the year and top. 10 worlds in pounds .
In January, he came out and battled the so far undefeated Angelo Leo in a stunning performance to claim the 122lbs WBO belt, while in November he added Brandon Figueroa’s WBC title to his collection after making the majority decision in the match against the candidate of the year.
Fulton has been up against quite a bit throughout his career, going up against nine undefeated fighters in his 20 competitions to date, and overcoming each of these challenges brilliantly. Now, by facing Roman, Fulton – for his third straight bout – is going up against one of the top runners at 122lbs, and someone who was once a unified champion in the weight division. .
The only boxer to have beaten Roman in the past eight years is Murodjon Akhmadaliev, who rescued him from his hard-earned WBA and IBF super belts back in 2020. The Uzbek is beaten by many – including Boxing Social – the price was number one 122lb-er in the world, and Roman pushed him anyway, only to lose the split decision.
However, Roman is now 32 years old, and the feeling persists that his career may be going downhill a bit, while Fulton is at – or approaching – his peak. An excellent counter-attacker can also fight inside, ‘Cool Boy Steph’ appearing to hold off the aces here is sure to be a fight from afar.
Neither man possesses crippling strength and both seem quite durable, Fulton has never – by my calculations – down as a pro, except when Arnold Khegai threw him on the canvas, in when Roman – despite losing three games – never stopped.
Roman will no doubt be ready and throw a lot of skin but I think Fulton’s accuracy and pedigree will ultimately prevail through a close, possibly divisive decision, after a fight in which both men he showed their skill and class.
