Stephen Fulton (left) pitched a near-shutout in his choice win over Daniel Roman in June 2022. (Picture by Ryan Hafey/ PBC)
PHILADELPHIA, PA — Stephen “Scooter” Fulton brazenly wonders what extra he has to do. The previous WBO and WBC junior featherweight titlist feels he deserves to be on the pay-per-view portion of this Saturday’s Canelo Alvarez- Edgar Berlanga undercard from the T-Cellular Enviornment in Las Vegas. The frustration has brought about Fulton to be uncharacteristically brief with media. It’s tarnished a profitable, jovial persona and made him somewhat surly.
Perhaps it’s precisely what Fulton (21-1, 8 knockouts) wants when he takes on Carlos Castro (30-2, 14 KOs) in a 10-round featherweight battle on the preliminary, pre-PPV portion of the Alvarez-Berlanga card. It would mark the primary time in 14 months Fulton can be preventing since his first professional loss, an eighth-round knockout to junior featherweight world champion Naoya Inoue final July 25 in Tokyo.
“You recognize I’m offended, offended at myself for not being extra ready, not being the most effective model of me within the Inoue battle,” Fulton admitted in July when speaking to The Ring at a membership present in Philly. “I’m not saying I’d have crushed Inoue, or he would have crushed me, however the most effective model of me was higher than how I carried out. That’s what pisses me off. I had to check out myself. I discovered quite a bit about myself, issues I must sharpen about myself professionally and personally. I don’t need to dwell an excessive amount of on the previous. However I’m completely different.
“Count on me to look completely different.”
Inoue stands out as the solely fighter on this planet who may beat Fulton between 122 and 126.
However Fulton doesn’t need to hear that.
He has modified trainers, shifting from coach/supervisor Wahid Rahim to coach Bozy Ennis, the daddy, supervisor and coach of his son, IBF welterweight titlist Jaron “Boots” Ennis, though Rahim has continued to be Fulton’s supervisor. Fulton confused a change needed to be made. Each imagine it was in the most effective curiosity for every of them.
Being off the PPV, the Castro battle provides the chance for Fulton to be seen probably by the biggest TV viewers he had ever fought earlier than.
“From a enterprise facet, Scooter is in wonderful place proper now,” Rahim mentioned. “He’s one battle away from preventing for an additional world title. He does have an opportunity to battle earlier than a big viewers. This can be a psychological take a look at for him. Scooter is a former world champion, acknowledged all through the world by boxing followers. He was within the beginning 5, and to him proper now, being off the pay-per-view, that is like he has to come back off the bench once more. Folks should perceive one thing: This child has been handed nothing. Al Haymon and PBC have been excellent to him, don’t get me improper.
“However Scooter needed to earn his solution to the highest. Personally, I don’t really feel like he’s coming off the bench. It’s only a matter of him proving himself once more. I respect Bozy 100-percent. I didn’t need Scooter to take the Inoue battle, as a result of Scooter was the champion, and the champion shouldn’t must journey to defend his title. However Scooter is a particular fighter. He’s keen to anybody wherever, so he went. We agreed the coaching factor was not working with us. We have been buddies earlier than we have been working collectively, and I like him. We’ll at all times be buddies. I nonetheless deal with his enterprise. With Bozy on board, that is truly a profit to our complete crew. This took break day my plate as his coach and provides me extra time to work on his enterprise and his future.”
However why has Fulton been so offended not too long ago?
Anybody that is aware of Fulton additionally is aware of that isn’t actually his persona. He has been brief with media (who don’t know him), he has given brief solutions to questions and has projected an perspective that he does need to be bothered. In different phrases, the exact opposite of Fulton’s upbeat persona.
“I perceive that, and we do know, that isn’t who he’s,” Rahim mentioned about Fulton. “The fact is, which he’s very proper about, he has put a lot work into being a star, he appears like he’s ranging from sq. one once more. The enterprise facet of it’s this battle will give him extra publicity. I do know he nonetheless has quite a lot of harm from the Inoue loss. I do know that, you recognize that, everybody who is aware of him is aware of that. He is aware of he may have completed higher, much better than he did. That pisses him off. It pisses me off.
“We hope that is the primary of two fights this 12 months. We need to battle once more in December. I’ll say this, Carlos Castro higher watch his ass. Scooter wanted that kick within the ass Inoue gave him. He has a lot expertise, a lot skill that Scooter generally doesn’t see it himself. That may come out towards Castro. I can’t look by Castro. I do know Scooter received’t. I do know he’s able to explode.”
The grand scheme for Fulton, must be beat Castro, who’s on a three-fight profitable streak since a July 2022 stoppage defeat to Brandon Figueroa, is to face the winner of WBA featherweight titlist Nick Ball’s October 5 protection towards Ronny Rios in Liverpool, England.
“When Scooter is at his greatest, centered, prepared, nobody, not even Inoue, may beat him,” Rahim confused. “I don’t simply significantly suppose that; I do know that for a reality. The one one who may Stephen Fulton is Stephen Fulton. I inform him that on a regular basis.”
Joseph Santoliquito is an award-winning sportswriter who has been working for Ring Journal/RingTV.com since October 1997 and is the president of the Boxing Writers Affiliation of America.
Observe @JSantoliquito [twitter.com]
