Stephen Fulton is back in the gym preparing for another run, but the former two-division champion has a serious problem. His body has pushed him into lightweight, where his lack of punching power and physical strength leave him with very few favorable options.
The Ring posted footage of Fulton working the mitts and asked what might come next for the 32-year-old. Judging by the fan reaction, not many people expect another championship run. The mood was unusually gloomy for training footage involving a fighter with Fulton’s accomplishments.
That pessimism is understandable. O’Shaquie Foster thoroughly controlled Fulton in their lightweight fight last December. Fulton had the cleaner record coming in, but none of that helped once he was facing a larger opponent who could match his boxing ability. Fulton did not look undersized in the training footage. His upper body looked thick and heavily muscled, even by lightweight standards.
Fulton built his reputation at 122 pounds, where his timing, accuracy, and defensive skill separated him from most opponents. He later captured a featherweight title by beating Brandon Figueroa in their rematch.
Those tools become less valuable when larger lightweights are willing to walk through his punches. Fulton has never been a dangerous puncher, and moving up three divisions has not given him the kind of power needed to keep aggressive opponents away.
William Zepeda would be a terrible matchup. Zepeda’s pressure, body punching, and high output would force Fulton to work every second without giving him the firepower to slow the attack. Several of the division’s other leading fighters are younger, stronger, and naturally suited to 135 pounds.
Dropping back down does not look realistic either. Fulton came in at 139.5 pounds for his canceled fight with Liam Wilson, missing their agreed 133-pound catchweight by 6.5 pounds. After that, promoters will have a difficult time trusting him with another important fight below lightweight. Now he is essentially stranded at 135.
Promoters view skilled, feather-fisted former champions with recognizable names as one thing: premier stepping stones for violent, rising contenders. If he accepts dates against punchers like William Zepeda, he is getting served up on a platter. Fulton may still be skilled enough to beat carefully selected opposition, but that is different from being a top fighter. His name still carries value, which makes him useful as an opponent for a rising lightweight. That role can become dangerous quickly.
The gym footage shows Fulton still wants to fight. It does not show where he can go. At 32, he has outgrown the divisions that suited him without growing into a lightweight who can survive at the top.
