Stephen Fulton-Carlos Castro To Headline Prime Video Lead-In Show To Canelo-Berlanga PPV
Stephen Fulton will learn to make the most of the less-than-expected opportunity.
The former unified 122-pound titlist will ended a year-plus layoff with a move up in weight. Fulton will face Phoenix’s Carlos Castro in a featherweight bout on Sept. 14 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Their bout will headline a Prime Video free-view show preceding the Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez-Edgar Berlanga PBC on Prime Pay-Per-View event later that evening.
“It feels good to be back. It’s been a long time,” said Fulton in his very brief opening remarks.
Philadelphia’s Fulton (21-1, 8 knockouts) has not fought since an eighth-round knockout loss to Naoya Inoue last July 25 in Tokyo. The bout ended his title reign and came 13 months after his June 2022 win over Daniel Roman.
Another 14 months will now pass between fights by the time he steps into the ring. He was due to appear on an Aug. 17 PBC on Prime Video card in Orlando, but the event was scrapped once the main event feel through. Caleb Plant (22-2, 13 KOs) was due to headline versus unbeaten Trevor McCumby (28-0, 21 KOs), who suffered a cut and had to postpone their clash.
Plant-McCumby is now part of the Alvarez-Berlanga PPV undercard. Fulton was teased to be as well, until it was learned that he instead landed on the free-view show. The former titleholder was as surprised as everyone else when he learned the news, reportedly on the way to Monday’s press conference.
PBC announced the four-fight lineup prior to Monday’s press conference in New York City. Reaction was largely negative, along with wonderment of when Fulton would return to the ring.
Everyone was given their update during the presser. Fulton’s initial short remarks echoed the frustration in a stalled career before he expanded on what can come with a win in September.
“More titles, I wanted to go to 130 but I’ll take a pit stop here,” noted Fulton. “Get my feet wet a little bit and hopefully get a world title here to become two-division world champion. Then move up and do the same.
“That’s my goal for now. I can take it as far as I want to take it. It’s just up to me.”
Castro (30-2, 14 KOs) has won three in a row since a July 2022 stoppage defeat to Brandon Figueroa (25-1-1, 19 KOs). All three bouts have taken place in his Phoenix hometown, where he sought to remain active and avoid the very fate endured by Fulton.
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