Sunday notebook: Fulton anxious to unify after winning junior featherweight title

Sergey Kovalev fails second VADA test for banned substance

After Stephen Fulton Jr. defeated Angelo Leo by unanimous decision to take the WBO junior featherweight world title on Saturday night at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut, he made it clear what he wants to do next.

“I would like to fight another titleholder. I’d like to show I’m the best in the weight division,” Fulton said. “I am just a better fighter (than Leo) and I’m better at what he does. I just showed I was better overall and I’m going to continue to show that.”

In the main event of the Showtime card, Fulton abandoned his usual box-and-move tactics and instead rumbled for 12 exciting rounds with Leo, whose game is all about pressure and body punching. Fulton altered his style dramatically and won the hellacious battle by scores that didn’t do the competition justice: 119-109, 119-109 and 118-110.

Nonetheless, the 26-year-old Fulton (19-0, 8 KOs), of Philadelphia, was the clear winner in a fight that should remain in the discussion for fight of the year honors 11 months hence.

“It hasn’t hit me yet. When it hits me, I’m going to act the fool. Dancing, going crazy,” Fulton said after his first fight in one year and having overcome Covid-19, which caused the fight with Leo, originally scheduled for Aug. 1, to be called off a few days beforehand. “This is a dream come true right now. I’m a world champion. Not everyone can be a world champion.”

Now, Fulton wants to test himself against other titleholders in the 122-pound division, mentioning titlist Luis Nery and secondary titlist Brandon Figueroa, by name. They are probably the easiest fights to make since all three are part of Premier Boxing Champions. There is also undefeated unified titleholder Murodjon Akhmadaliev.

On the undercard, Raeese “The Beast” Aleem impressively knocked out Victor Pasillas, dropping him four times and stopping him in the 11th round, to win a vacant interim belt. Aleem, who stayed after his fight to watch Futon’s victory, could also be a future opponent in what would seem to shape up as an exciting fight.

“I want to pursue my goal of being undisputed champion. That’s what I’m here for,” Fulton said. “I want to make that come true. I want all the champions. I want to be undisputed.”

Leo released from hospital

While Fulton was all smiles after the fight, Leo, who won the vacant title by unanimous decision against standby replacement foe Tramaine Williams on Aug. 1 after Fulton came down with Covid-19, was taken to the hospital.

Leo took a lot of punishment from Fulton. He also suffered a cut over his left eye from an accidental head butt in the first round. The cut bled for most of the fight.

After the bout, officials sent Leo to the hospital and on Sunday Leonard Ellerbe, CEO of Mayweather Promotions, Leo’s promoter, told Fight Freaks Unite that Leo is OK.

Ellerbe said that Leo (20-1, 9 KOs), 26, an Albuquerque, New Mexico, native fighting out of Las Vegas, needed a few stitches to close the cut over his eye, got checked out as a precaution and was released from the hospital a short time later.

Kovalev fails another VADA test

Former three-time light heavyweight world titlist Sergey Kovalev has tested positive for the second time for the synthetic testosterone eight days after his first positive random Voluntary Anti-Doping Association-administered drug test. It was the first failed test for the banned substance that  resulted in the cancelation of his 178-pound catch weight fight against up-and-comer Bektemir “Bek Bully” Melikuziev, which was scheduled to take place as the main event of a DAZN card on Jan. 30 at the Fantasy Springs Resort Casino in Indio, California.

You can read the details on the latest failed test in the breaking news story I wrote for BoxingScene on Sunday night: https://www.boxingscene.com/sergey-kovalev-fails-second-test-synthetic-testosterone--154952

Boxing chat

I joined my longtime pal Russ Anber, the legendary Canadian cutman, trainer and Rival Boxing founder, on his podcast. You can watch our chat here. We had some fun and covered several boxing topics.

Show and tell

Twelve years ago today (Sunday) Sugar Shane Mosley scored an upset ninth-round knockout of Antonio Margarito to win another welterweight world title. Mosley, a huge underdog, delivered a stunningly one-sided beat down to “Margacheato,” who had been caught in the dressing room trying to enter the bout with loaded hand wraps. It was surreal at ringside at Staples Center in Los Angeles when we got word in the media section about what was going on in the dressing room, scrambling to get details and then banging out a news story literally as the fight was getting started. Here’s a rare and mint site poster from the fight in my collection.

More show and tell

Seventeen years ago today I was ringside in bitter cold Atlantic City, New Jersey, to cover Arturo Gatti winning his second world title. It was an underrated and exciting junior welterweight title bout against then-undefeated Gianluca Branco. Gatti was fighting for the first time following his all-time great trilogy with Micky Ward and it was an electrifying atmosphere, especially when Gatti was walked into the ring by Ward (as well as auto racing superstar Dale Earnhardt Jr.).

After I got home the next day and watched the HBO telecast I was amused and honored that HBO’s Jim Lampley, trying to convey how beloved Gatti was as he was entering the ring, said “it’s just one small mark of the excitement Arturo Gatti has brought to the whole boxing world that boxing writer Dan Rafael of USA Today has a cat named Thunder.”

Here is an incredibly rare — and enormous — cardboard site poster from the fight in my collection. I have numerous Gatti posters in my collection and this is one of my favorites.

Leo-Fulton photos: Amanda Westcott/Showtime