Tag: Fulton vs Figueroa

Good, bad, worse: George Kambosos, king of the lightweights? It’s true

Good, bad, worse: George Kambosos, king of the lightweights? It’s true.

A critical look at the past week in boxing

GOOD

Dreams can come true no matter where you live in the world.

George Kambosos, a former rugby player from Australia, imagined becoming a world boxing champion from an early. He had natural gifts and grit, he put in the work over many years and he developed an unwavering belief in himself.

All that paid off on Saturday at Madison Square Garden in New York, where he upset Teofimo Lopez by a split decision to become undisputed lightweight champion.

And it was no fluke. Kambosos insisted repeatedly that he was better than Lopez and he proved it. He outboxed the conqueror of Vasiliy Lomchenko, he outworked him and he took everything Lopez threw at him.

Yes, he went down in Round 10, but that only gave him the opportunity to demonstrate his mettle under difficult circumstances, as he had strong rounds in 11 and 12.

Kambosos lost some rounds but the decision wasn’t controversial, no matter what Lopez said afterward. One judge had it 114-113 for Lopez but the other two scored it for Kambosos, 115-111 and 115-112. Each of the latter two gave the winner eight of the 12 rounds.

Dominating? No. Convincing? Yes.

And you should remember something about fighters from remote outposts: They must travel the world and fight in hostile territories to achieve their goals, as Kambosos did when he outpointed Mickey Bey at The Garden, Lee Selby in London and now Lopez.

That adds a layer of difficulty and makes his accomplishments all the more remarkable.

Kambosos is now the undisputed 135-pound champion, assuming you don’t buy into the WBC’s confusing “franchise champion” designation. I don’t know whether he’s the best Australian boxer of all time – Jeff Fenech might have something to say about that, for example – but he did make history.

Nothing will ever be the same for him.

 

BAD

Lopez is young, only 24. He’ll learn from this experience.

The Brooklynite became an instantaneous star when he upset pound-for-pounder Vasiliy Lomachenko by a unanimous decision to become the lightweight king in his most-recent fight, in October of last year.

Then, in his very next outing, it was all gone. What went wrong?

First and foremost, it was Kambosos, who was better than billed. All the fight postponements didn’t help. The same with a bout with COVID-19. And he obviously had some personal distractions, which can be particularly challenging for a young man.

If you add all that up, perhaps we shouldn’t be shocked that the laser-focused Aussie pulled off the upset.

Lopez seemed out of sorts in the opening round, when he came out winging wild punches in an effort to stop turn his prediction of a first-round knockout into reality. Instead, he was knocked down himself in the final seconds of the round.

And while he was competitive the rest of the way and rallied late in the fight, he never strayed far from his desire to stop Kambosos. Instead, he should’ve simply let his hands go more than he did. That includes the moments after he put Kambosos down, when he didn’t try hard enough to finish the job and salvage a victory.

Now, after Kambosos had his hand raised, it’s reasonable to ask: Is Lopez as good as we thought he was after he beat Lomachenko? Or did he catch the Ukrainian on an off night?

Again, Lopez is young. He can bounce back from this. We’ll see whether he does.

 

WORSE

I understand the frustration a fighter must feel when he believes he has been cheated by the judges.

Lopez and Brandon Figueroa, who lost a majority decision to Stephen Fulton in a 122-pound title-unification bout Saturday, both declared after their setbacks that “everyone knows who won.” And, yes, the fights were competitive. One could argue that the wrong men won.

However, Lopez and Figueroa probably didn’t express their feelings in an appropriate way, as both them interrupted interviews with the winners to convey their outrage. That wasn’t fair to the their opponents, who had no say in the scoring.

I’m a big proponent of allowing the victor to have his or her moment, particularly after such hard-earned triumphs. Lopez and Figueroa would’ve had the opportunity to speak in their own interviews a few minutes later.

Instead, they stole some of Kambosos and Fulton’s glory.

And, in my opinion, they weren’t robbed. Again, I thought Kambosos outworked Lopez, which is why I gave him seven of the 12 rounds. And while the indefatigable Figueroa threw more punches than Fulton, the latter landed the cleaner shots. I had Fulton winning eight of the 12 rounds.

As I said earlier, a more-focused Lopez can and probably will bounce back. And while Figueroa (22-1-1, 17 KOs) lost his 122-pound title to Fulton (20-0, 8 KOs), he won added respect for a splendid performance. He’s going to give the 126-pounder hell going forward.

Indeed, neither Lopez nor Figueroa needed to lose their cool after their setbacks. The future is bright.

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Good, bad, worse: George Kambosos, king of the lightweights? It’s true

Good, bad, worse: George Kambosos, king of the lightweights? It’s true.

A critical look at the past week in boxing

GOOD

Dreams can come true no matter where you live in the world.

George Kambosos, a former rugby player from Australia, imagined becoming a world boxing champion from an early. He had natural gifts and grit, he put in the work over many years and he developed an unwavering belief in himself.

All that paid off on Saturday at Madison Square Garden in New York, where he upset Teofimo Lopez by a split decision to become undisputed lightweight champion.

And it was no fluke. Kambosos insisted repeatedly that he was better than Lopez and he proved it. He outboxed the conqueror of Vasiliy Lomchenko, he outworked him and he took everything Lopez threw at him.

Yes, he went down in Round 10, but that only gave him the opportunity to demonstrate his mettle under difficult circumstances, as he had strong rounds in 11 and 12.

Kambosos lost some rounds but the decision wasn’t controversial, no matter what Lopez said afterward. One judge had it 114-113 for Lopez but the other two scored it for Kambosos, 115-111 and 115-112. Each of the latter two gave the winner eight of the 12 rounds.

Dominating? No. Convincing? Yes.

And you should remember something about fighters from remote outposts: They must travel the world and fight in hostile territories to achieve their goals, as Kambosos did when he outpointed Mickey Bey at The Garden, Lee Selby in London and now Lopez.

That adds a layer of difficulty and makes his accomplishments all the more remarkable.

Kambosos is now the undisputed 135-pound champion, assuming you don’t buy into the WBC’s confusing “franchise champion” designation. I don’t know whether he’s the best Australian boxer of all time – Jeff Fenech might have something to say about that, for example – but he did make history.

Nothing will ever be the same for him.

 

BAD

Lopez is young, only 24. He’ll learn from this experience.

The Brooklynite became an instantaneous star when he upset pound-for-pounder Vasiliy Lomachenko by a unanimous decision to become the lightweight king in his most-recent fight, in October of last year.

Then, in his very next outing, it was all gone. What went wrong?

First and foremost, it was Kambosos, who was better than billed. All the fight postponements didn’t help. The same with a bout with COVID-19. And he obviously had some personal distractions, which can be particularly challenging for a young man.

If you add all that up, perhaps we shouldn’t be shocked that the laser-focused Aussie pulled off the upset.

Lopez seemed out of sorts in the opening round, when he came out winging wild punches in an effort to stop turn his prediction of a first-round knockout into reality. Instead, he was knocked down himself in the final seconds of the round.

And while he was competitive the rest of the way and rallied late in the fight, he never strayed far from his desire to stop Kambosos. Instead, he should’ve simply let his hands go more than he did. That includes the moments after he put Kambosos down, when he didn’t try hard enough to finish the job and salvage a victory.

Now, after Kambosos had his hand raised, it’s reasonable to ask: Is Lopez as good as we thought he was after he beat Lomachenko? Or did he catch the Ukrainian on an off night?

Again, Lopez is young. He can bounce back from this. We’ll see whether he does.

 

WORSE

I understand the frustration a fighter must feel when he believes he has been cheated by the judges.

Lopez and Brandon Figueroa, who lost a majority decision to Stephen Fulton in a 122-pound title-unification bout Saturday, both declared after their setbacks that “everyone knows who won.” And, yes, the fights were competitive. One could argue that the wrong men won.

However, Lopez and Figueroa probably didn’t express their feelings in an appropriate way, as both them interrupted interviews with the winners to convey their outrage. That wasn’t fair to the their opponents, who had no say in the scoring.

I’m a big proponent of allowing the victor to have his or her moment, particularly after such hard-earned triumphs. Lopez and Figueroa would’ve had the opportunity to speak in their own interviews a few minutes later.

Instead, they stole some of Kambosos and Fulton’s glory.

And, in my opinion, they weren’t robbed. Again, I thought Kambosos outworked Lopez, which is why I gave him seven of the 12 rounds. And while the indefatigable Figueroa threw more punches than Fulton, the latter landed the cleaner shots. I had Fulton winning eight of the 12 rounds.

As I said earlier, a more-focused Lopez can and probably will bounce back. And while Figueroa (22-1-1, 17 KOs) lost his 122-pound title to Fulton (20-0, 8 KOs), he won added respect for a splendid performance. He’s going to give the 126-pounder hell going forward.

Indeed, neither Lopez nor Figueroa needed to lose their cool after their setbacks. The future is bright.

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Stephen Fulton ekes past Brandon Figueroa in classic battle

Stephen Fulton defeated Brandon Figueroa by a majority decision in a classic battle Saturday in las Vegas.

The fighters and everyone else can argue about the scoring. One thing upon which everyone will agree? It was a hell of a fight.

Stephen Fulton and Brandon Figueroa delivered a classic battle in their 122-pound title-unification bout Saturday at Park Theater in Las Vegas, throwing a combined 1,786 punches in nonstop back-and-forth action.

Fulton had his hand raised, the result of a majority decision, but no one was a loser.

“It was a war,” Fulton said immediately afterward. “It was a tough fight, he’s a tough person.”

That’s for sure. Figueroa, who lost his WBC belt, applied suffocating pressure on the WBO titleholder from the opening bell to the end of the 12th and final round. He threw 1,086 punches, landing 314, according to CompuBox.

The Texan’s body work was particularly effective, as more than a third of his punches (106) were to the stomach.

However, Fulton, who outslugged slugger Angelo Leo in his previous fight, weathered the storm effectively. He caught Figueroa with many clean counter punches, moved or held when he had to and held his own in toe-to-toe exchanges, which is Figueroa’s wheelhouse.

Fulton landed 269 of 726 punches overall, including 85 to the body.

In the end, two of the judges – and Boxing Junkie – favored Fulton’s accuracy and solid work inside over Figueroa’s volume punching. The scores were 116-112, 116-112 and 114-114. Boxing Junkie also had it 116-112 for Fulton, eight rounds to four.

“I was catching him in between the shots he was throwing,” said Fulton, whose interview was interrupted by Figueroa. “Yeah, he was making it a little sloppy and rough. And the ref was saying I was hitting him low. I wasn’t; I was placing my shots.”

The interviewer asked Fulton about the punching statistics, pointing out that Figueroa was more active.

“More active, but who landed cleaner shots?” I caught you in the middle of everything you were throwing,” he responded as Figueroa’s team heckled him.

Figueroa, frustrated by the scoring, believes he was cheated.

“I put the pressure the whole 12 rounds,” he said. “I landed the cleaner shots. I hurt him like five times. I probably lost four rounds in that fight.”

He added when he was asked for final thoughts: “Probably has to be the biggest robbery of the year. Everybody here knows who won. The fans that watched it live know who won. Even [Fulton] knows who won. They just don’t want to admit it. They just want to make the fight with him and [fellow titleholder Murodjon Akhmadaliev].

“I came to fight. Everyone knows I come to fight, I don’t come to hold. I brought pressure the whole 12 rounds. I think even you know who won.”

Fulton offered to fight Figueroa a second time but that isn’t likely. Figueroa, who has a hard time making 122, declared multiple times going into the fight that he planned to move up in weight win or lose.

He said after the fight that he would like a rematch with Fulton but hemmed and hawed when pushed about whether it’s realistic. It’s clearly time for him to move up to 126, at which he’ll be physically stronger.

What next for Fulton? Figueroa probably named the man Fulton will fight sometime soon: MJ, which is Akhmadaliev’s nickname. The Uzbek holds the IBF and WBA junior featherweight titles, meaning the winner of that fight would become undisputed champion.

Did Fulton earn the right to fight Akhmadaliev for the championship? The judges thought so. But the debate will rage on.

Stephen Fulton ekes past Brandon Figueroa in classic battle

Stephen Fulton defeated Brandon Figueroa by a majority decision in a classic battle Saturday in las Vegas.

The fighters and everyone else can argue about the scoring. One thing upon which everyone will agree? It was a hell of a fight.

Stephen Fulton and Brandon Figueroa delivered a classic battle in their 122-pound title-unification bout Saturday at Park Theater in Las Vegas, throwing a combined 1,786 punches in nonstop back-and-forth action.

Fulton had his hand raised, the result of a majority decision, but no one was a loser.

“It was a war,” Fulton said immediately afterward. “It was a tough fight, he’s a tough person.”

That’s for sure. Figueroa, who lost his WBC belt, applied suffocating pressure on the WBO titleholder from the opening bell to the end of the 12th and final round. He threw 1,086 punches, landing 314, according to CompuBox.

The Texan’s body work was particularly effective, as more than a third of his punches (106) were to the stomach.

However, Fulton, who outslugged slugger Angelo Leo in his previous fight, weathered the storm effectively. He caught Figueroa with many clean counter punches, moved or held when he had to and held his own in toe-to-toe exchanges, which is Figueroa’s wheelhouse.

Fulton landed 269 of 726 punches overall, including 85 to the body.

In the end, two of the judges – and Boxing Junkie – favored Fulton’s accuracy and solid work inside over Figueroa’s volume punching. The scores were 116-112, 116-112 and 114-114. Boxing Junkie also had it 116-112 for Fulton, eight rounds to four.

“I was catching him in between the shots he was throwing,” said Fulton, whose interview was interrupted by Figueroa. “Yeah, he was making it a little sloppy and rough. And the ref was saying I was hitting him low. I wasn’t; I was placing my shots.”

The interviewer asked Fulton about the punching statistics, pointing out that Figueroa was more active.

“More active, but who landed cleaner shots?” I caught you in the middle of everything you were throwing,” he responded as Figueroa’s team heckled him.

Figueroa, frustrated by the scoring, believes he was cheated.

“I put the pressure the whole 12 rounds,” he said. “I landed the cleaner shots. I hurt him like five times. I probably lost four rounds in that fight.”

He added when he was asked for final thoughts: “Probably has to be the biggest robbery of the year. Everybody here knows who won. The fans that watched it live know who won. Even [Fulton] knows who won. They just don’t want to admit it. They just want to make the fight with him and [fellow titleholder Murodjon Akhmadaliev].

“I came to fight. Everyone knows I come to fight, I don’t come to hold. I brought pressure the whole 12 rounds. I think even you know who won.”

Fulton offered to fight Figueroa a second time but that isn’t likely. Figueroa, who has a hard time making 122, declared multiple times going into the fight that he planned to move up in weight win or lose.

He said after the fight that he would like a rematch with Fulton but hemmed and hawed when pushed about whether it’s realistic. It’s clearly time for him to move up to 126, at which he’ll be physically stronger.

What next for Fulton? Figueroa probably named the man Fulton will fight sometime soon: MJ, which is Akhmadaliev’s nickname. The Uzbek holds the IBF and WBA junior featherweight titles, meaning the winner of that fight would become undisputed champion.

Did Fulton earn the right to fight Akhmadaliev for the championship? The judges thought so. But the debate will rage on.

Stephen Fulton vs. Brandon Figueroa: date, time, how to watch, background

Stephen Fulton vs. Brandon Figueroa: date, time, how to watch, background.

stephen fulton and brandon figueroa will fight to unify 122-pound titles in las vegas on showtime.

Brandon Figueroa (22-0-1, 17 KOs) vs. Stephen Fulton (19-0, 8 KOs)

  • Date: Saturday, Nov. 27
  • Time: 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT
  • Where: Park Theater, Las Vegas
  • TV/Stream: Showtime
  • Division: Junior featherweight
  • At stake: Figueroa’s WBC and Fulton’s WBO titles
  • Pound-for-pound ranking: None
  • Odds: Fulton 3-1 (average of multiple outlets)
  • Also on the card: Ra’eese Aleem vs. Eduardo Baez, junior featherweights; Gary Antonio Russell vs. Alejandro Barrios, bantamweights
  • Prediction: Fulton UD
  • Background: This is a classic matchup of boxer (Fulton) vs. brawler (Figueroa), although Fulton demonstrated in his dominating unanimous-decision victory over then-titleholder Angelo Leo in January that he’s willing and capable of mixing it up. That victory gave Fulton his first major belt. And there presumably will be more to come. The 27-year-old Philadelphian is one of the most gifted young champions in the sport, although he hasn’t proven that over long period of time. Fulton said he ability to “adjust and outthink” Figueroa will lead him to victory. Figueroa, 24, is a relentless pressure fighter who wears his opponents down with volume punching. That’s what he did in his upset, seventh-round knockout victory over then-unbeaten Luis Nery in May, which earned him his first legitimate title. The Texan is the underdog once again but you can bet that he’s going to make Fulton work hard no matter who has his hand raised.

[lawrence-related id=25864,20310,25868,17278]

Stephen Fulton vs. Brandon Figueroa: date, time, how to watch, background

Stephen Fulton vs. Brandon Figueroa: date, time, how to watch, background.

stephen fulton and brandon figueroa will fight to unify 122-pound titles in las vegas on showtime.

Brandon Figueroa (22-0-1, 17 KOs) vs. Stephen Fulton (19-0, 8 KOs)

  • Date: Saturday, Nov. 27
  • Time: 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT
  • Where: Park Theater, Las Vegas
  • TV/Stream: Showtime
  • Division: Junior featherweight
  • At stake: Figueroa’s WBC and Fulton’s WBO titles
  • Pound-for-pound ranking: None
  • Odds: Fulton 3-1 (average of multiple outlets)
  • Also on the card: Ra’eese Aleem vs. Eduardo Baez, junior featherweights; Gary Antonio Russell vs. Alejandro Barrios, bantamweights
  • Prediction: Fulton UD
  • Background: This is a classic matchup of boxer (Fulton) vs. brawler (Figueroa), although Fulton demonstrated in his dominating unanimous-decision victory over then-titleholder Angelo Leo in January that he’s willing and capable of mixing it up. That victory gave Fulton his first major belt. And there presumably will be more to come. The 27-year-old Philadelphian is one of the most gifted young champions in the sport, although he hasn’t proven that over long period of time. Fulton said he ability to “adjust and outthink” Figueroa will lead him to victory. Figueroa, 24, is a relentless pressure fighter who wears his opponents down with volume punching. That’s what he did in his upset, seventh-round knockout victory over then-unbeaten Luis Nery in May, which earned him his first legitimate title. The Texan is the underdog once again but you can bet that he’s going to make Fulton work hard no matter who has his hand raised.

[lawrence-related id=25864,20310,25868,17278]

Stephen Fulton’s mission: Keep winning, keep entertaining

Stephen Fulton said his mission is to continue winning and entertaining fans.

We’ve known for some time that Stephen Fulton is a special boxer. In his most-recent fight he revealed something new, which might not be good news for his rivals.

Fulton probably could’ve outboxed then-WBO 122-pound titleholder Angelo Leo to win his first major belt this past January. Instead, the Philly fighter surprised many by slugging with a slugger and still emerged with a near-shutout decision and the coveted belt.

He faces another pressure fighter in WBC champ Brandon Figueroa on Nov. 27 in Las Vegas, where they’ll unify their titles.

“I like fighting that way,” he told Boxing Junkie. “I feel like my corner doesn’t like me fighting that way. And I respect that. Sometimes they do have to save the fighter from himself. We do want to save some for ourselves and our kids later on in life. And I understand that.

“[But] as a fighter you just want to put on a great performance. We want to be macho men or dogs. That’s what we live for. That’s the joyfulness and excitement that we get out of it.”

We could get more of the same on Nov. 27.

Leo and Figueroa are both strong, aggressive fighters who throw a lot of punches. However, Fulton said Figueroa brings a different level of intensity.

“Even though they’re similar, they’re totally different,” he said. “They bring different type of angles, different heat is thrown at you. Brandon is more of an overwhelming fighter, he’ll overwhelm you. Angelo Leo was just a person that’s going to come forward at you.”

Fulton was asked how he planned to handle that kind of pressure and he laughed, joking that the interviewer must be a spy working for Figueroa.

He wouldn’t reveal too much about his strategy, other than to say that he’ll, ‘Let the fight come to me, let him do his job. And I’ll work off of that.” In other words he’ll box when he needs to box and brawl when he needs to brawl.

One thing is clear: He’s confident. He’s focused on Figueroa – anything else would be suicide – but he’s thinking bigger than that.

Teofimo Lopez, Josh Taylor and Canelo Alvarez have demonstrated recently that it’s possible to become an undisputed champion even in an era of fragmented titles. Alvarez stopped Caleb Plant to win all four major 168-pound belts last week.

That’s what Fulton has in mind: defeat Figueroa and then target unbeaten Uzbek Murodjon “MJ” Akhmadaliev, who holds the IBF and WBA junior featherweight belts.

Fulton (19-0, 8 KOs) already is considered one of the best among a group of talented up-and-coming young stars, led by Lopez at the moment. Back-to-back victories over Figueroa and Akhmadaliev would lift him to the next level.

He believes that’s his destiny.

“For sure,” Fulton said. “I want us to get past Figueroa and then I want to go into the MJ fight. … [I just have to] keep winning, keep being happy, keep embracing the people, keep embracing the fans. That’ll bring me to the top.”

And it’s not enough simply to get to the pinnacle of the sport. He wants to give fans more of what they saw in his fight against Leo.

“I feel the more I … entertain people, the more I’ll be happy at doing my job,” he said. “Seeing the enjoyment [of] others will bring the best out of me. Now I know, ‘OK, they like that?’ I want to do it again. ‘They like that?’ OK, let me do it this way now.’

“That’s what I’m getting out of it right now.”

[lawrence-related id=25864,17278]

Stephen Fulton’s mission: Keep winning, keep entertaining

Stephen Fulton said his mission is to continue winning and entertaining fans.

We’ve known for some time that Stephen Fulton is a special boxer. In his most-recent fight he revealed something new, which might not be good news for his rivals.

Fulton probably could’ve outboxed then-WBO 122-pound titleholder Angelo Leo to win his first major belt this past January. Instead, the Philly fighter surprised many by slugging with a slugger and still emerged with a near-shutout decision and the coveted belt.

He faces another pressure fighter in WBC champ Brandon Figueroa on Nov. 27 in Las Vegas, where they’ll unify their titles.

“I like fighting that way,” he told Boxing Junkie. “I feel like my corner doesn’t like me fighting that way. And I respect that. Sometimes they do have to save the fighter from himself. We do want to save some for ourselves and our kids later on in life. And I understand that.

“[But] as a fighter you just want to put on a great performance. We want to be macho men or dogs. That’s what we live for. That’s the joyfulness and excitement that we get out of it.”

We could get more of the same on Nov. 27.

Leo and Figueroa are both strong, aggressive fighters who throw a lot of punches. However, Fulton said Figueroa brings a different level of intensity.

“Even though they’re similar, they’re totally different,” he said. “They bring different type of angles, different heat is thrown at you. Brandon is more of an overwhelming fighter, he’ll overwhelm you. Angelo Leo was just a person that’s going to come forward at you.”

Fulton was asked how he planned to handle that kind of pressure and he laughed, joking that the interviewer must be a spy working for Figueroa.

He wouldn’t reveal too much about his strategy, other than to say that he’ll, ‘Let the fight come to me, let him do his job. And I’ll work off of that.” In other words he’ll box when he needs to box and brawl when he needs to brawl.

One thing is clear: He’s confident. He’s focused on Figueroa – anything else would be suicide – but he’s thinking bigger than that.

Teofimo Lopez, Josh Taylor and Canelo Alvarez have demonstrated recently that it’s possible to become an undisputed champion even in an era of fragmented titles. Alvarez stopped Caleb Plant to win all four major 168-pound belts last week.

That’s what Fulton has in mind: defeat Figueroa and then target unbeaten Uzbek Murodjon “MJ” Akhmadaliev, who holds the IBF and WBA junior featherweight belts.

Fulton (19-0, 8 KOs) already is considered one of the best among a group of talented up-and-coming young stars, led by Lopez at the moment. Back-to-back victories over Figueroa and Akhmadaliev would lift him to the next level.

He believes that’s his destiny.

“For sure,” Fulton said. “I want us to get past Figueroa and then I want to go into the MJ fight. … [I just have to] keep winning, keep being happy, keep embracing the people, keep embracing the fans. That’ll bring me to the top.”

And it’s not enough simply to get to the pinnacle of the sport. He wants to give fans more of what they saw in his fight against Leo.

“I feel the more I … entertain people, the more I’ll be happy at doing my job,” he said. “Seeing the enjoyment [of] others will bring the best out of me. Now I know, ‘OK, they like that?’ I want to do it again. ‘They like that?’ OK, let me do it this way now.’

“That’s what I’m getting out of it right now.”

[lawrence-related id=25864,17278]

Brandon Figueroa: ‘I’m not in this to look pretty’

Brandon Figueroa said he’s a fighter, not a pretty boxer, which has worked for him.

Brandon Figueroa’s nickname is “Heartbreaker,” a nod to his good looks. His fighting style? Not so attractive.

The 24-year-old Texan is a grinder who relies as much on grit as guile. And that approach to combat has served him well; he knocked out the favored Luis Nery with a body shot in seven rounds to win the WBC 122-pound title his past May.

Figueroa (22-0-1, 17 KOs) could face a bigger challenge on Nov. 27 in Las Vegas, where he faces talented WBO champ Stephen Fulton in a title-unification bout on Showtime.

“I don’t fight pretty,” Figueroa told Boxing Junkie. “I’m not in this to look pretty; I’m in this to fight, to rough up opponents and make sure to give the fans a show. I don’t know where people get this mentality that you have to look pretty for TV and fans.

“I’m just out there to fight. That’s the style I’m imbedded with. And it’s worked well so far.”

Will it work on Nov. 27?

Fulton (19-0, 8 KOs) is a formidable boxer with unusual speed and athleticism, the main reasons he’s considered a rising star. And if there was any doubt about his fighting spirit, he beat slugger Angelo Leo at his own game to win his title in January.

Figueroa knows what he’s up against, which is one reason he agreed to fight Fulton.

“(That’s) the only way to get better,” he said. “From the start of my career I told my dad that I want to fight the best. I’ve never said ‘no’ to any opponent. … This fight is no different. It’s time for me to fight at the world class level. I’m ready to take that step.

“I’m young, 24. This is the only way for me to find out who I really am and my potential. Not only that, but to get better and go the next level.”

Don’t expect Figueroa to follow the lead of Canelo Alvarez if he wins even though he would be only one step from becoming undisputed junior featherweight champion, as Murodjon Akhmadaliev holds the IBF and WBA belts.

Figueroa said his meeting with Fulton will almost certainly be his last fight at 122 pounds because he has grown out of the division.

“I feel like my body is growing,” said Figueroa, who is tall for the division, 5-foot-8. “… Me and my team plan to move up to 126 and maybe go for a world title there. If, when I beat Fulton, there’s nothing more I can do at 122.

“It has been just a matter of time before I moved up to 126 and really see what my body can do. I feel 122 has taken a lot of my power. At 126, I’ll be a more complete fighter.”

Of course, he has one last bit of business at 122. And he wants to go out in style – his style.

Said Figueroa: “I want to give fans a show.”

Brandon Figueroa: ‘I’m not in this to look pretty’

Brandon Figueroa said he’s a fighter, not a pretty boxer, which has worked for him.

Brandon Figueroa’s nickname is “Heartbreaker,” a nod to his good looks. His fighting style? Not so attractive.

The 24-year-old Texan is a grinder who relies as much on grit as guile. And that approach to combat has served him well; he knocked out the favored Luis Nery with a body shot in seven rounds to win the WBC 122-pound title his past May.

Figueroa (22-0-1, 17 KOs) could face a bigger challenge on Nov. 27 in Las Vegas, where he faces talented WBO champ Stephen Fulton in a title-unification bout on Showtime.

“I don’t fight pretty,” Figueroa told Boxing Junkie. “I’m not in this to look pretty; I’m in this to fight, to rough up opponents and make sure to give the fans a show. I don’t know where people get this mentality that you have to look pretty for TV and fans.

“I’m just out there to fight. That’s the style I’m imbedded with. And it’s worked well so far.”

Will it work on Nov. 27?

Fulton (19-0, 8 KOs) is a formidable boxer with unusual speed and athleticism, the main reasons he’s considered a rising star. And if there was any doubt about his fighting spirit, he beat slugger Angelo Leo at his own game to win his title in January.

Figueroa knows what he’s up against, which is one reason he agreed to fight Fulton.

“(That’s) the only way to get better,” he said. “From the start of my career I told my dad that I want to fight the best. I’ve never said ‘no’ to any opponent. … This fight is no different. It’s time for me to fight at the world class level. I’m ready to take that step.

“I’m young, 24. This is the only way for me to find out who I really am and my potential. Not only that, but to get better and go the next level.”

Don’t expect Figueroa to follow the lead of Canelo Alvarez if he wins even though he would be only one step from becoming undisputed junior featherweight champion, as Murodjon Akhmadaliev holds the IBF and WBA belts.

Figueroa said his meeting with Fulton will almost certainly be his last fight at 122 pounds because he has grown out of the division.

“I feel like my body is growing,” said Figueroa, who is tall for the division, 5-foot-8. “… Me and my team plan to move up to 126 and maybe go for a world title there. If, when I beat Fulton, there’s nothing more I can do at 122.

“It has been just a matter of time before I moved up to 126 and really see what my body can do. I feel 122 has taken a lot of my power. At 126, I’ll be a more complete fighter.”

Of course, he has one last bit of business at 122. And he wants to go out in style – his style.

Said Figueroa: “I want to give fans a show.”