LAS VEGAS – Stephen Fulton can barely stand to contemplate the subject, admitting he can’t cease excited about it.
The previous super-bantamweight champion from Philadelphia could also be on the point of regaining a belt in his Saturday night time rematch with Texas’ WBC featherweight champion Brandon Figueroa.
And one week later his beloved Philadelphia Eagles can avenge their 2023 Tremendous Bowl loss to the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs and gather their second Vince Lombardi Trophy in group historical past.
“That’s motivating me as a result of I can turn out to be a world champion on the similar time they turn out to be world champions,” Fulton stated Wednesday following his public exercise for the Figueroa bout at MGM Grand.
“It’s one thing that’s actually on my thoughts, however I don’t need it to get to me. I’ve received to get this belt.
“I’m trying ahead to being a world champion once more they usually [the Eagles] need to be world champions once more. If we do it, the entire metropolis is filled with champions.”
The 30-year-old Fulton, 22-1 (8 KOs), reigned as a unified 122-pound champion by advantage of his November 2021 majority resolution victory over Figueroa, 25-1-1 (19 KOs), however later surrendered the belts to unbeaten undisputed super-bantamweight champion Naoya Inoue in 2023.
Fulton returned unimpressively in September, escaping with a disputed split-decision conquer Carlos Castro after getting knocked down.
“I had some ups and downs. All of it was value it,” Fulton stated. “After I win this, I need to embrace that second.”
On this Figueroa rematch for the WBC belt, Fulton defined, “I simply need to be means smarter this time – use my intelligence, use my jab, use my pace, use my expertise. He’s already stated he’s not on the lookout for it to go the gap. That tells me how one can battle you.”
Their first bout was slim, and a reporter famous to Fulton that no opponent has ever damage Figueroa.
“Y’all have by no means seen him damage bodily, however you’ve seen him damage emotionally and that’s a deeper damage,” Fulton stated. “He misplaced. And he was damage by that loss from me. That’s extra highly effective than implementing ache on somebody.”
