In a twelve-round world title fight on the December 6th PBC pay-per-view show from Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Texas, top pound-for-pound fighter Stephen Fulton Jr., who currently holds the WBC featherweight championship, will look to become a three-division champion when he challenges reigning WBC junior lightweight champion O’Shaquie Foster (pictured) in a 130-pound battle between current world champions. Fulton vs. Foster is promoted in association with Top Rank. This fight was originally scheduled for October 25th, but that card was postponed due to an injury to headliner Sebastian Fudora. Here is what Foster and Fulton had to say at the final press conference:
O’SHAQUIE FOSTER
“The time is here now. All the talking is done. I’m ready. Saturday night, there’s gonna be a man down.
“I’m ready all the way around. I feel good. This is the best mood I’ve been in on fight week in a long time. I’ve been ready.
“I’m here for a reason. I feel like I came out of the woodwork a little different. I’m gonna keep showing it.
“Last time we were here we put on a great performance and I plan on repeating it. I feel like his journey was sweet compared to mine. I came from the bottom and I’ve been grinding ever since.
“I feel like they think that they see something, like I’m a weak link for something. I’m gonna go out there and show them that they made the wrong choice.”
STEPHEN FULTON JR.
“I’m just ready at this point to become a three-division world champion. I’m gonna get it done.
“I go after champions, no matter who. It coulda been somebody else. I go after champions. That’s what I do.
“I carry the banner for Philly my whole career. Look where we’re at going for my third division title. I’m gonna carry that banner the whole way.
“This is just another day, another dollar, another fight. Everybody up here took a hard road. We’re all just trying to be world champions.
“My road has prepared me well. We all go through things that push us to the next level. That’s led me to where I am now. It’s made me a better person, a better man and a better fighter.”
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Foster (23-3, 12 KOs) bounced back from decision losses in 2015 and 2016 to put together a nine-fight winning streak that earned him a February 2023 showdown against two-division champion Rey Vargas. Foster outboxed the previously unbeaten Vargas on his way to a unanimous decision that earned him the WBC Super Featherweight World Championship. Originally from Orange, Texas and training in nearby Houston, Foster’s first defense of his title saw him score a clutch final round stoppage of Eduardo Hernandez while trailing on two scorecards. After a successful title defense over Abraham Nova, Foster temporarily lost the belt via a controversial split-decision to Robson Conceicao. In his last outing, the 31-year-old reclaimed his title with his own decision triumph over Conceicao.
Born and raised in West Philadelphia, Pa., Fulton (23-1, 8 KOs) became a two-division champion in his last outing, vanquishing his longtime rival Brandon Figueroa in their February rematch via decision to capture the WBC Featherweight World Championship. It was Fulton’s second fight since a July 2023 challenge that saw him travel to Japan to take on undefeated Japanese superstar Naoya Inoue, eventually dropping the road contest in round eight. In his previous 14 professional fights before facing Inoue, the 30-year-old had established himself on pound-for-pound lists by beating eight previously undefeated fighters. Fulton first became a world champion by taking the super bantamweight title from Angelo Leo in January 2021, before unifying against Figueroa in their first fight. Trained in his hometown, Fulton has displayed sublime boxing skills that have allowed him to dominate opponents of varying styles and control fights from start to finish.
