Boxing fans, get ready for a title twist! Stephen Fulton Jr. and O'Shaquie Foster were set to clash, but a weigh-in mishap has thrown a wrench into their plans. Here's the lowdown on how the WBC has reshaped their fight.
Brett Okamoto, who has been reporting on boxing and MMA for ESPN since 2010, and has covered the biggest events in combat sports, including in-depth interviews and features with names such as Dana White, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Conor McGregor, Nate Diaz, Floyd Mayweather, Manny Pacquiao and Georges St-Pierre, brings us the latest update. He also was a producer on the 30 for 30 film: "Chuck and Tito," which looked back at the careers and rivalry of Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz. He lives in Las Vegas, and is an avid, below-average golfer in his spare time.
Originally, the fight was for Foster's WBC junior lightweight title. However, Fulton, moving up from the featherweight division (126 pounds), weighed in at 132 pounds – two pounds over the 130-pound limit. This meant Foster could have kept his title with a win, but if Fulton had won, the title would have been vacant.
But here's where it gets controversial... The WBC stepped in after the weigh-in and surprisingly sanctioned the fight as an interim lightweight title bout at 135 pounds. This decision essentially gives Fulton a second chance at a title, even after missing weight for Foster's original 130-pound title. The winner will then become the mandatory challenger for Shakur Stevenson's WBC title. Stevenson is slated to move up in weight to face Teofimo Lopez for the WBO junior welterweight title on January 31st in New York.
Fulton, 31, previously won the WBC featherweight championship in February and chose to move up to face Foster. The fight was initially planned for October 25th but was postponed due to an injury to Sebastian Fundora, who was supposed to headline the event with Keith Thurman.
And this is the part most people miss... The main event on Saturday features an interim WBC junior welterweight matchup between Isaac Cruz and Lamont Roach Jr. Cruz weighed in at 138.6 pounds, while Roach weighed 139.6 pounds.
Additionally, the card includes Erislandy Lara's WBA middleweight title defense against Johan Gonzalez, who stepped in on short notice after Janibek Alimkhanuly failed a drug test and was pulled from his scheduled unification bout against Lara. Gonzalez made weight at 158.6 pounds, while Lara weighed in at 159.6 pounds.
What do you think of the WBC's decision to make this an interim title fight? Do you agree with the move, or do you think Fulton should have been penalized for missing weight? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
