Fulton, Cruz, and Ramos pick up wins on Benavidez vs Morrell PPV

Stephen Fulton upset Brandon Figueroa in their rematch, while Isaac Cruz out-slugged Angel Fierro and Jesus Ramos demolished Jeison Rosario

After getting dragged into a close-quarters slugfest the first time around, Fulton ( came out focused, staying away from the ropes and corners while tattooing the defensively inept Figueroa ( with straight shots. Figueroa, no stranger to starting slow and taking over through attrition, seemed content to hang out at Fulton’s preferred range for the first third of the fight.

Even when Figueroa remembered he’s at his best throwing awkward hooks and uppercuts forehead-to-forehead, Fulton held his own with a combination of sharp counters, effective framing, and strategic holding. Figueroa simply couldn’t adapt or wear Fulton down enough to offset the superior depth of “Scooter’s” game.

Fulton’s ring generalship waned down the stretch as he fell back into old habits and Figueroa finally started to find a groove, but he continued to land the cleaner and more effective blows, ultimately taking a clean unanimous decision on scores of 116-112 (x2) and 117-111.

Though unquestionably a letdown considering the expectations they set the first time around, it’s a redemptive and much-needed win for Fulton, whom many wrote off after rough performances against Naoya Inoue and Carlos Castro. Figueroa, meanwhile, seems like he may have hit the ceiling of what his rough-and-tumble style can accomplish.

Cruz out-slugs Fierro in instant classic

A predictably spectacular super lightweight feature saw Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz overpower Mexican countryman Angel Fierro in an early Fight of the Year frontrunner.

As is his wont, Cruz (27-3-1, 18 KO) came out like he’d been shot from a cannon, immediately unleashing heavy swings to the head and body. Fierro (23-3-2, 18 KO) attempted to use his half-foot reach advantage to stay out of danger and punish Cruz’s over-extension, but simply could not keep the smaller man off of him.

Late in the third, however, Fierro caught Cruz just above the ear with a vicious right hand that visibly rattled him, prompting one of the most violent minutes of boxing you’ll ever see.

Fierro began to find more success with his movement and combinations, but whenever he looked poised to break away, Cruz would come back with a well-placed bomb to shut down his momentum and make up for his own decreasing output.

By the time they entered the second half of the fight, Cruz was visibly tiring, but still maintained enough output to keep the resurgent Fierro from fully taking over. The pair continued to slug it out until the final bell, ultimately landing nearly 500 combined power punches.

The judges had it 96-94, 97-93, 98-92 for Cruz. Our own Wil Esco had it 97-93, while Larry Hazzard had Fierro up one going into the final round. I’d be happy to see a rematch; at the very least, Fierro deserves more big-time opportunities if Cruz decides to revisit the Ryan Garcia fight. Well done, lads.

Ramos breaks down overcooked Rosario

The pay-per-view opener produced no surprises, as Jesus Ramos methodically dismantled the badly faded Jeison Rosario.

Rosario (24-5-2, 18 KO) showed some improved punch resistance, but that’s about all he had going for him. The bigger, younger, sharper, more powerful Ramos (22-1, 18 KO) punished him from the opening bell with combinations to the head and body. Rosario had nothing behind what few punches he threw and no real means to get inside, allowing Ramos to walk him into power shots and load up to the body with abandon.

Late in the seventh, Ramos blasted “Banana” with a counter 3-2 that sent him pitching to the mat. Rosario beat the count with time to spare and seemed lucid, but still struggled to do more than absorb damage. The next round, Ramos committed to a lengthy barrage that sent the ref into action.

Rosario, though just 29, really has to consider retirement at this point. This marked his fifth knockout loss, and while he stood up to a lot of punishment, his inability to react to Ramos’ shots or sit down on his own point to him being completely shot.

As for Ramos, he looked sharp, but most people can look sharp against a heavy bag. We’ll need to see him against a proper middleweight.

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