Brandon Figueroa-Stephen Fulton rematch three years, four pounds and several storylines later

Almost all of the attention about the upcoming February 1 pay-per-view is on the main event featuring David Benavidez and David Morrell, and understandably so.

They are two undefeated fighters. They were two of the top super-middleweight contenders who never got a shot at Saul “Canelo” Alvarez. They are now two of the top light-heavyweight contenders. They are not merely staying busy, however, while awaiting the winner of the February 22 rematch between Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol. Instead, either Benavidez or Morrell will have an even stronger case for challenging the champ. Their fight is expected to be an exciting one. And it will certainly be newsworthy.

They are not the only ones worth watching.

The show includes three additional fights on the pay-per-view undercard and two preliminary bouts streaming free for all on Amazon’s Prime Video. Of those five matches, the most compelling on paper is the co-feature – the rematch between featherweights Brandon Figueroa, 25-1-1 (19 KOs), and Stephen Fulton, 22-1 (8 KOs).

Figueroa and Fulton first fought back in November 2021, when each was four pounds lighter on the scales and had one fewer loss on their records.

At the time, they were two of the three best junior featherweights. Each had just won his world title by taking out a previously undefeated beltholder. Fulton dethroned Angelo Leo in January 2021 for the WBO title. That May, Figueroa scored a body shot knockout on Luis Nery for the WBC’s prize. Murodjon Akhmadaliev had the IBF and WBA belts. The winner of Figueroa-Fulton would be similarly unified and propelled toward even bigger opportunities.

They fought like two men with a lot to prove and a lot to gain.

Figueroa was aggressive and incredibly active, throwing 1,060 punches on the night, according to CompuBox. He topped 100 punches in five of 12 rounds. Of the 314 shots Figueroa landed overall, 298 were power punches.

Fulton fought with poise amid the pressure and punishment. He had to create his own opportunities to keep the fight from getting to him – and away from him. Fulton threw 726 punches over the course of 12 rounds. He, too, was mostly focused on power punches, which accounted for 247 of the 269 shots he landed.

It was a close fight that was, to these eyes, tough to score. Plenty of swinging and swing rounds. The judges, to their credit, didn’t fall into the pattern some have of favoring the fighter who comes forwards and throws a lot of punches. Fulton won a majority decision, 116-112 on a pair of scorecards – eight rounds to four. The dissenting tally had it a draw, 114-114.

“This was a war,” Fulton said afterward. “It was a tough fight with a tough person. It was a close fight.”

Figueroa interrupted the interview. Just like the fight, one person couldn’t make a point without the other trying to score their own. 

“You really think you won the fight?” Figueroa said. “I hurt you like five, six times.” Soon, he added: “Probably has to be the biggest robbery of the year. Everybody in here knows who won.”

An immediate rematch would’ve been welcome. Instead, it had to wait because of, well, weight.

This was the last of Figueroa at 122lbs – no surprise given his 5-foot-9 frame, the fact that he’d been at that weight class for several years and, as his 25th birthday approached, was growing out of it. By July 2022, Figueroa had arrived at 126lbs with a sixth-round technical knockout of Carlos Castro. 

Figueroa then won a unanimous decision over Mark Magsayo in March 2023 for the WBC’s interim featherweight title. The full title belonged to Rey Vargas, who had journeyed up to 130lbs in February 2023 to fight for the vacant WBC belt there, only to lose to O’Shaquie Foster. Vargas didn’t return to the ring, or to the featherweight division, until March 2024, barely holding on to the belt thanks to a controversial draw with Nick Ball.

Instead of getting the shot at Vargas he deserved, Figueroa instead met Jessie Magdaleno in May 2024 and won via ninth-round knockout. Vargas hasn’t fought since the Ball bout due to an injury, so he was demoted to the WBC’s “champion in recess,” and Figueroa was therefore upgraded in October. He recently turned 29 years old.

Fulton, meanwhile, followed his win over Figueroa by making a successful defense against Daniel Roman, winning a wide decision over a fighter who himself had previously been a unified titleholder before losing those belts to Akhmadaliev. Fulton then wanted to face Akhmadaliev for the undisputed championship. Instead, he signed for big money and an even more difficult challenge.

Fulton signed to face Naoya Inoue.

Inoue arrived at 122lbs in 2023 after wrapping up his undisputed run at 118lbs at the end of 2022. Fulton-Inoue was originally scheduled for May 2023 but was postponed until July when Inoue hurt his knee in training camp. Inoue stopped Fulton in eight rounds, took his two world titles, and promptly went on to become undisputed in this weight class as well, besting Marlon Tapales (who had defeated Akhmadaliev).

Fulton took some time to rest and recover. He also decided to move up to featherweight, something Fulton, who stands just shy of 5-foot-7, said he should’ve done earlier, right after the first Figueroa fight. 

The 30-year-old stepped back between the ropes in September 2024, taking on the aforementioned Castro. Whether it was the layoff of nearly 14 months, acclimating to the new weight class, the damage he’d taken from Inoue, or some combination of the above, Fulton didn’t look great. He had to come off the canvas in the fifth round and barely eked out a split decision.

But it was just enough to allow Fulton to move ahead with this rematch. Figueroa-Fulton II was originally expected to take place in December on the undercard of Gervonta Davis-Lamont Roach Jnr, but when Davis-Roach wound up in March 2025 instead, Figueroa-Fulton II landed this spot underneath Benavidez-Morrell.

This fight is no longer just about Figueroa getting revenge or Fulton reaffirming his superiority, this time hopefully without any debate over the scorecards. Instead, their storylines also feature recent chapters from the past and implications on the future.

They have been apart for more than three years, and their paths have certainly diverged since. Fulton, victorious back then, has dealt with disappointments while Figueroa has scored successes. Figueroa doesn’t want to assume Fulton is in decline, though – rather that his opponent will rise to the occasion.

“I’ve had good wins since our first fight and I’ve continued to grow as a fighter for sure,” Figueroa said at a media workout earlier in January. “But I don’t take anything away from Fulton for his recent performances either. I know that I make him better as a fighter, just like he makes me better. I know that he’s gonna be at his best because he knows what I bring to the ring.”

Fulton, meanwhile, thinks he can be even better in this sequel with Figueroa than he was in their initial installment.

“I give myself a B- for the first fight,” Fulton said. “I was actually tired after the second round. I had to thug it out that fight. That’s what people don’t understand. The weight was tough for me. People say it’s an excuse, but they don’t know how our bodies respond. I didn’t make weight the proper way. I had to really bite down and dig deep.”

The winner of their first fight was one of the top two at 122. Whoever triumphs in this rematch will only be one of four, but that doesn’t make this fight unimportant.

There’s no king at 126. The other world titles belong to Angelo Leo (IBF), Ball (WBA) and Rafael Espinoza (WBO). Leo is due to defend in May against former bantamweight titleholder Tomoki Kameda. Ball is back in March against former junior featherweight beltholder TJ Doheny. Espinoza is coming off his second title defense, a rematch win over Robeisy Ramirez in December, and may be sticking around at featherweight despite the mercy a move to 130 would provide given his 6ft 1ins body.

There are other contenders and prospects making their way up the rankings, including – but not limited to – Ra’eese Aleem, Bruce Carrington, Mirco Cuello (who will fight on the preliminary undercard on February 1), Arnold Khegai, who lost to Fulton in 2020, and Omar Trinidad.

Of course, none of that is as salivating as the thought of the winner of Benavidez-Morrell facing the winner of Beterbiev-Bivol II. There’s a reason why the headliners are in the headlines. But Figueroa-Fulton II is certainly a worthy co-feature – a rather appetizing dish served before the main event.