Stephen Fulton Jr. vs Daniel Roman: Fight Preview & Prediction

Stephen Fulton Jr. will deliver another electrifying performance in a high-stakes chess match.

The Philadelphia-based WBO/WBC junior featherweight titlist takes on former unified champ Danny Roman on Saturday (9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT) from The Armory, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on a Premier Boxing Champions main event on SHOWTIME Championship Boxing.

This will be a very entertaining fight. The 27-year-old Fulton (20-0, 8 KOs) had an impressive 2021, picking up a pair of victories over previously unbeaten world champions Angelo Leo (UD 12) and Brandon Figueroa (MD 12), who is one of the best pressure fighters in the 122-pound division.

Fulton is an all-around special talent that can adapt to just about any style. We saw that against Leo and Figueroa, he fought their fights and still came out victorious. Yes, the Figueroa bout was close, but Fulton landed the more eye-catching shots throughout the fight, and when he used the ring, he was clearly the better boxer. Both Leo and Figueroa had to fight on the inside, but Fulton still found a way to be the superior fighter. Nonetheless, that's still a dangerous strategy against a veteran.

Roman (29-3-1, 10 KOs) is two bouts removed from his split decision defeat to Murodjon Akhmadaliev (“MJ”) in January 2020 that saw him lose his IBF/WBA titles. The 32-year-old Roman of Los Angeles is very skilled at fighting off the back foot. As a result, we can expect him to have success early in the fight. As previously mentioned, Fulton tends to divert from the game plan. He fights his opponents' bouts, opening the door for a guy like Roman to catch him with jabs coming in or an overhand right.

Photo Credit: Esther Lin/Showtime

Roman does have good timing, and to his benefit, Fulton is willing to engage and come into his house to put on a fun show for the fans. If he can set up traps and counter to Fulton's body consistently, it could be a factor. But Fulton is very effective at smothering his opponents' shots and nullifying their offensive. Furthermore, he has a significant edge in hand speed.

These guys are not big punchers, but they are recognized for their boxing ability. But from my perspective, Fulton has the advantage in nearly every category. Roman, who is a very intelligent boxer, will have success with some counters early, which could make things interesting for a few rounds, but Fulton will prove to be too much. When Roman starts to tire out in the late rounds, Fulton will fight his fight—as he did against Leo and Figueroa—and walk him down. This will be a very competitive fight; I don't expect to see an ounce of dull energy, but in the end, this is a fight that Fulton will win clearly.

PREDICTION: Fulton by unanimous decision 116-112

Photo Credit: Esther Lin/Showtime

P.S. Fulton is vying to become the undisputed junior featherweight world champion. At Thursday's final press conference, he stated: “I'm looking forward to getting the job done Saturday, starting with that. And closing the year out with, hopefully, me and MJ, making that undisputed [fight] happen.”

I expect that fight to happen sooner rather than later. And once Fulton moves up to 126 pounds, I believe the door will be open to a possible rematch with Figueroa down the line.