Let’s face it: A Saturday night where there’s no UFC event to watch is the pits. Even though there won’t be any MMA to watch this Saturday after OKTAGON 52 wraps up from the UK, it’s by no means a night off from competitive violence.
Early in the evening, you can fire up your DAZN subscription for a second time and order wings from your restaurant of choice because you’ll have boxing to watch. Footprint Center in Phoenix is the host arena for a co-promoted card from Oscar de la Hoya‘s Golden Boy Boxing, Eddie Hearn‘s Matchroom Boxing, and Zanfer Boxing.
Live coverage begins with the undercard on Before the Bell at 5:30 pm ET/ 2:30 pm PT and continues with the undercard at 8 pm ET/ 5 pm PT. It’ll be an exciting night of action with four championships on the line.
WBA Super-Middleweight Gold Up Second in Phoenix Saturday Night
Supremacy at 168 lbs. is up for grabs twice over in the Valley of the Sun. The WBA Inter-Continental Super-Middleweight Championship is at stake when unbeaten Darius Fulghum (9-0, 9 KOs) squares off against Alantez Fox (28-5-1, 1 NC, 13 KOs).
As per the terms of the fight contract, this bout is an advertised 10 rounds at three minutes per round. Later on in the card, your main event of the evening sees Jaime Munguia fight for the WBC Silver Super-Middleweight Championship against John Ryder. More on that fight later.
▁ ▂ ▄ ▅ ▆ ▇ F̲O̲U̲R̲ ̲D̲A̲Y̲S̲ ▇ ▆ ▅ ▄ ▂ ▁#MungiaRyder | LIVE on DAZN 01.27.24 pic.twitter.com/KFxnBw8Vao
— Golden Boy (@GoldenBoyBoxing) January 23, 2024
Fighter Comparison and Betting Odds
Heading into the second title fight of the evening, Alantez Fox stands as the taller man at 6-foot-4, compared to the 6-foot-1 frame of Darius Fulghum. Fox owns a 79-inch reach, with no such information accessible for Fulghum.
As of Wednesday afternoon, the oddsmakers have Darius Fulghum installed as a -1400 favourite on the money line, with Alantez Fox countering as a +800 underdog. If you plan on betting on this or any other fight this weekend, please wager responsibly.
Darius Fulghum in Right Place at Right Time
Darius Fulghum has yet to lose thus far in his professional career as a pugilist. He hasn’t even seen a fight of his go to the scorecards yet.
You don’t have to travel too far back in time for his last fight. Less than two months ago, he scored a second-round knockout against Pacino Hill (8-5-1, 6 KOs) on DAZN. After the fight, Fulghum talked to Boxing Scene Magazine about how having proper timing has aided his career trajectory.
“I graduated (from college) in 2019, right before the pandemic, and I was able to work my schedule around to compete in The Nationals,” Fulghum began. “I don’t know how I could have had a better year other than winning a world title, but that wasn’t realistic right now. I had a perfect year, six fights in seven months, all won by knockout. I learned so much this year in and out of the ring like the process. I never take days off. I’m gaining all the experience I need to get that world title belt.”
A win on Saturday would net him the inter-continental belt and allow him to take the first step to eventually becoming the top dog at 168.
Alantez Fox Balances Punches with… Haircuts? (Yes, Really.)
In the other corner, Alantez Fox has gone 2-3 in his last five fights. At the present time, he’s dropped three fights in a row, including a fourth-round knockout loss to Bektemir Melikuziev (13-1, 10 KOs) last October for the very same belt he’s competing for this weekend.
The one-time challenger for the WBA Regular Super-Middleweight Championship has an interesting day job. Alantez Fox earns his 9-to-5 paycheck as a barber and was interviewed during a man’s haircut a few months ago.
“I’ve actually been a barber for about 12 years,” Fox said. A decorated amateur pugilist, Fox knew as a kid that he wanted to step into the ring.
“I told everybody I know I was going to be a boxer, man,” he said. “Honestly, I’d given up on school and everything. I was like, ‘This is what I’m going to do. This is what I’m going to do forever.'”
If he wins the inter-continental championship, Alantez Fox is really going to be a cut above the rest.
Analysis, Film Study, and Prediction
Both of these men have orthodox stances. It’s another toss-up, so whose strength will prove advantageous?
Fulghum Can Bring the Pain
Darius Fulghum may only have nine professional matches to his credit, but he’s made a career out of delivering the highlight-reel finish. David Murray knows this firsthand.
During the second round of a scheduled six in a light heavyweight bout in 2022, Fulghum absorbed a few shots from Murray, who attempted to slow down the pace by putting him in a clinch. After the referee broke the clinch up, Fulghum landed a barrage of head and body shots to put Murray up against the ropes and eventually down on the canvas.
The referee administered the 10-count, with Murray remaining down, giving Fulghum the win in under two minutes. Look for Darius Fulghum to land copious punches on Saturday. It may be the opening he needs to score the championship.
Alantez Fox Can Go Deep Into a Fight if Needed
In the other corner, Alantez Fox has been able to take a fight into deep waters. He battled Marcos Hernandez to a 10-round decision on FS1 in December of 2020.
Early on, Fox threw crisp jabs but really started to pull away once the sixth round of 10 began, peppering Hernandez with a variety of short combinations. It can sometimes take Alantez Fox a while to get going in a fight, so he would benefit from taking the contest into its later rounds.
If Fox is able to get Darius Fulghum into the seventh and eighth rounds, he can tire Fulghum out and force him to throw more errant punches. The later into the fight that Fox is able to go, the better off he’ll be.
Final Thoughts
At the core, this is a story of two fighters at an interesting crossroads in their respective careers. Darius Fulghum is trying for a championship in only his 10th career fight, while Alantez Fox is appearing in the 35th fight of his career, but can the more experienced fighter win?
Prediction: Darius Fulghum by Unanimous Decision.
