Stephen Fulton is the best junior featherweight in boxing. And if it is not him, he is a close second.

Fulton has demonstrated his willingness to fight anyone and everyone in his attempt to fight for a world title belt. Now as a world titleholder, and even though he was mandated to do so, Fulton has had no issue facing the best in the division.

It is the drive in him to want to face the top fighters in the division.

Tonight is no different as he faces former world unified titleholder Danny Roman at The Armory in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The 12-round bout will take place after the super middleweight clash between WBA ‘Regular’ titleholder David Morrell and Kalvin Henderson.

Both fights will air live on Showtime (9 p.m. ET/ 6 p.m. PT). 

Fulton (20-0, 8 knockouts), who resides in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, added the WBC world title after defeating Brandon Figueroa by majority decision in his last bout on November 27. With the win over Figueroa, Fulton has now defeated four unbeaten fighters.

Roman (29-3, 10 KOs) is not undefeated, but is still a talented prizefighter who lost his IBF and WBA world title belts to Murodjon Akhmadaliev in January 2020. He has since won his last two fights and is the mandatory challenger to the WBO title. 

Fulton understands the challenge Roman brings to the ring, and praises his opponent for his attributes and strengths. 

“He’s a great patient fighter and I’m patient as well,” Fulton told Boxingscene earlier this week. “But he’s a good patient fighter. And he’s a great thinker. I have to do my thing when it comes to that.”

The 27-year-old Fulton has prided himself to want to face the best in the division. While some have avoided facing top opposition or unbeaten fighters, Fulton has taken it upon himself to face those fighters. It is the mindframe he has, especially from the work he puts in before a fight, that has endeared him to fight fans.

“(I felt I had to) be more attentive to myself,” said Fulton, who also has wins over Paulus Ambunda, Isaac Avela, Arnol Khegai, and Angelo Leo. “Focusing on me. Training hard. Knowing what I wanted. I always knew what I wanted to do. Once I had that mentality, the only thing I had to do was execute. I knew what I wanted to do in this weight class and who I had to fight.”

Fulton has added himself to the rich history and tradition of boxing in Philadelphia. Along with Joe Frazier, Bernard Hopkins, and Danny Garcia, Fulton is included amongst fighters who have won at least one world title belt. 

Being a Philadelphia fighter is a state of mind, and Fulton personifies that to the tee.

“The mindset. The speed. The power. The smartness. Philly fighters don’t care who they fight. Of course, there’s the heart as well. Add all that up and that’s one hell of a fighter.”

A convincing win over an accomplished fighter like Roman would solidify his standing as the top fighter at 122 pounds. Fulton believes he should even be included amongst the best fighters in boxing. 

Fulton is even open to facing bantamweight king Naoya Inoue, if and when Inoue decides to move up in weight. 

“I believe I’m in the top-5 of fighters pound-for-pound,” said Fulton, who also has wins over Joshua Greer and Adam Lopez. “If not that, at least (I should be) in the top-10.

“It’d just be a good fight. Inoue would be the smaller guy, but it would be a great fight. I’m number 1 in my division. He’s number one in his division. That’s all I’m going to say.”

Francisco A. Salazar has written for BoxingScene since September 2012 and has covered boxing in Southern California and abroad since 2000. Francisco also covers boxing for the Ventura County (California) Star newspaper. He can be reached by email at santio89@yahoo.com or on Twitter at FSalazarBoxing