Undefeated Darius “DFG” Fulgham (14-0, 12 KOs) is positioning himself for his first world title shot as he prepares to face Bektemir “Bully” Melikuziev (15-1, 10 KOs) in what amounts to a World Boxing Association (WBA) super middleweight world title eliminator on May 30th at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas.
Fighting out of Houston, the 28-year-old Fulghum is ranked No. 4 by the WBA, one slot behind No. 3 Melikuziev, the 2016 Olympic silver medalist from Uzbekistan.
The May 30th card, presented by Golden Boy Promotions, will be streamed live on DAZN. Fulghum and Melikuziev are both promoted by Golden Boy.
“Everything is aligned and what’s happening on May 30th was supposed to happen according to the plan,” Fulghum explained. “It’s a blessing. I’m going to showcase who I am and put the super middleweight division on notice. They will know who I am. The winner of this fight is going to be in great position for a world title shot. 3 PM (manager) and Golden Boy (promoter) have been making the moves, and my job is to fight whoever is in front of me, which makes the most sense.
“I’m coming May 30th to dominate Bek and make a big splash. Bek goes by ‘Bully’, but he seems like a nice guy. He has an aggressive style but, no disrespect to him, it’s more of an amateurish style like an Uzbekistani fighter. I have all the tools to beat him, although he’s a little more experienced, and is a good body puncher. I respect him.”
Melikuziev, 29, suffered the lone loss of his pro career four years ago, when he was knocked out by Gabriel Rosado (25-13-1) in round three for the vacant World Boxing Organization (WBO) International super middleweight title. Two years later, Melikuziev avenged that setback to Rosado by winning a 10-round unanimous decision, and he’s won his last three fights.
“Technically,” Fulghum said, “this is just another fight, but I’m excited to be fighting again in Las Vegas. My two best fights have been there (first and third round knockouts), including my last against a southpaw at the same venue (Virgin Hotels Las Vegas) as this fight. The energy is different at fights in Las Vegas, some of the best fighters and fights have been here. I’m ecstatic to fight in Las Vegas because it is the Mecca of Boxing.”
Fulghum doesn’t believe the results of fights against four common opponents with Melikuziev –Vaughn Alexander, Alan Campa, Alantez Fox and Ricardo Adrian Luna – or Melikuziev being a southpaw have any relevance in terms of the outcome of this 10-round, main event match-up.
“This is like a crossroad fight between two Golden Boy contenders to see who goes on to bigger and better things,” Fulghum concluded.
Fulghum was a decorated amateur boxer who was ranked No. 1 in the USA as a heavyweight, but as a professional he’s fought strictly as a super middleweight. He captured top honors at the 2018 National Golden Gloves Tournament and 2020 U.S. Olympic Team Trials; both of these major amateur accomplishments were
achieved while he was earning a nursing degree from Prairie View A & M University.
Fulghum is working with 3 Point Management (3 PM), which has a growing stable of gifted boxers including WBA & WBO Cruiserweight World Champion Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez (47-1, 30 KOs), WBO No. 1/WBA No. 2-rated world super flyweight title challenger John “Scrappy” Ramirez (14-1, 9 KOs), former world heavyweight champion/WBC No. 4-rated Oleksandr “Nails” Gvozdyk (21-2, 17 KOs), former WBA Inter-Continental Light Heavyweight Champion Kareem “Supreme” Hackett (12-1, 6 KOs) and German junior welterweight Simon “Saucy” Vollmer (6-0, 2 KOs).
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