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On Saturday, February 1, boxing fans will be treated to a thrilling fight as Brandon Figueroa and Stephen Fulton battle each other in a rematch of their November 2021 classic. Their first encounter pitted two of the three best fighters in the 122-pound division. Both men were undefeated and held a world title at the time.
This rematch will be contested in the 126-pound weight class, which is four pounds heavier than their first fight. If this weekend’s bout can be as good as their first contest, then we’re in for a potential Fight of The Year Candidate.
And, that’s saying a lot especially since this is the co-featured bout on the Benavidez vs. Morrell Jr. card. The headliner will also be a FOTY candidate. In other words, get your popcorn ready because this weekend’s PBC PPV on Prime Video is going to be a great one.
Fulton (22-1, 8 KOs) came away with the majority decision in their first bout. He recently moved up to featherweight but failed to make a notable debut in the new division.
Figueroa (25-1-1, 19 KOs) has adamantly disputed the outcome from their first bout, even going as far as to say it was a robbery. Figueroa is looking for revenge and has continued to fire the verbal shots, which Fulton has retaliated with some of his own. The war of words between these two will definitely lead to a war inside the ring.
Let’s take a look at the latest Brandon Figueroa vs. Stephen Fulton boxing odds, courtesy of the top sports betting sites, and make our Brandon Figueroa vs. Stephen Fulton predictions.
Brandon Figueroa vs. Stephen Fulton Preview
Check out the Brandon Figueroa vs. Stephen Fulton tale of the tape:
| Specs | Brandon Figueroa | Stephen Fulton |
|---|---|---|
| Age | 27 | 30 |
| Height | 5’9” | 5’6.5” |
| Reach | 72.5” | 70.5” |
| Total Fights | 27 | 23 |
| Record | 25-1-1 | 22-1 |
| Knockouts | 19 | 8 |
| Odds | -175 | +145 |
The Figueroa vs. Fulton First Fight
As mentioned above, the first bout between Figueroa and Fulton took place on November 27, 2021, live from the Park Theater in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Figueroa entered the bout having won the WBC super bantamweight title six months earlier over Luis Nery via 7th round KO. Fulton entered this fight carrying the WBO super bantamweight title having won it 10 months prior with a decision win over Angelo Leo.
Now, the first bout was originally set to take place in September 2021, but it was postponed twice with the second one due to Figueroa testing positive for covid. So, it was pushed back two months to give him enough time to recover.
The fight itself, was filled with action from the opening bell to the final one. The two men combined to throw over 1,700 punches. Figueroa threw 1,000 of those punches, but Fulton was the more accurate puncher at 37% connect rate.
The 6th and 10th rounds featured plenty of power punches and some tense moments with Fulton in trouble in the 10th. However, he was able to recover and win the two final rounds on the scorecards. Fulton would win the bout via majority decision with the scores of 114-114, 116-112, 116-112.
Figueroa made the following post-fight comments:
“You really think you won the fight? I hurt you like five, six times. Probably has to be the biggest robbery of the year. Everybody in here knows who won.”
In addition to Figueroa, there are some fans and pundits who still believe that Fulton did not win that fight. Hopefully, we have a more clear-cut winner in this rematch on Saturday night.
Brandon Figueroa Recent Fights
Since their first bout, Figueroa has fought three times with all three taking place in the featherweight division.
Following the controversial loss to Fulton, Figueroa went up in weight to face Carlos Castro who was ranked 5th in the WBC’s featherweight division. Figueroa would win via TKO in the sixth round. Some people say that it was a quick stoppage, but Figueroa was ahead on the cards and put Castro down in the third round as well.
His next bout came in March 2023, where he fought for the WBC interim featherweight title against Mark Magsayo. The latter was a former WBC featherweight champion and stilly highly ranked in the division with the WBC.
Figueroa would go on to beat Magsayo via unanimous decision with the scores of 118-110, 117-110, 117-110. Magsayo was deducted points in the 8th and 11th rounds due to holding. He was clearly beaten and just trying to survive.
His last bout was in May 2024, and he fought Jessie Magdaleno. It was a one-sided affair that saw Figueroa win via 9th round KO due to a body shot.
As for Saturday’s bout, Figueroa is confident that he will win and declares that he will display a mixture of different elements that make him a better fighter:
“So it’s going to be a mix of different things but the same fighter is always there, a forward fighter, a pressure fighter, exciting fighter, volume puncher, body snatcher…it’s just going to be little traces of different things that I’m going to be showcasing just to improve my style better.”
Brandon Figueroa Odds
In their first fight, Figueroa was the notable underdog at +215 to +250 odds. That’s a stark contrast from the rematch where he’s the favorite with a range of -165 to -185 odds. However, Figueroa opened as the underdog in this rematch before the money shifted the odds in favor of the Texan.
In his three fights since then, “The Heartbreaker” has been a sizable favorite with the closest line coming in the Magsayo fight. Figueroa opened at -200 and closed at -225 to -300. He was a -600 to -800 favorite over Castro and a -1200 to -1700 favorite over Magdaleno.
Stephen Fulton Recent Fights
Like his opponent, Fulton has also fought three times since their first bout. Following his win over Figueroa, Fulton took on mandatory challenger Daniel Roman who was the #1 ranked contender for the WBO super bantamweight title.
Fulton cruised to a unanimous decision with the scores of 120-108, 120-108, and 119-109. He pretty much won every round for all three judges.
Although there was talk of a rematch with Figueroa in early 2023, Fulton decided to take the fight with Noya Inoue, the top fighter in the division. The bout ended up taking place in July 2023, and it was Fulton’s first fight outside of the USA.
And, just like every fighter before Fulton, Inoue dispatched of him. “Monster” won via 8th round TKO as he put on another dominating performance.
After losing to Inoue, Fulton also decided to move up to the featherweight division. He took on Carlos Castro in his divisional debut and won via split decision 94-95, 96-93, 95-94. Fulton was knocked down in the third round, but was able to come back and take a razor thin decision.
Fulton claims that the first bout against Figueroa was hard for him due to struggling to make weight and hints that the heavier weight will benefit him more:
“He’s not going to be able to beat me. He’s going to try, but I’m stronger. Many people don’t realize that. The fact that the rematch is at a higher weight will help both of us. I give myself a 7.5 in the first fight. I was tired after the second round that time and I had to push myself.
That’s what people don’t understand. The weight was difficult for me. People use it as an excuse, but they don’t know how our bodies respond to us. I didn’t make my weight the right way and I had to put a lot of effort into it.”
Stephen Fulton Odds
As mentioned, Fulton was the favorite in their first bout with closing odds of -255 to -360. Following that bout, he was favored over Daniel Roman with odds ranging from -550 to -750.
His next bout was against one of the sport’s top fighters in Naoya Inoue. Fulton was a sizable underdog at +255 to +320 odds. That was the first time being an underdog in the data we can find.
Fulton last fought in September 2024, where he closed as a large favorite (-750 to -950) against Carlos Castro. Currently, Fulton is listed as an underdog in the rematch with a range of +135 to +150 odds.
Figueroa vs. Fulton Predictions
Since that first bout, I think that Figueroa has looked better in the ring than Fulton has. Sure, a loss to Inoue isn’t terrible since “Monster” is the best in those lower weight classes. However, he did get stopped in the 8th. Then he followed that up with a poor showing against Castro. Some fans and pundits think Fulton actually lost that fight.
Figueroa looks like the better fighter at the featherweight division. He looks strong, powerful and a more natural fit at 126 pounds than Fulton does. Let’s not forget that Figueroa stopped Castro via 6th round TKO two years prior.
Although Figueroa claims that he’s evolved as a fighter by adding different elements to his game, when it comes to war – he will still push forward and fight like he always has. Fulton might claim that this weight suits him better, but it sure hasn’t looked like it.
So, we should have a rematch that mirrors the first bout where Figueroa is the aggressor and Fulton is the better boxer. However, this time around, I think Figueroa gets the win. In fact, I believe he should’ve got the victory in their first bout. I would love to see this bout be a close decision and the two decide to have a trilogy fight by next year.
Bet: Brandon Figueroa (-175)
The Best Figueroa vs. Fulton Prop Bets
The following Brandon Figueroa vs. Stephen Fulton prop bets are courtesy of BetUS:
Over/Under 10.5 rounds
- Over 10.5 (-330)
- Under 10.5 (+240)
Just like their first encounter, I like for this rematch to go Over 10.5 rounds on Saturday night in Las Vegas. Although Fulton suffered a defeat to Inoue via TKO, I don’t see that happening this weekend despite Figueroa’s power.
Instead, we should have another war between two men who respect their opponent’s skills but don’t like each other.
Bet: Over 10.5 rounds (-330)
Will Fight go the distance?
- Yes (-250)
- No (+175)
Their first bout ended up being a 12-round war. I fully expect this rematch to do the same. Figueroa has gone the distance in two of his last four bouts. Fulton has gone the distance in five of his last six bouts. Only his fight with Inoue didn’t go the distance. Furthermore, 14 of his 23 pro bouts have gone the distance.
Bet: Yes (-250)
Method of Victory
- Figueroa via TKO/KO/DQ (+275)
- Figueroa via decision (+135)
- Fulton via TKO/KO/DQ (+750)
- Fulton via decision (+250)
- Draw (+1400)
In the prediction section above, I picked Figueroa to win this bout. In the two prop bets above, I said that the fight will go Over 10.5 rounds and the distance. So, that leaves us with one option – Figueroa to win via decision. Whether it’s Unanimous, Split or Majority, I think that Figueroa is victorious in the rematch.
To me, he looks better than Fulton in the featherweight division. Additionally, he threw far more punches than Fulton in their first bout along with pushing the action and being the aggressor for the majority of the fight. I see a similar showing this weekend, but he gets the win this time around.
Bet: Figueroa via decision (+135)
Betting on Rounds
- Either Fighter wins in rounds 1-3 (+2000)
- Either Fighter wins in rounds 4-6 (+850)
- Either Fighter wins in rounds 7-9 (+600)
- Either Fighter wins in rounds 10-12 (+750)
- Fight Goes The Distance (-250)
Unlike the main event for this PPV show (Benavidez vs. Morrell Jr.), this co-featured bout has a slight chance of ending inside the distance. So, if you want to risk a small flier on either fighter to win in rounds 10-12, then I wouldn’t be mat at you. Fulton was in trouble in the 10th round of their first fight.
With that said, the smart bet is on this bout to go the full distance.
Bet: Fight Goes The Distance (-250)
