Aleem: Time For Scared Boy Stephen Fulton To Come Out Of Hiding, Sign The Contract
BY
JAKE DONOVAN
Published Mon Sep 05, 2022, 10:23 AM EDT
Ra’eese Aleem was intent on sending a message with his in-ring performance.
The unbeaten junior featherweight contender then made to state out loud exactly what he wants next in his career.
"It's time for 'scared boy' Stephen Fulton Jr. to come out of hiding and sign the contract,” Aleem told reports after soundly outpointing Philippines’ Mike Plania over ten rounds. “When do I get my title shot?”
Aleem (20-0, 12KOs) presented a compelling case for his deserving to be next in line after outclassing Plania in their FS1-televised bout Sunday evening at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. The junior featherweight battle aired well prior to the Fox Sports Pay-Per-View portion of the evening, though it didn’t prevent Aleem—a Muskegon, Michigan native who now fights out of Las Vegas—from delivering a show-stealing performance as he scored a second-round knockdown and won 100-89 on all three scorecards.
The fight—which aired on the Andy Ruiz-Luis Ortiz undercard—was originally due to take place June 18 in Houston. Had the show remained intact, it would have put Aleem just two weeks out from Fulton’s WBC/WBO junior featherweight title-defending win in a dominant showing over former WBA/IBF titlist Danny Roman. Philadelphia’s Fulton (21-0, 8KOs) pitched a virtual shutout (120-108, 120-108, 119-109) to register his second overall title defense.
Fulton won the WBO on a January 2021 show that saw Aleem enjoy his own breakthrough performance in an eleventh-round stoppage of Vic Pasillas in their battle of unbeaten prospects. Fulton and Aleem were back on the same card last November—Fulton barely edging Brandon Figueroa in their sensational WBC/WBO unification bout and Aleem earning a ten-round majority decision over Eduardo Baez.
After both occasions, Aleem was adamant about next facing Fulton. That demand has resurfaced following perhaps his most complete performance to date, and while Fulton is without a confirmed or announced date or opponent for his next fight.
“Let's get in there so I can give him his first loss,” insisted Aleem. “It would be a closer fight than [Sunday night], but I still expect to dominate and get the win."
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