LOS ANGELES (October 24, 2024) – There is a new sheriff in boxing and his name is Darius “DFG” Fulgham (12-0, 10 KOs), the undefeated rising star from Houston already ranked No. 6 in the world by the World Boxing Association (WBA).
“I have such a great team behind me and my job is to fight,” Fulgham spoke about the reason for his mercurial rise. “I trust my manager (3 Point Management – 3 PM) and Golden Boy (his promoter) to get me the best fights. 3 PM has done an amazing job working my career and Golden Boy, too. Together, they’ve kept me extremely active – nine fights in a 12-month span – fighting on big cards on DAZN his last six fights). My team, led by head trainer Darnell Pierce, and my family and friends have given me so much support. I’m blessed!
“I was the first one on my team to see that I was No. 7 in the WBA (he had not previously been rated and has since moved up to No. 6) and I jumped up on my couch streaming about being recognized by one of the four major sanctioning bodies. I still have to fight some of the (world-rated) fighters, but this is a dream come true for me. I was surprised by it (rated so quickly) but not surprised because, all along, I wanted to crack the top ten this year.”
Fulghum returns to the ring on November 2 at Virgin Hotels in Las Vegas, when he takes on Christopher Pearson (17-4-1, 12 KOs) in a 10-round fight.
You will not find the 28-year-old Fulgham calling out the King of the Super Middleweights, Saul “Canelo” Alvarez, nor any fighters rated ahead of him in the WBA such as Edgar Berlanga, Christian Mbilli, Lester Martinez, Erick Bazinyan, and Bektemir Melikaziev. It is not because he doesn’t feel that he can’t beat them.
“I’m not a matchmaker and I don’t pick-and-choose who I fight,” Fulghum explained. I trust my promoter and manager to guide my career. I fight who they put in with me. Nobody knows what Canelo is going to do. He had all four (world title) belts, but he just gave up the IBF. He could retire and open up all the titles in my division. I want to be in position to grab one of those belts, putting my name up there to fight for a belt.
“I do not call anybody out. I don’t deserve to fight Canelo right now; I don’t deserve it right now and would look foolish by calling him out. I haven’t earned it yet. I don’t target other fighters because I don’t want to be perceived as picking and choosing my opponent. I just do my job in the ring. I enjoy what I do, I love it. I feel that I can compete with Canelo and beat anybody else in my division.”
In his most recent fight this past June in Indio (CA), Darius dominated Vaughen Alexander (18-11-1) by scores of 99-91 and 98-92 twice.
Fulghum, though, knows he’s not even close to his prime, yet, and that he has areas to improve in before reaching his peak.
“My skills have improved since I’ve been a pro for three years,” Fulghum concluded, “but the most improvements I’ve made is to better understand myself and the process like how to cut weight the best way, changing my diet, fight night routine, cut off distractions and other things like that because there’s a big difference between fighting as an amateur and pro. I want to be a legend in boxing!”
Fulghum was a decorated amateur boxer who was ranked No. 1 in the USA as a heavyweight, but as a professional he’s fought 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 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 Cruiserweight World Champion Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez (46-1, 30 KOs), world super flyweight title challenger John “Scrappy” Ramirez (13-1, 9 KOs), and former WBA Inter-Continental Light Heavyweight Champion Kareem “Supreme” Hackett (12-1, 6 KOs).