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<\/a>Photo by Amanda Westcott\/SHOWTIME<\/strong><\/p>\nWBO Junior Featherweight World Championship \u2013 12 Rounds<\/p>\n
Angelo Leo \u2013 121 \u00bd lbs.<\/p>\n
Stephen Fulton, Jr. \u2013 122 lbs.<\/p>\n
Referee: David Fields (N.J.); Judges: Frank Lombardi (Conn.), Waleska Roldan (N.Y.), Steve Weisfeld (New Jersey),<\/p>\n
Interim WBA Super Bantamweight Title \u2013 12 Rounds<\/p>\n
Ra\u2019eese Aleem \u2013 121 \u00bd lbs.<\/p>\n
Victor Pasillas \u2013 122 lbs.<\/p>\n
Referee: Danny Schiavone (Conn.); Judges: Glenn Feldman (Conn.), John McKaie (N.Y.), Don Trella (Conn.)<\/p>\n
Lightweight Bout \u2013 12 Rounds<\/p>\n
Rolando Romero \u2013 134 \u00bc lbs.<\/p>\n
Avery Sparrow \u2013 136 lbs.<\/p>\n
Referee: Johnny Callas (Conn.); Judges: Tom Carusone (Conn.), Waleska Roldan (N.Y.), Steve Weisfeld (N.J.)<\/p>\n
Note: Romero was originally scheduled to defend his interim lightweight title against Justin Pauldo, who exceeded the 135-pound limit. Avery Sparrow will take Pauldo\u2019s place in the bout. Romero\u2019s title will not be on the line.<\/p>\n
The event is promoted by Mayweather Promotions and TGB Promotions.<\/p>\n
Here is what the fighters had to say during Fight Week:<\/p>\n
Angelo Leo<\/p>\n
\u201cTraining at Mayweather\u2019s Gym has really helped me just for the fact that you get so many different fighters coming in from all over the world, and you see so many different styles and different looks. So it\u2019s great for me. It really pushes me. It’s a great experience for any fighter to train there.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe one thing Floyd told me is that he was going to make me a champion in two years. He kept his word, two and a half years or less I became a world champion. He wasn’t as present for this camp, but at my last camp he deeply impacted me with tips on how to approach the fight with Fulton and his style. Tips that carried over into this camp.<\/p>\n
\u201cFulton\u2019s a good fighter. He\u2019s got his style down pat. He likes to use his jab and control the distance. You can\u2019t take anything away from him. He was out for a year, so I’m taking advantage of that.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy advantages are my pressure, my work rate and my boxing IQ. I think a lot of people underestimate that about me.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt means a lot to be the first champion from Albuquerque since Johnny Tapia. I looked up to Tapia and Johnny Romero, so to be the next is an honor. Albuquerque is a fight town, but it’s not the biggest city so there’s a lot of unseen talent there.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe 122-pound division is stacked with a lot of talent. There’re a lot of fighters who are still undefeated, and I just want to fight the best. This fight against Fulton has taught me a lot already; it\u2019s a huge fight for me. I know that winning this already solidifies my spot. Then, I can focus on who is the next big fight.\u201d<\/p>\n
Stephen Fulton Jr.<\/p>\n
\u201cSome of the fighters I like are Bernard Hopkins, [Joe] Frazier, and Meldrick Taylor. They mean a lot to me, and to the sport of boxing and the history of Philadelphia. I watched the guys who were leading and now I\u2019m leading. It\u2019s just a big accomplishment to say you\u2019re trying to lead the new era for your city.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t think much of Angelo Leo. I wasn\u2019t impressed with his last fight. Just pressure. That\u2019s about the only thing he brings. There are things he\u2019s probably never seen before. I come with angles and my ability to punch off angles.<\/p>\n
\u201cNot fighting back in August kind of pushed me. It didn\u2019t have a bad effect. It made me push myself to the limit in training just knowing that it was all taken away that first time.<\/p>\n
\u201cI would like to get past this and unify. Fights like against Leo and [Luis] Nery are easy fights for me. Their styles and my styles are tailor-made for each other. What they both do fits my style perfectly.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ra’eese Aleem<\/p>\n
\u201cMy previous manager wasn\u2019t doing much as far as getting me fights, so I had to take matters into my own hands, and that\u2019s when I decided to leave Michigan for a new life in Las Vegas. I had $3,000 in my pocket with no family or friends. I just had faith in myself and started to make my own way. It was rough in the beginning, but I made it work, and now I\u2019m a better man, and a better fighter because of that decision. It forced me to be responsible, hence me being more mature. There was not time for games in my plan.<\/p>\n
\u201cFighting an undefeated fighter like Pasillas is what great fighters do. I want to fight the best now, and Pasillas is one of the best fighters in the division. I\u2019m not ducking or dodging anyone. I\u2019m going to be a world champion by all means necessary. Once I beat Pasillas, I\u2019m coming for [Murodjon] Akhmadaliev, then all the other champions.<\/p>\n
\u201cFighting in the bubble was something new, but this is COVID time, so we have to get used to it. To me it\u2019s not a problem. I\u2019m a fighter and I don\u2019t care if fans are there or not. I\u2019m just ready to dominate.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs far as the main event fighters, neither of them will be able to hang with me. I\u2019m the best fighter in the division period!\u201d<\/p>\n
Victor Pasillas<\/p>\n
\u201cRepresenting East Los Angeles means everything to me because I have so many people back home in East L.A. who believe in me. When I was coming up in the amateurs, I always had a big crowd attending my fights. East L.A. has always been a city known for its great boxers, and I want to continue that tradition.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve always been a monster in the weight room. I\u2019m just a gym rat who loves to work out. My whole life outside of home is in the gym, either boxing or in the weight room. My power has improved as I\u2019ve grown into my man strength, and right now I think I\u2019m at my peak as a man. Everyone will definitely see some serious power coming from me on fight night.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know much about [Aleem] personally, but I know he\u2019s a good fighter who is ranked higher than me. We both have the same Prince Ranch Boxing manager in Greg Hannley, but I\u2019ve never met him.<\/p>\n
This is my second fight in the bubble. I actually love fighting in the bubble. I get so much rest, it\u2019s very refreshing. Usually, I have my wife and kids with me, but to be honest, I need that peace and quiet and being in the bubble forces you to be by yourself, and in return I get great rest. As far as no fans in attendance, I like that as well, because I can hear my coach\u2019s instructions. I feel I can concentrate more and relax better when there are no fans. Don\u2019t get me wrong, there is nothing like fighting in front of a big crowd as well. I was built for this, fans or no fans.<\/p>\n
\u201cBy far this is the biggest fight of my career because I\u2019m right around the corner of becoming a world champion. Once I get that strap, I\u2019m going to unify all the belts and do the same at featherweight, super featherweight and maybe even bantamweight. All I know is I\u2019m coming for everyone.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t want to give up my game plan but best believe I\u2019m going to do whatever it takes to win this fight. If he wants to bang, then we\u2019ll bang, if he wants to box, we\u2019ll box. I\u2019ve seen so many different styles in the amateurs, there is nothing that he brings that I haven\u2019t seen. My power is what he\u2019s going to have to deal with.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rolando Romero<\/p>\n
\u201cTo those that think the scorecards were off in my last fight, I\u2019d say watch the fight again without any commentary and then see what they\u2019d say.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s simple, I like knocking people out. Fans wanna see a knockout. I don\u2019t think it hurts my chances at landing the big fights in the future, but I know there are fighters in the division who don\u2019t want to step up.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve remained focused. I know what I want in life. I\u2019m not a weak-minded sheep that needs an outside force to make me want something. I\u2019m ranked No. 1 by the WBA and I know I\u2019m looking up at champions Gervonta Davis and Teofimo Lopez. But I\u2019m still No. 1, pound-for-pound.\u201d<\/p>\n
Avery Sparrow<\/p>\n
\u201cI knew this opportunity would come to me, so I have been staying well prepared. I was already on weight. I didn\u2019t need to struggle to make weight this week. I came in here well prepared in case they needed me. Nothing was out of the ordinary for me as I prepared for this.<\/p>\n
\u201cI had a full camp. I was already in the gym and they called me about three weeks ago. My manager was talking to me about a fight in February so I was preparing for that. I have been getting ready to fight. I only had to cut about seven to 10 pounds over the last three weeks. I am strong, I am solid, and I am mentally prepared. Justin Pauldo was an easier fight for Romero but now I am here and it\u2019s my turn.<\/p>\n
\u201cRolly is a solid fighter but he makes a lot of amateur mistakes. He relies on his power. He lost his last fight, I believe, but the politics of boxing let him proceed with the victory. It\u2019s in the back of our minds that we need to take over the fight to win on the scorecards. I am so blessed and grateful for this opportunity. The universe is working in my favor and I believe that if I win the fight in the ring then I will be awarded the right decision.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am going to take full advantage of this opportunity. I lost a tough decision against Abraham Nova in June that I thought really went my way, but I won\u2019t cry over spilled milk. The fight was on TV so everyone saw what happened. I put seven rounds in the bank that night. But I am going to put on a great show for SHOWTIME.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am going to step to Rolly Romero and definitely try to knock him out. I am going out there looking for the knockout. Philly is going to have a big night between me and Stephen Fulton.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
[AdSense-A] Photo by Amanda Westcott\/SHOWTIME WBO Junior Featherweight World Championship \u2013 12 Rounds Angelo Leo \u2013 121 \u00bd lbs. Stephen Fulton, Jr. \u2013 122 lbs. Referee: David Fields (N.J.); Judges: Frank Lombardi (Conn.), Waleska Roldan (N.Y.), Steve Weisfeld (New Jersey),<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[25018,25019,25020],"class_list":["post-98826","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-boxing-news","tag-angelo-leo-vs-stephen-fulton","tag-jr-weights","tag-quotes-and-more-boxing-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/98826","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=98826"}],"version-history":[{"count":-3,"href":"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/98826\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=98826"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=98826"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=98826"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}