A Major Miss in Sydney
Stephen Fulton Jr.'s move to the lightweight division became official Friday after a major weight miss forced the cancellation of his scheduled bout against Australia's Liam Wilson in Sydney.
Fulton weighed in at 139.5 pounds, missing the agreed-upon 133-pound catchweight by 6.5 pounds. The fight was originally contracted as a 130-pound WBA super featherweight title eliminator, but promoters raised the limit to 133 pounds after Fulton's camp acknowledged he would be unable to make the division.
Even with the adjustment, Fulton came in well over the limit, leading officials to cancel the co-main event on the Errol Spence Jr. vs. Tim Tszyu card.
Weight Miss by the Numbers
- Official weight: 139.5 pounds
- Contracted catchweight: 133 pounds
- Missed by: 6.5 pounds
- Original 130-pound limit: 9.5 pounds over
Card Shuffle
Following the cancellation, Australian light heavyweight Olympian Paulo Aokuso was elevated to the pay-per-view card to face Luis Tejeda.
A Pattern of Issues
The Sydney incident marks the second consecutive fight in which the former unified super bantamweight champion failed to make weight.
In December, Fulton came in two pounds over the junior lightweight limit ahead of his title fight with O'Shaquie Foster. That bout was restructured as an interim lightweight title fight at 135 pounds, where Fulton lost by unanimous decision.
Moving Forward
After Friday's weigh-in, Fulton accepted responsibility for the cancellation but said his body stopped sweating at approximately 138 pounds, preventing him from cutting any further. He also confirmed he will compete exclusively in the lightweight (135-pound) division going forward.
