Stephen Fulton vs. O’Shaquie Foster is the proverbial third time lucky. Initially reported to take place on the August rematch card of Gervonta Davis and Lamont Roach Jr., it was later moved to the October 25 Sebastian Fundora-Keith Thurman card, only to be shifted again to the December 6 Isaac Cruz-Lamont Roach Jr. event. Considering how fortunate they’ve been, the two are leaving no stone unturned in building the hype.

Their latest meetup on Gillie and Wallo’s Million Dollaz Worth of Game podcast heated up when the duo assessed one another. Refusing to acknowledge the threat O’Shaquie Foster poses to his ambitions, Stephen Fulton tried to play his trump card – Naoya Inoue – only for the super featherweight champion to give him something new to think about. After beating rival Brandon Figueroa for the WBC featherweight title, Fulton finally managed to silence the demon of his 2023 loss to Inoue and raised the bar by moving up a division, where he just needs to beat Foster to become a champion in a third weight class. Foster, meanwhile, hadn’t fought since his win over Robson Conceicao in their November rematch last year.

O’Shaquie Foster hits Stephen Fulton where it hurts – the Inoue loss

As the show drew to a close, Gillie had one question for both fighters. He first asked O’Shaquie Foster, “Is this the best fighter you ever fought? On paper?” The 130-pound belt holder replied, “On paper? Yeah, for sure. On paper. I won’t know until I get in there, though.” Gillie then repeated the question to Stephen Fulton. And the Philadelphia native flatly refused.

Why? Because he’s already fought a longtime pound-for-pound great in Naoya Inoue. The response immediately riled Foster, who fired back, asking, “So, if I knock you out worse than he (Inoue) knocked you, are you going to give that?” Fulton disagreed, insisting Foster wouldn’t be able to knock him out.

The Texan argued. Fulton has never entered the ring with him, so how could he make an assessment so easily, he wondered? Now cornered, Fulton defended himself, “Look at me though. I ain’t never been flatlined. Never. I got up every time. I ain’t never been out.”

Foster persisted. Would Fulton consider him the best fighter he’s ever faced if, like Inoue, he ‘flatlined him technically’?

Stephen Fulton plots his comeback, one fight at a time

Foster and Fulton are now set to feature on a highly stacked card headlined by the Isaac Cruz-Lamont Roach Jr. bout. In the co-main event, Janibek Alimkhanuly and Erislandy Lara will slug it out for middleweight unification.

After unifying the bantamweight titles and defending them successfully, Stephen Fulton flew to Japan to face Naoya Inoue. Though he managed some resistance, eventually, like so many others before and after him, he succumbed to the Monster’s vicious attack.

Ever since, that loss has been a major blot on his otherwise outstanding career.

It took Fulton over a year to regroup and make a comeback. On September 14 last year, he defeated Carlos Castro in a ten-rounder. The tune-up gave him the confidence he needed to forge ahead and carve out a fresh legacy.

In O’Shaquie Foster, he meets a determined foe who is equally, if not more, adept in ring craftsmanship. The fight between these two technically gifted boxers is sure to light up San Antonio on December 6. And given the way they’re posturing outside the ring, fans can only expect fireworks once they step inside it.

Do you think Stephen Fulton can oust O’Shaquie Foster to become a three-division world champion?