LOS ANGELES (June 17, 2024) – Undefeated super middleweight prospect Darius “DFG” Fulghum (11-0, 10 KOs) is pumped to be headlining his first show on June 25th, when he faces veteran Ronald Ellis (18-4-2, 12 KOs) in the 10-round match on “Golden Boy Fight Night”, streaming live from Fantasy Springs Resort Casino in Indio, California.
“I’m extremely blessed to be starting to make my way to bigger stages and better names,” Fulgham talked about headlining for the first time. “The 168-pound division has a lot of top fighters moving up and all four (major) world title belts (33-year-old Canelo Alvarez is the undisputed, unified super middleweight world champion) will be up for grabs. I’m putting myself in a good position to grab one of those titles. My team (Golden Boy Promotions and 3 Point Management) are doing a good job, showing how much they believe in me.”
Ellis has become a gatekeeper in the super middleweight division, and he should be the toughest test to date for the 27-year-old Fulgham, who has fought in 13 less fights and 83 fewer rounds than Ellis, who fights out of Lynn, Massachusetts. Ellis’ brother is world-rated welterweight Rashidi Ellis (24-1, 15 KOs) and their sister, Rashida Ellis, was a 2020 Olympian. She also was a member of Team USA a few years ago as, ironically, Fulghum.
Ellis hasn’t been active the past few years, fighting only four times in nearly four years. But his last three opponents have all been undefeated like Fulghum: extended then 23-0 (20 KOs) David Benavidez into the 11th round against the current WBC Interim Light Heavyweight Champion, took the reigning WBC Continental Americas Super Middleweight Champion Christian Mbilli (19-0, 18 KOs) the full 10 rounds, and last October in his most recent fight, he was stopped in the fourth round by Erik Bazinyan (30-0, 21 KOs).
During his 12-year professional career, Ellis has upset Russian Olympian Matvey Korobov (28-3-1, 14 KOs) by way of a fourth-round technical knockout, in addition to fighting Junior Youman (13-0, 9 KOs) to a 10-round draw.
“I have a dream and he’s another person in my way,” Fulghum commented about his next opponent. “He is a good, durable guy who has been in against a lot of good guys. A great test for me. I see him as a challenge and that’s what I want.”
Fulgham, fighting out of Houston, has shown steady improvement since his pro debut on December 12, 2021.
“I’ve learned how to pace myself, which will be valuable going into this fight,” Fulghum concluded. “I’ve also learned my process, preparing for a fight, physically and mentally, and what to avoid. Also, dealing with the media because there has been more attention with each of my fights.”
Fulghum was a decorated amateur boxer, ranked No. 1 in the USA as a heavyweight, despite fighting as a super middleweight as a professional. He captured top honors at the 2018 National Golden Gloves Tournament and 2020 U.S. Olympic Team Trials, both 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), former WBA Inter-Continental Light Heavyweight Champion Kareem “Supreme” Hackett (12-1, 6 KOs), and unbeaten heavyweight hopeful Zach Spiller (5-0, 4 KOs).
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