Stephen Fulton had it tough when he returned to the boxing ring after a layoff of 14 months. He didn’t live up to the expectations of starting a new life at 126 and found himself squarely outclassed. He even found himself on the mat in the fifth round of the fight against Carlos Castro. While he bounced back in the later rounds, the fans believed the judges aided him in his quest.

Fulton secured the split decision win against Castro, as the scorecards read: 95-94 Castro, 96-93 Fulton, and 95-94 Fulton. The frustration of the fans was visible when they booed him. They also voiced it when they took to the comment section.

Stephen Fulton comes from behind to secure the win

Fulton looked small at featherweight and faced the brunt of whatever Castro threw at him. In addition, the ring seemed to have its effects too, as he didn’t appear to be loose and comfortable in the initial rounds. He paid for it when a straight right pierced through his defense and dropped him to the canvas. Fulton then started his upward ascend, as he felt the heat of the fight.

After winning the fight, Fulton declared, “I feel like it was a tough fight. But I keep digging deep, and I kept fighting. I feel stronger and I feel better. This is my first fight back in 14 months.” However, fans and pundits disagreed with him and took to different forums to express their dissatisfaction.

Fans blast judges for Fulton vs Castro decision

Sergio Mora believed Castro had the fight in the bag. He wrote, “Thought Castro pulled this one off. The crowd here loved it…AND disagreed with the decision.” While the crowd loved the fight with constant action, they boozed as they saw Fulton’s hand raised, despite being on the receiving end of visible punishment.

Dan Rafael also saw Castro picking the win. He wrote, “95-94, 96-93 Fulton, 95-94 Castro, who I thought won the fight. Fulton wins a split decision. #boxing #CaneloBerlanga.” Castro employed jabs and even had Fulton bleeding from the nose with his precise shots, which troubled Fulton throughout the fight.

Jake Donovan pointed out that the fight was won in the 10th round. The Ring correspondent declared, “If the fight was on the table, Stephen Fulton snatched it in that 10th and final round. Carlos Castro had his chances throughout this fight but may have let this one get away. We go to the scorecards. Fun fight. #FultonCastro #CaneloBerlanga.” The punches flew in the final round, where Fulton caught Castro lacking two big left hooks and traded well in inside pockets, swaying the cards and judges.

A fan called out the judges for what they believed had been a terrible performance on their part for a long time now. They argued, “Boxing judges have been bad for a while, but now they’re just awful. Need AI or some sh*t…” Most recently, O’Shaquie Foster dropped his championship to Robson Conceicao in a controversial decision, which took the internet by storm. Demands for reform in judging standards have been raised for a long now.

Someone claimed Fulton had been handed over the win. They contested, “Cool boy is done! Looked horrible and got a gift.” Fulton appeared to be a victim of ring rust and might need some time to adjust to the vagaries of the featherweight division.

What do you make of this fight between Stephen Fulton Jr. and Carlos Castro? Do you believe the judges got it wrong? Let us know in the comments below.