There was this unusual visual of Stephen Fulton gasping and clinging to the hope of making it through the fight. The fighter, who is used to sailing through fights, was outmatched and outclassed when he fought Naoya Inoue last July. Since then, there have been questions about his future and his tough path back to championship glory. But the Philadelphia native will be back in the squared circle in the hopes of mounting another challenge. This time in a new division. Will his new endeavor prove successful? Or will he succumb to another loss, effectively curtailing his career?

The fans will find it out this September 14 when the former unified super bantamweight champion takes center stage on the Canelo Alvarez vs. Edgar Berlanga bill and fights Carlos Castro. The featherweight fight offers fans a stylistic matchup between a pure boxer vs. a skilled technician. Before the fight with high stakes and title implications at 126 goes live, let’s have a look at how the two boxers stack up.

Stephen Fulton vs. Carlos Castro: Tale of Tape

Fulton was the yardstick to measure any fighter’s boxing prowess and skill set when he reigned supreme at 122. At 30, he still carries the same persona. But now it has a minor dent after the loss to Inoue. That fight also snapped his undefeated record, and the Philadelphia native now has a record of 21-1 with 8 KOs. However, that doesn’t take away his superior speed and his precise hitting, which allowed him to dictate the pace of the fights and churn out decision wins.

What has worked best for the former champion is his ability to break down his opponents throughout 12 rounds, and his KO ratio of also 38.1% shows a similar picture. In addition, Fulton has the dimensions of height 5’6½” (169 cm) and a reach of 70½” (179 cm) to impose his will on the foes. It allowed him to fight his technical style with quicker body movements and high-volume punching. But will it be enough to do the same at 126 and against a fighter more experienced than himself?

Castro, at 30, has witnessed the vagaries of both super bantamweight and featherweight divisions. A fighter with a perfect blend of aggression and a calm head, he exhibited all the markings of a future champion. The Phoenix native’s KO ratio of 46.67% also adds to his allure. But whenever put on the biggest stage, he faltered. The consecutive losses against former world champions, such as Luis Nery and Brandon Figueroa, tumbled him to 30-2-0 with 14 KOs. He has shown resilience, bounced back, and again finds himself in a position to challenge for the position at the top. What’s more? Castro carries the size advantage despite having similar dimensions of height 5’7″ (170 cm) and a reach of 70.0″ (178 cm). But will it help him gain an advantage over Fulton?

Prediction: Where will the fight be won?

Fulton took some time off after his defeat to Inoue and made some changes. His move up to featherweight was first. He also switched his trainer to Bozy Ennis, manager and trainer of Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis, and he spent the last year adding more weapons to his arsenal and more power behind his punches. It was something he lacked in his last fight. But what separates ‘Cool Boy Steph’ from the rest is his speed and his ability to use his piston left jab, which he uses to maintain distance and follow those with huge right hands. Fulton’s combination of left hooks and right uppercuts is lethal and has helped him dismantle his competitors.

But it’s Fulton’s experience of fighting other top contenders and challengers that will give him more edge, along with his comfort at fighting in a division where he is not draining himself to make the weight. Castro, on the other hand, built his professional career on the bedrock of a splendid amateur career, with three national championships. He also made gains in his professional career with his counter-punching and his power. He did put displays of his style in a close fight with Nery.

Interestingly, Fulton has registered a win against Figueroa, who handed Castro his second loss, and has a reputation for being an aggressive fighter. Fulton found regular openings in Figueroa’s defense and controlled the complete fight. You can expect him to do the same against Castro and bag the win and raise the alarm for other champions at 126.

What do you make of this coming fight between Stephen Fulton and Carlos Castro? Who do you believe will leave the arena as a victor? Let us know in the comments below.