Fight Week: Angelo Leo vs. Stephen Fulton on Showtime

FIGHT WEEK

Angelo Leo defends his 122-pound title against top contender Stephen Fulton on Showtime.

MYKQUAN WILLIAMS (15-0-1, 7 KOs) VS.
YEIS GABRIEL SOLANO (15-0, 10 KOs)

When: Wednesday, Jan. 20 Where: Mohegan Sun, Uncasville, Conn. TV/Stream: Showtime Division: Junior welterweight (140 pounds) At stake: No titles Pound-for-pound ranking: None Odds: NA Also on the card: Martino Jules vs. Pedro Marquez Medina, featherweights; Jose Nunez vs. Aram Avagyan, featherweights Prediction: Williams UD Background: Solano will be traveling to Williams’ backyard and moving up to 140 pounds to face him in a matchup that is competitive on paper. Solano reportedly had an amateur record of 118-12 for his native Columbia, where the southpaw fought his first dozen fights as a pro. He then went to Mexico for two bouts and made his U.S. debut in June of 2019, defeating Elias Araujo by a split decision. He hasn’t fought since. Williams, a former amateur standout from Hartford, Conn., has fought at 140 or above his entire pro career. He relies more on his quickness and athleticism than power. And it has worked for him, although he’s coming off a draw with Tre’Sean Wiggins in October 2019. He has been out of the ring since then. This is a big opportunity for both fighters, who moved into the ShoBox main event when a fight between Patrick Cora and Hurshidbek Normatov fell out.

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ANGELO LEO (20-0, 9 KOs)
VS. STEPHEN FULTON (18-0, 8 KOs)

When: Saturday, Jan. 23 Where: Mohegan Sun, Uncasville, Conn. TV/Stream: Showtime Division: Junior featherweight (122 pounds) At stake: Leo’s WBO title Pound-for-pound ranking: None Odds: Fulton 1½-1 Also on the card: Vic Pasillas vs. Raeese Aleem, junior featherweights; Rolando Romero vs. Justin Pauldo, lightweights Prediction: Fulton UD Background: This matchup was set for Aug. 1 at the same venue but Fulton had to pull out days beforehand after testing positive for COVID-19. Leo fought Tramaine Williams instead, winning a wide decision and the vacant 122-pound title. Fulton, fully recovered, finally gets his shot at Leo and the belt five-plus months later. Leo, a pressure fighter with a murderous body attack, gave a strong performance against the capable Williams. The product of Albuquerque won by scores of 118-110, 118-110 and 117-111. However, most observers see Fulton as a bigger threat than Williams. The Philadelphian is a quick, clever technician who will use all of his assets – including excellent footwork – in an attempt to neutralize Leo’s relentless attack. The contrast in styles and high stakes makes for an interesting 50-50 matchup.