LOS ANGELES (April 23, 2025) – Undefeated super middleweight Darius “DFG” Fulgham (14-0, 12 KOs) recently proved, once again, that he belongs among the world’s top contenders in his weight class.
Ranked No. 4 in the world by the World Boxing Association (WBA), Houston-based Fulghum made the second defense of his World Boxing Association (WBA) Continental Super Middleweight title on February 14th, annihilating Detroit veteran Winfred “Hotboy” Harris, Jr. (22-3-2, 10 KOs) by turning in a completely dominant performance enroute to a fourth-round stoppage.
Fulghum vs. Harris, Jr. was the 10-round, co-featured event on a Golden Boy Promotions card, headlined by Oscar Duarte vs. Miguel Madueno, that was streamed on DAZN live from Honda Center.
Harris, Jr., who has only been stopped once in his previous 26 pro fights, faced an opponent in Fulghum who pressed him from the opening bell, dropping him in the second, after which Harris, Jr. went into survival mode, holding and clinching in the fourth round until referee Jerry Cantu mercifully waved off the fight.
Fulghum, 28, understands and appreciates the developmental process in boxing. Despite his one-sided beatdown of Harris, Jr., Fulghum wasn’t totally satisfied with his performance.
“I think my performance was good for the fans,” Fulghum explained, “but I still have a lot to learn and by my standards, mentally, I needed to show more. I needed to show him he didn’t belong in the same ring as me, but I kept loading up instead of putting my punches together. Not going for the knockout was the biggest lesson I learned.
“I know I belong with the best at 168; there’s nobody I can’t beat. I’m getting more experienced for when my time comes. I try not to think about it and trust my team (promoter Golden Boy and manager 3 PM), so I’m taking it one fight at a time. There are a lot of great fighters in this division.”
Realizing the entire super middleweight division will be wide open when Canelo Alverez retires, Fulghum broke down the leading WBA super middleweights:
WBA Super Champion Saul “Canelo” Alvarez (62-2-2, 39 KOs), Mexico
“Canelo has been in this game for two decades. He is a great fighter who has earned his position. A great counter puncher with a high boxing IQ, great defense, and solid jab. Good boxers with great movement can give him some trouble. I hope Canelo is still in this division when I’m in position to fight him.”
WBA Interim Champion Caleb “Sweethands” Plant (23-2, 14 KOs), USA
“I like him a lot. He’s a great fighter and I like how he keeps coming forward. He has a high boxing IQ and he may be the toughest fighter in the division.”
No. 1 rated Christian “Solide” Mbilli (28-0, 23 KOs), 2016 French Olympian, Cameroon
“I want to fight him. He had a lot of hype coming up and is an exciting fighter. He has a high-pressure style, but he’s limited. He’s a good boxer but his jab isn’t great and opponents who catch-and-shoot can give him trouble.”
No. 2 rated Lester Martinez (19-0, 16 KOs), Guatemala
“I haven’t seen much of him. I do know he has had a few fights fall out.”
No. 3 rated Bektemir “Bully” Melikuziev (15-1, 10 KOs), 2016 Olympic Silver Medalist, Uzbekistan
“A tough guy with a lot of experience. He always brings it and has good foot movement. But he lacks a solid jab and swings his punches wide. It would be easy to make this fight because he’s promoted by Golden Boy like I am.”
No. 5 Edgar “The Chosen One” Belanga (22-1, 17 KOs), USA
“He’s a hyped fighter and I’m not fond of the way he carries himself. He lost (to ‘Canelo’) and then went on a world tour. Who does that? And he called out (heavyweight) Anthony Joshua after he was knocked out. He is the guy I want to fight the most if I could fight anybody in our division. He’s always looking for a knockout and he’s not that solid a boxer.”
Fulghum was a decorated amateur boxer who was ranked No. 1 in the USA as a heavyweight, but as a professional he’s fought strictly as a super middleweight. He captured top honors at the 2018 National Golden Gloves Tournament and 2020 U.S. Olympic Team Trials, both of these 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 & WBO Cruiserweight World Champion Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez (47-1, 30 KOs), WBO No. 1/WBA No. 2-rated world super flyweight title challenger John “Scrappy” Ramirez (14-1, 9 KOs), former world heavyweight champion/WBC No. 4-rated Oleksandr “Nails” Gvozdyk (21-2, 17 KOs), former WBA Inter-Continental Light Heavyweight Champion Kareem “Supreme” Hackett (12-1, 6 KOs) and German junior welterweight Simon “Saucy” Vollmer (6-0, 2 KOs).
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