Undefeated Light-Heavyweight Darius Fulghum scored an uneventful ten round unanimous decision over veteran Vaughn Alexander on Thursday night at the Fantasy Springs Hotel and Casino in Indio, CA. Alexander, who was a late replacement for Super-Middleweight contender Ronald Ellis, who had to withdraw from the planned Super-Middleweight bout with Fulghum due to illness, spent the majority of the fight trying to stay in close to Fulghum, but only sporadically letting his hands go throughout the ten round bout. When he did let his hands go, however, he landed clean shots that were easy to see. It was what Alexader did not do in the rest of the bout that was the story as the crowd in attendance frequently and unapologetically voiced their dissatisfaction over what was taking place inside the ring.
What frankly at times resembled little more than a sparring session was controlled by Fulghum, who simply was able to win rounds by being the more active of the two fighters. Fulgham, who had scored knockouts in ten of his eleven professional fights before this encounter did indicate to his corner midway through the bout that he was having problems with his right hand. Whether he did injure his right hand is something not confirmed as of this writing. The official scores were: 99-91, and 98-92 (On two scorecards) in favor of Fulghum. Darius Fulghum advances to 12-0, with 10 Knockouts. Vaughn Alexander falls to 18-12-1, with 11 Knockouts.
Also on this card:
Cruiserweight Tristan Kalkreuth scored a workmanlike ten round unanimous decision over Anthony Hollaway Oficial scores were: 99-91 (On all three scorecards in favor of Kalkreuth. Tristan Kalkreuth advances to 14-1, with 7 Knockouts. Anthony Hollaway falls to 7-6-3, with 6 Knockouts.
Undefeated Jr. Middleweight Gabe Flores scored the third victory of his young and unbeaten career by scoring a third round knockout of Josaias Gonzalez. Flores landed hard, thudding shots from the opening bell and gradually battered the “Game” Gonzalez down. The end came when a left hook to the body sent Gonzalez down in a corner of the ring Official time of the stoppage was 2:34 of round three. Gabe Flores advances to 3-0, with 3 Knockouts. Josaias Gonzalez falls to 2-3-1, with 0 Knockouts.
Lightweight Leo Sanchez scored a fourth round knockout of Jenel Lausa to remain unbeaten. Sanchez scored three knockdowns of Lausa between rounds three and four and got the knockout with a left hook to the body that forced Lausa down on his knees for the count. The official time of the stoppage was 1:08 of round four. Leo Sanchez advances to 7-0, with 6 Knockouts. Jenel Lausa falls to 11-4-1, with 7 Knockouts.
Jr. Welterweight Cayden Griffiths, a recent high school graduate, began the evening by successfully making his professional debut by scoring a second round knockout of Juan Romero. Griffiths began the fight by looking to land his left hook and in the first round, he was able to drop Romero with a body shot. In the second round, a left hook to the body would drop Romero for the count. The official time: of the stoppage was :43 of round two. Cayden Griffiths advances to 1-0, with 1 Knockout. Juan Romero falls to 0-2, with 0 Knockouts.
A scheduled eight round Super-Middleweight bout between unbeaten prospect Eric Priest and Janer Gonzalez was scratched prior to the card taking place due to Gonzalez not being cleared by the California State Athletic Commission. (CSAC) No further details are available at this time as to why the commission would not allow the bout to go on as scheduled or if there will be an attempt to reschedule at some point in the future.
This card, which was promoted by Hall of Famer Oscar De La Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions showcased some fighters to keep an eye on as they look to progress in their young careers. This observer was particularly impressed with the performance of Cayden Griffiths in his pro debut.
As for Darius Fulghum, he simply did what he had to do and the old adage of “A Win Is A Win” should apply here. While he had scored many quick knockouts on his way to this point, a fight like what he had against Vaughn Alexander though not crowd-pleasing will serve him better in the long-term in regard to his overall development as a fighter. The circumstances in which this fight came about should not be ignored in that Fulghum’s original opponent for what was to be a bout contested in the 168lb. Super-Middleweight division fell out on short notice due to an illness, and in that opponent’s place stepped in a veteran who not only knew how to survive, but also how to make a fight ugly both in terms of the action in the ring as well as what it looked like from a viewer’s perspective. Although if Vaughn Alexander were consistently more active throughout this fight, it may have been more competitive, the silver-lining for Fulghum is he was able to adjust to the change in opposition and got the job done. In doing so, Fulghum learned a valuable lesson that all young fighters have to learn and understand at some point. Even if you are a fighter who is blessed with the ability to end a fight quickly, there are times where you are going to come across a veteran who knows how to survive, knows a few tricks, and will take you the distance. Those fighters who eventually learn that lesson more often than not, come to see fights like this as a benefit in the long-term because it provides a crucial element that all fighters need. “Experience.”
“And That’s The Boxing Truth.”
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