Brandon Figueroa is heading back to the ring this December…
The 27-year-old Mexican American professional boxer will meet Stephen Fulton in a featherweight rematch on the December 14 Gervonta Davis–Lamont Roach undercard in Houston, per ESPN sources.
When they fought in November 2021, Fulton defeated Figueroa via majority decision in one of the best fights of the year.
That was a 122-pound title unification where both boxers entered the ring as champions. In the aftermath of his loss, Figueroa was adamant the decision was a “robbery.”
Three years later, they’ll meet at 126 pounds as former champions.
Fulton (22-1, 8 KOs) has fought three times since. The 30-year-old from Philadelphia moved up to 126 pounds last month to fight Carlos Castro. He was dropped in Round 5 but emerged with a split-decision victory.
That was Fulton’s first bout since his Round 8 TKO loss last summer in a title unification with Naoya Inoue in Tokyo. Fulton is ESPN’s No. 9 featherweight.
Figueroa (25-1-1, 19 KOs) is ESPN’s No. 4 boxer at 126 pounds. He also competed three times since his loss to Fulton, all of them at 122 pounds.
Figueroa defeated Castro by TKO in Round 6 of their July 2022 fight and also outpointed Mark Magsayo.
Figueroa has held the WBC interim featherweight title since March 2023 and previously the WBC super bantamweight title in 2021 and the WBAsuper bantamweight title from 2019 to 2021.
The 27-year-old Mexican & Ecuadorian American boxer will meet David Morrell in a high-stakes light heavyweight bout, Benavidez announced on social media.
The 175-pound bout will headline a PBC pay-per-view card and is expected to take place on January 25 in Las Vegas, per ESPN sources.
Benavidez (29-0, 24 KOs) was in talks to fight fringe contender Jesse Hart on December 14 on the undercard of the Gervonta Davis–Lamont Roach title bout, according to sources, but he secured a far more compelling bout.
Benavidez has chased boxing’s top star, Canelo Álvarez, for years. Álvarez hasn’t shown any interest in such a matchup, so Benavidez made the jump from 168 to 175 pounds this summer with a decision win over Oleksandr Gvozdyk.
Benavidez, who fights out of Miami, is a former two-time titleholder at 168 pounds. He’s rated No. 3 at 175 pounds.
Now, Benavidez is prepared for the toughest test of his career.
Cuba’s Morrell (11-0, 9 KOs) also made the move to light heavyweight this summer. He encountered the most-challenging fight of his career with a unanimous decision over Radivoje Kalajdzic in August.
Morrell, 26, is ESPN’s No. 4 light heavyweight. ESPN’s top two 175-pounders, Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol, fight Saturday on ESPN+ for the undisputed light heavyweight championship.
The winner of Benavidez-Morrell will be positioned for a fight with the winner.
The 30-year-old Mexican American boxer will box on Golden Boy Promotions’ “Thursday Night Fights” series (DAZN/RingTV.com, 10:00 pm ET) on March 19 at the Avalon in Hollywood, California.
Esparza joins a card that includes Joet Gonzalezand Lamont Roach, all coming off decision losses in world title bouts.
Esparza (7-1, 1 KO), who was a 2012 U.S. Olympicbronze medalist, will face Lucia Nunez(7-10), 29, of Mexico, in a six-round, women’s junior bantamweight bout.
In Esparza’s last fight, on November 2 in Las Vegas on the Canelo Alvarez–Sergey Kovalevundercard, she lost a ninth-round technical decision because of a bad cut from an accidental head-butt against rival Seniesa Estradafor a vacant interim women’s flyweight title.
“I’m ready to get back in the ring,” Esparza said. “There were multiple factors that made this last fight a real learning experience, but this next round of professional boxing is just the beginning of much more. I’m looking forward to coming out with the new strategies that I’ve been learning and switching up my game a bit.”
Gonzalez (23-1, 14 KOs), 26, of Glendora, California, will square off with former world title challenger Chris Avalos (27-7, 20 KOs), 30, of Lancaster, California, in a 10-round featherweight fight.
Gonzalez will be fighting for the first time since he faced bitter rival Shakur Stevenson for a vacant featherweight world title on October 26 in Reno, Nevada, and lost a near-shutout decision.
“I can’t wait to step back into the ring,” Gonzalez said. “I fought for a world title, so I know what it’s like to be at that level. Now, I’ll be coming back with an even stronger desire to become a world champion. This March 19, I will not disappoint.”
Avalos has lost two fights in a row but has vast experience, including in losses in world title bouts to Carl Frampton and Leo Santa Cruz and to Oscar Valdezin a nontitle bout.
“We’re coming to win,” Avalos said. “We’re back on track. The old Chris Avalos is back. (Gonzalez) may think I’m a joke. You may think I’m washed up. But I’m coming to kick your ass. Keep your hands (up) or you will see what happens.”
Roach (19-1-1, 7 KOs), 24, of Washington, will face Neil John Tabanao(17-7, 11 KOs), 25, of the Philippines, in a 10-round junior lightweight bout in the co-feature.
Roach will be in the ring for the first time since he lost a competitive unanimous decision as the mandatory challenger for 130-pound world titlist Jamel Herringon November 9 in Fresno, California.
“I’ve been itching to get back in that square to show that I’m the best at 130,” Roach said. “My last fight was just a glimpse, but this year it’s all the way up with me.”
Tabanao is coming off three 10-round decision losses in a row, all against undefeated fighters.
“I’m looking forward to this fight against Lamont Roach Jr.,” Tabanao said. “I know that he’s coming off his first loss and that he wants to fight for a world title again. However, I more experience than he, and I know how to score an upset.”
When they fought in November 2021, Fulton defeated Figueroa via majority decision in one of the best fights of the year.
