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It took a few years longer than expected, but Bektemir Melikuziev is finally on the cusp of a title shot after gritting his way past Darius Fulghum in an entertaining and hard-fought WBA final eliminator.
Melikuziev (16-1, 10 KO) utilized his usual mix of bouncy movement and explosive entries to set the tempo at range, while Fulghum (14-1, 12 KO) filled the gaps between Melikuziev’s broadsides with tight, sharp combinations. Melikuziev initially attempted to stymie Fulghum’s infighting with consistent holding, but lost a point for it in the seventh.
Though Fulghum appeared to be the sharper of the two as they approached the championship rounds, his output steadily dwindled, possibly as a result of never going past 10 as a pro. Melikuziev, leaking from the nose for essentially the whole back half of the fight, stepped on the gas and landed a clutch knockdown in the 12th to turn a trio of tied scorecards into matching 114-112s.
“Bek the Bully” definitely showed some limitations, namely iffy defense, poor infighting, and an over-reliance on lead power shots without setup jabs, but he earned this victory and deserves commendation for bouncing back from the Gabe Rosado debacle.
That said, it’s not entirely clear what his next step will be. He’ll never get a shot at Canelo; even if the WBA nuts up and demands Canelo actually fight a mandatory challenger for once, the champ is more than willing to ditch a title as needed. Caleb Plant holds the interim belt, but he’s already got a date with Jermall Charlo if both men emerge victorious tonight.
I guess he could fight “gold” champ Uwel Hernandez. Did you guys know they’re doing gold belts again? Felix Sturm has one of them right now.
