Coming off his only loss as a professional, Houston-based super middleweight Darius “DFG” Fulghum (14-1, 12 KOs) is preparing to get back into the ring on November 8th versus “Dynamite” David Stevens (15-2, 10 KOs). Fulghum vs. Stevens is on a card presented by Golden Boy Promotions, and headlined by a WBC interim title fight between Virgil Ortiz, Jr. (23-0, 21 KOs) and challenger Erickson Lubin (27-2, 19 KOs). The action will be streamed live on DAZN from Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas. Last May in Las Vegas, Fulghum lost a close twelve-round decision (all three scores were 114-112) to Uzbekistan's Bektemir “Bully” Melikuziev (20-3 including the World Series fo Boxing).

Fulghum, physically speaking, hasn’t done anything different during training camp than he has for his past fights. There is, however, a noticeable pyschological change in his approach. “I needed to change my mental approach,” the 29-year old explained. “Coming off a loss, I really want to make a splash. I feel like I’m still at the top of the division and this fight is a great opportunity to showcase my skills. This is another day! I want to put on a great performance to be in contention for one of those four belts. I’m not far away – one or two more fights – but it all depends on how I perform. (Terence) Crawford has those four belts. Will he stay in this weight class? Should he retire? Will the division be opened up? I want to put myself in position. My time will be perfect for a world title fight."

He continued, "In my last fight, skill-wise, I am superior to Bek; I thought I won the fight. I didn’t and it happened (first loss). I think experience was a factor. My ego got the best of me. I never liked bullies, and I made it my mission to not get bullied. I wouldn’t take a step backwards, but I should have boxed right from the start. It’s all part of learning lessons. It’s not the end of the world, part of my story. It is what it is! I would like to think that we’ll (Bek) meet again, but for a world title. Things will work out. That fight is in the past, and I will grow and keep learning. What I appreciate the most about boxing is that a lot of people make excuses and point fingers at others, but that doesn’t work in boxing.”

Fulghum is sure to have a lot of support in attendance because Fort Worth is a four-hour drive from Houston, only 2.5 hours from his El Paso birthplace.

Fulghum is more than familiar with his opponent, Stevens, the 25-year-old from Reading, Pennsylvania, who lost a twelve-round split decision to Melikuziev last November. Stevens’ most notable wins have been over 13-0 Petr Khamukov, 26-6-1 Marco Antonio Periban and 14-0 Sean Hemphill (TKO1).

“I know a lot about David Stevens,” Fulghum said. “He trains here (Houston), and we’ve sparred. I’ve seen him around for a long time. He is unique to himself; unlike anybody I’ve fought. This is a dangerous fight. He’s going to bring his stuff; I need to set the tone from the start.”

Fulghum was a decorated amateur boxer who was ranked #1 in the USA as a heavyweight, but as a professional he’s fought strictly as a super middleweight. He was the 2018 National Golden Gloves Tournament Champion, and he also won the 2020 U.S. Olympic Team Trials. He earned a nursing degree from Prairie View A & M University during the coronavirus pandemic. Fulghum is working with 3 Point Management (3 PM).