Super middleweight contender Bektemir Melikuziev (16-1, 10 KOs) pulled out a narrow 12-round unanimous decision victory by dropping previously unbeaten Darius Fulghum (14-1, 12 KOs) in the 12th round on Friday night at the Virgin Hotels Las Vegas, in Las Vegas. The scores were 114-112, 114-112, and 114-112.
Melikuziev Starts Strong
Bektemir fought well in the first four rounds, landing powerful body shots and left hands that snapped back the head of Fulghhum. The body punching from Melikuziev was key early on in the fight. When he was throwing to the body, you could see that Fulghum was bothered by them. Interestingly, Melikuziev went away from throwing body shots as the fight went into the second half.
However, Melikuziev began to fade starting in the fifth round and was struggling with the power and pace that Fulghum was setting. Melikuziev suffered a bloody nose that seemed to bother him.
The Uzbek Melikuziev, 29, was penalized for holding in the seventh by referee Thomas Taylor, who had warned him repeatedly to stop holding. Bektemir came back strong in the second half of the round, nailing Fulghum with repeated jabs to the head. In the eighth, Bektemir developed a large mouse on his left cheekbone from a head clash.
In the championship rounds, the tired-looking southpaw Melikuziev was able to do just enough to edge them with his power shots. Fulghum had problems landing his shots. He was also allowing Bek to force him against the ropes and nail him with shots.
12th Round Knockdown
In the 12th, Melikuziev landed a hard body shot followed by a left to the head of Fulghum that put him down on the canvas. Fulghum got up and fought hard for the remainder of the round, but the damage was done.
Overall, it was a close fight. The way Melikuziev and Fulghum performed, this is as high as either of them can go in the super middleweight division. It wouldn’t end well for these two to challenge Canelo Alvarez or any of the top three contenders in the division.
Last Updated on 05/31/2025
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