Darius Fulghum Fights Through Injury, Outpoints Vaughn Alexander In Dull Affair

Darius Fulghum once again settled for a win this time, with hopes to look good in his next fight.

The unbeaten 27-year-old super middleweight labored through a ten-round decision victory over late replacement Vaughn Alexander. Scores were 98-92, 98-92 and 99-91 for Fulghum (12-0, 10 knockouts) in his first DAZN main event Thursday from Fantasy Springs Resort Casino in Indio, California.

Alexander took the fight on very short notice for an ill Ronald Ellis (18-4-2, 12 KOs). Fulghum dealt with the awkward style and also pushed through a hand injury he suffered in the early rounds.

“It was a great experience going the distance against Vaughn,” noted Fulghum. “Anyone that knows him, knows he is a really tough guy. I hurt my hand during the fight so we were working with what we had and we are so happy we were able to secure the victory.

“The best part about headlining was my family and friends in the crowd chanting “DFG.”

The worst part, unfortunately, was the fight itself.

Alexander (18-12-1, 11 KOs) long ago reached journeyman status, though always prepared to go rounds. To his credit, he arrived in shape and ready to fight when the need arose to keep the show intact. Fulghum had little difficulty dealing with the 38-year-old Saint Louis native through the first half of the contest.

The back five rounds were marginally more competitive as Alexander opted to throw punches. He enjoyed modest success with his right hand over the top, while Fulghum was content to box and nurse his injured hand and comfortable lead.

It marked the second distance fight in the past three ring appearances for Fulghum, following a nine-fight knockout streak to begin his career. He went ten rounds with Alantez Fox (28-6-1, 13 KOs) on the Jan. 27 DAZN undercard in Phoenix, Arizona. It was a terrible style matchup, as was Thursday’s main event.

The co-feature did not do much to prime the crowd, either. Tristan Kalkreuth (14-1, 10 KOs) went the ten-round distance in a points win over Anthony Hollaway (7-5-3, KOs) in a cruiserweight contest. Scores were 99-91 across the board for Kalkreuth in his second fight under 2023 Trainer of the Year Brian ‘Bomac’ McIntyre.

At least the preliminary undercard provided some fan-friendly action.

Cayden Griffiths (1-0, 1 KO) enjoyed a successful pro debut with a second-round knockout of Mexicali’s Juan Manuel Bautista (0-1, 0 KO). The fight was bumped up to the main telecast due to a void in the lineup. Middleweight prospect Eric Priest (13-0, 8 KOs) was dropped from the show when his opponent, Janer Gonzalez (21-6-1, 17 KOs), was unable to go through with the fight.

Arizona’s Griffiths made the most of the opportunity. He was forced to wait until his 18th birthday to turn pro but gained a home viewing audience for the occasion. He delivered with knockdowns in the first and second rounds, the latter which produced the stoppage at 0:43 of round two.

Locally based junior middleweight Grant Flores (5-0, 4 KOs) scored a third-round knockout against Josias Gonzalez (2-3-1) of Whittier, CA. A left hook to the body forced Gonzalez to the canvas, which ended the fight at 2:34 of the third round. Flores was accompanied by stablemate and WBA 154-pound titlist Israil Madrimov; the two regularly spar together.

Unbeaten lightweight Leonardo Sanchez (7-0, 4 KOs) delivered a fourth-round stoppage of the Philippines’ Jenel Lausa (11-4-1, 7 KOs) of Manila, Philippines. Sanchez—who hails from Cathedral City—floored Lausa twice in round three and a Lausa down twice in the third round and closed the show at 1:08 of the fourth.

Tijuana’s Brandon Sanchez (9-0, 8 KOs) went the deepest among the preliminary bouts but still took matters out of the judge’s hands. A two-knockdown performances ended with the Philippines’ MJ Bo (9-8-2, 5 KOs) down and out at 2:10 into the fifth round of their featherweight affair.

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