Golden Boy Promotions will return to Las Vegas with a pivotal crossroads bout featuring its top two super middleweights.<\/p>\n
BoxingScene has confirmed that Bektemir Melekuziev and Darius Fulghum are on course to meet atop a May 30 DAZN show from Virgin Hotels Las Vegas. Golden Boy has a venue hold on the off-strip locale, which is expected to be approved during the next Nevada State Athletic Commission monthly agenda hearing on April 30 at state headquarters in Las Vegas.<\/p>\n
The schedule addition puts major shows in town on back-to-back nights. Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) will host a Prime Video quadrupleheader one night later from Michelob ULTRA Arena featuring former titlists Caleb Plant and Jermall Charlo in separate super middleweight bouts.<\/p>\n
Wins by Plant and Charlo are expected to lead to their colliding to fight for Plant\u2019s interim WBA super middleweight title.<\/p>\n
The winner of Melikuziev-Fulghumcould will head down the path to eventually challenge for that same belt. Melikuziev, 15-1 (10 KOs), and Fulghum, 14-0 (12 KOs), are rated at No. 3 and 4, respectively, at 168lbs by the WBA. The bout is expected to serve as an eliminator of sorts, given Golden Boy\u2019s tight-knit relationship with the sanctioning body.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Uzbekistan\u2019s Melikuziev \u2013 who trains out of Joel Diaz\u2019s facility in Indio, California \u2013 has won eight in a row and has beaten every opponent he has faced as a pro.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The lone hiccup endured by Melikuziev, a 2016 Olympic silver medalist, was a shocking June 2021 knockout defeat against Gabe Rosado. The setback was avenged less than two years later, when Melikuziev won a landslide 10-round decision.<\/p>\n
A 29-year-old southpaw, Melikuziev has since added wins over Alantez Fox, Pierre Dibombe and David Stevens to push closer to title contention.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Houston\u2019s Fulghum has stopped his last two opponents after being extended the 10-round distance twice in a three-fight span.<\/p>\n
A 28-year-old contender who holds a nursing degree from Prairie View A&M University, Fulghum has been moved at an aggressive pace in his less than four years as a pro. He was tested in a January 2024 decision win over Fox, which ended a seven-fight knockout streak. He was also taken 10 rounds in a unanimous decision win over Vaughn Alexander last June 27 in Indio.<\/p>\n
Fulghum has since rediscovered his home run swing in early knockout victories in his past two starts. He blasted out Chris Pearson inside of three rounds last November 2 at the same arena, then took care of Winfred Harris Jnr. in less than four rounds on February 15 at Honda Center in Anaheim, California.<\/p>\n
Jake Donovan is an award-winning journalist who served as a senior writer for BoxingScene from 2007-2024, and news editor for the final nine years of his first tour. He was also the lead writer for The Ring before his decision to return home. Follow Jake on X<\/a> and Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n