Darius Fulghum will face former contender Ronald Ellis on June 27, Golden Boy Promotions announced Wednesday afternoon. The 10-round bout will headline a Golden Boy Fight Night on DAZN stream (9 p.m. ET/ 6 p.m. PT) take place at the Fantasy Springs Resort Casino in Indio, California. 

“With his combination of huge punching power and savvy ring intelligence, Fulghum is quickly rising up the ranks from exciting prospect to legitimate contender,” said Oscar De La Hoya, Chairman and CEO of Golden Boy. “On June 27, he takes a giant step up, headlining a Golden Boy Promotions main event against Ronald Ellis, who has shared a ring with some of the top dogs in the super middleweight division. Is Darius ready? We absolutely think so.”

The 27-year-old Fulghum (11-0, 10 knockouts), who resides in Katy, Texas, last fought on April 20, stopping gatekeeper Cristian Olivas in the fourth round. The win over Olivas took place less than three months after defeating fringe contender Alantez Fox by majority decision. 

Fulghum has been very active over the last several months. Including the Ellis fight, Fulghum has fought seven times within a calendar year. 

Ellis will be a significant step up in opposition for Fulghum, who is confident he can be victorious and make a statement to the rest of the super middleweight division.

“I’m excited to be headlining my own card,” said Fulghum, who is a graduate of Prairie View A&M’s College of Nursing and is represented by 3 Point Management. “Moments like this is what I’ve sacrificed and trained so hard for. I truly believe I’m ‘Destined for Greatness’ and, on June 27th, the DFG Army is going to show out strong.”

Ellis (18-4-2, 12 KOs), who resides in Lynn, Massachusetts, was stopped by unbeaten contender Erik Bazinyan in round six of his last bout on October 11. In his previous fight in December 2021, Ellis lost a one-sided decision to another unbeaten contender, Christian Mbilli.

The 34-year-old also has a knockout loss at the hands of David Benavidez, but does have victories over Immanuwel Aleem and Matt Korobov. Despite the recent setbacks, Ellis believes his experience and having fought the better opposition will allow him to be victorious. 

“I’m excited for the opportunity,” said Ellis, who fought to a split decision draw against Junior Younan in February 2018. “I believe I have the experience and the skill-set to come out on top. I know perfect timing feels like I’m too late, and I know I’m still great in spite of my mistakes, so be ready for a show on June 27.”

Francisco A. Salazar has written for The Ring since October 2013 and has covered boxing in Southern California and abroad since 2000. Francisco also covers boxing for the Ventura County (California) Star newspaper. He can be reached at [email protected]

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