"I'm going to make a big statement this year (laughing). This is the year I was looking forward to, 2015, and now we got the NBC Sports and all that stuff...this is going to be a great year for me. I'm going to put on for my hometown on January 31," stated Philly standout Stephen "Scooter" Fulton, who talked about his upcoming return to the ring, his future plans, and more. Check it out!
PC: You're coming off of a very productive year; a year in which you signed with Al Haymon as well as the success you had in the ring. How do you feel about the things you were able to accomplish?
SF: It was a real good year. It was good experience for sure.
PC: Was that the goal last year, to just take it all in and gain experience?
SF: Yeah, I mean, I had the experience from the amateurs, but I just needed that to see where I was at; to see if this was what I really wanted to do, you feel me?
PC: For sure. Were you pleased with how everything went?
SF: I'm real happy with how things went. I had my first fight on October 4th and I fought every month from there; October, November and December. And now I'm about to fight January 31st out in South Philadelphia.
PC: You're fighting early in the year, which is always a good thing, at home. What type of statement are you looking to make?
SF: I'm going to make a big statement this year (laughing). This is the year I was looking forward to, 2015, and now we got the NBC Sports and all that stuff...this is going to be a great year for me. I'm going to put on for my hometown on January 31st.
PC: Now that we are seeing everything play out and we see the moves Al Haymon has made, what does it feel like now to be a part of his stable?
SF: It feels good. I know he's going to take me far. I'm willing to participate in anything that Al Haymon has because I am an Al Haymon fighter. They treating me good and hopefully this will last for a long time. I would rather be with him than anybody else.
PC: For up-and-coming guys like yourself, the platforms he now has access to is unlimited and that will give us a chance to see a guy like you way early in his career as opposed to when you are 15 fights or so into your career.
SF: Exactly! Everyone wants to be with Al Haymon. Whether you like him or you hate him, you want to be with him. It's basically like, people just money-chasing right now. So when they bring up other promoters and everything, they will probably go with them because they give them a signing bonus. And you never know, they might fight 5 times in one year, but we know Al Haymon gonna keep you busy. He's going to get you the fights that you need and he gets you on TV. A lot of people chasing that early money.
PC: You gotta look at the big picture.
SF: You gotta look at the big picture in this game.
PC: How many times are you looking to go this year?
SF: (Laughing) They can keep 'em coming. I want to keep rolling. It don't matter to me.
PC: And you live in the gym, so that makes it even easier for you to be open to fight whenever.
SF: Exactly! The gym right around the corner from my house. I don't need to drive nowhere. I go to the gym, go in the house, catch up on some rest, might play "Call of Duty" or "2K", talk to them girls and I'm right back in the gym the next day.
PC: Someone you train with and I know you guys are close is Eric "Outlaw" Hunter.
SF: It's going to be a big year for him too. I guarantee that.
PC: Eric is not shy about it. He always talk about being a street dude. What is it like for you being so close to him to see him switch it up and make boxing a priority because of his kids?
SF: It's a great feeling. It's an amazing transition and I didn't expect it. He sees the opportunity and he's running with it right now. I don't see him turning back. Right now, our team kind of strong. We got Joshua Jones coming up. You gonna hear about him real soon. Another thing with Ali is he knows the game a lot. I basically learn from him. He's my big brother. Along with Hamza is my big brother as well. When we in the gym, I learn from him. He telling me how to take certain shots and how to block certain shots. He's been in the game awhile. And he got that experience from USA Boxing all the way up to the pros and he's a real good pro. Everyone knows him for his knockout power. He's a great influence on me.
PC: How important is that for you to have a couple of guys you look up to as a mentor figure in your life?
SF: It's real great because my team strong. I'm strong; mentally strong and physically strong. I don't have nothing to worry about. All I gotta do is step foot in that ring and show up because they gonna be there to support me 100%.
PC: Looking back at the NBC deal with Al announcing PBC [Premier Boxing Champions], how big was that for the sport in your opinion?
SF: This is the game changer for 2015 because now people who don't have cable gonna be able to watch the fights. And then it's going to bring more boxing fans because somebody could just be channel surfing and see boxing is on and be like, "This guy is nice. He just knocked him out." It's going to be real major in the boxing world.
PC: How perfect was the timing of your Haymon signing.
SF: That was perfect timing. A lot of it had to do with being patient too. I was a little bit antsy before I got signed, but once I saw how things were changing, it was all about being patient and rocking out with it. I was believing in my coach and believing in me. I wasn't gonna sign with just any promoter just to get a fight. It's all about patience. Patience is the key to success and a lot of people don't have patience. Patience will take you a long way.
PC: How close were you to just signing with someone to try to get on?
SF: I'm kind of the type of person where when I hear something, I want it right then and there, but I'm gonna always listen to and trust my coach because we are a team. Even though I'm the one in the ring, we still a team. If he tell me to just wait and chill, we gonna wait it out a little bit and keep in touch with that person, then that's what we gonna do!
PC: I look forward to January 31st. You know we will speak right afterward and best of luck to you out there. Is there anything else you want to say?
SF: I want to shout out to Julian Williams, Eric Hunter again, Karl Dargan, who has a fight coming up, shout out to my coach, Hamza Muhammad, Sloan Harrison, Todd Harlib, Wahid Raheem, my family and you for always looking out and taking me one step closer to where I need to be. You don't realize, but you doing these interviews with me motivates me. You hitting me up lets me know I'm obviously doing something right.
[ Follow Percy Crawford on Twitter @MrLouis1ana ]