WBC Upgrades Jan 31 Title Fight After Stephen Fulton Fiasco

Stephen Fulton's WBC featherweight title reign has officially ended on the scales.

The 31-year-old was initially scheduled to challenge WBC super featherweight champion O'Shaquie Foster on Dec. 6, a bout that was instead for the vacant interim lightweight title due to Fulton's weight miss. Fulton vacated his 126-pound belt to compete in the new weight class, a process that is now official.

The WBC has officially moved on from 'Cool Boy,' declaring a title fight for the vacant 126-pound belt on Jan. 31, 2026. Bruce Carrington has been scheduled to defend the WBC interim featherweight title against Carlos Castro in a bout that has since been upgraded to a full title fight, according to Boxing Scene.

Carrington and Castro will serve as the co-main event to the Teofimo Lopez vs. Shakur Stevenson fight card in Madison Square Garden.

Fulton lost to Foster by unanimous decision, dropping him to 23-2. He now ends 2025 without a belt, despite reclaiming champion status with an upset win over Brandon Figueroa in February.

The WBC's stripping of Fulton will partially satisfy fans who were irate about the circumstances of his previous fight with Foster. Fulton was moving up from 126 pounds to challenge Foster at 130 pounds, but weighed in two pounds over the featherweight limit. Many felt that the WBC's decision to change the fight to an interim lightweight title bout rewarded his weight miss.

Bruce Carrington reacts to new title fight

While Fulton's career reaches a new low, Carrington is suddenly gifted with his biggest opportunity. 'Shu Shu' claimed the WBC interim belt in July with a lopsided decision win over Mateus Heita, and he is now poised to potentially win his first world title.

Carrington reacted accordingly shortly after the news of his fight upgrade broke. The 28-year-old initially called the abrupt change "God's timing" moments after airing his excitement on social media.

"WBC WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP," Carrington tweeted. "JAN 31ST!!"

WBC WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
JAN 31ST !! 😈🏆
— Bruce Carrington (@B_Carrington1) December 12, 2025

Carrington's opponent, Castro, has not fought in over a year, since he lost a split decision to Fulton. Castro was expected to be a tune-up for Fulton, who was cruising for most of the fight before getting knocked down late.

The 31-year-old prepares for his first world title fight with a mere 3-3 record in his last six fights. However, the Mexican has a penchant for making seemingly lopsided matchups much tougher than anticipated, and he has only been stopped once in his 33-fight professional career.

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