WBC featherweight champion Stephen Fulton let Bruce Carrington know today that he’s looking to fight a “bigger” name opponent for his next fight. Fulton (23-1, 8 KOs) said Carrington (16-0, 9 KOs) is going to have to “be patient’ and wait his turn.
Carrington’s Next Opponent? Espinoza
Now that Fulton has given Carrington the bad news, Shu Shu will have to back up his words about wanting to fight WBO featherweight champion Rafael Espinoza next. A lot of fans thought he was just blowing smoke to create a sense of bravado when he offered to fight Espinoza next. They saw it as fake because Carrington had intentionally gone in the opposite direction of Espinoza when he chose to fight for the WBC interim 126-lb belt.
With the Fulton fight off the table, we’ll see if Carrington will take the Espinoza fight or return to fighting the little-known opposition that he created his 16-0 record on. If he fights Espinoza, it might be the end of his dreams of winning a world title. Top Rank will have to decide whether it’s worthwhile to keep Carrington on board.
Carrington won the WBC interim strap last Saturday, beating Mateus Heita (14-1, 9 KOs) by a 12-round unanimous decision at the Madison Square Garden Theater in New York City. It was an underwhelming performance by ‘Shu Shu’ Carrington, as he put on a classic Tom and Jerry effort. After the fight, he looked silly calling out Fulton and Espinoza after just a poor performance against the unknown Heita.
Is ‘Shu Shu’ “Fool’s Gold”?
The fight showed that Carrington, 28, was not ready to fight elite competition. It revealed that Top Rank had wasted its money developing him all these years, carefully matching him to prevent him from losing. Fans already saw that Carrington was fool’s gold with his controversial 10-round majority decision win over Sulaiman Segawa last September.
You should take your own advice, you went on world tour talking. I got bigger opponents I’m about to face. Be patient! https://t.co/pIUjRN8Bwx
— Stephen Fulton Jr (@coolboysteph) July 28, 2025