Fulton-Wilson Moved To 133 Pounds, Loses Eliminator Status

Stephen Fulton’s fight with Liam Wilson will go ahead in Sydney this weekend, but it will no longer serve as a WBA junior lightweight title eliminator after the contracted weight was changed to 133 pounds.

The bout had been scheduled as a 12-round eliminator at 130 pounds, with the winner moving towards a mandatory shot at Anthony Cacace’s WBA title. Instead, after Fulton’s team asked for the contest to be moved to 135 pounds, according to CODE Sports, Wilson’s side and No Limit rejected that proposal before agreeing a 133-pound catchweight compromise announced at Friday’s press conference.

The change followed a fight week in which Fulton, the former unified super bantamweight champion, had already indicated at Tuesday’s grand arrivals that he was struggling with the final pounds. Two days later, he was the only fighter not to take part in Thursday’s open workout, sharpening concerns around his weight before the co-main event to Errol Spence-Tim Tszyu.

No Limit CEO George Rose said Wilson’s camp had no interest in losing the fight over the issue. “When I approached Team Wilson, they didn’t care, they were ready. They don’t care what weight it’s at, they want this fight to happen,” Rose said. “I’m really excited about that, it speaks volumes about the man Liam is, he’s traveled into other people’s back yards to fight for world titles, had odds against him multiple times … when he’s ready and has that chip on his shoulder, he comes out and performs.”

Wilson, 18-3 (10 KOs), is again accepting a high-level assignment after rebuilding with five wins since Oscar Valdez stopped him in seven rounds for the WBO interim title in March 2024. Thirteen months before the Valdez defeat, the Queenslander floored Emanuel Navarrete before losing a nine-round fight for the full WBO junior lightweight title, and the Fulton bout had been positioned as his route back to another title opportunity.

Fulton, 23-2 (8 KOs), said the request was not a late attempt to avoid the limit. “Before this even came about, weeks ago I requested that [weight change] but we’re here now, no need to cry over something that’s already been done. It wasn’t about not making it … it was tough, that’s all. I’m still going to be a dog in that ring, there’s nothing special in him, I want to rumble.”

Weight has become a central issue for Fulton across consecutive fights. He was two pounds over for his scheduled 130-pound championship bout with O’Shaquie Foster in December 2025, leading the WBC to sanction that contest as an interim lightweight title fight, and Foster won widely on the cards by scores of 117-111, 118-110 and 119-109.

Fulton has since disclosed that during the weight cut before the Foster defeat, his body locked up, he collapsed unconscious and passed out on the carpet. He has also described the Wilson fight as a chance to prove he is “nowhere near finished” after a performance he felt let down his fans, his peers and himself.

After completing his workout at Circular Quay on Thursday, Wilson had already addressed Fulton’s absence without allowing the issue to alter his own approach. “Anyone that knows boxing knows he’s probably having some weight problems. I’m here to put on a show for you guys. It’s a one-man mission.

“I’m here for my own job, have a goal in sight — win on Sunday against a tough competitor — he’s been around the block, been in big fights, experienced and this is nothing new for him. Whatever happens on his side of the fence is his own problem and on fight night, it will show. I have a will to win that no-one’s ever seen, I’ll show it.”

Rose also defended the fight as a meaningful contest even with the eliminator status removed. “It’s an honor to have Fulton here, a hell of a talent, I’m very appreciative of him coming out here to Australia so a pleasure to have a person of his calibre over here, they’re both no stranger to big fights, they’ll be slightly bigger and stronger, we can expect a knockout,” he said.

Fulton’s wider career direction is now under scrutiny. He spent most of his career at super bantamweight, where he unified titles with victories over Angelo Leo and Brandon Figueroa in 2021 before losing to Naoya Inoue in July 2023, but after missing or moving away from the 130-pound limit in back-to-back fights, the question is whether he continues to pursue opportunities at junior lightweight or settles higher.

For Wilson, the immediate priority is keeping the fight intact and beating a recognised name despite the loss of WBA eliminator status. The next development will be whether the WBA clarifies the pathway to Cacace, while Fulton must first get through Sunday at 133 pounds before deciding which division he can realistically campaign in.