Kalkreuth and Fulghum Score Uninspired Wins over Late Subs at Fantasy Springs

Kalkreuth and Fulghum Score Uninspired Wins over Late Subs at Fantasy Springs

Oscar De La Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions was at a familiar stomping place on Thursday night, the Fantasy Springs Casino in the California desert town of Indio. The promotion was designed to showcase several of the company’s brightest prospects.

Both of the “A-side” fighters in the co-features had their original opponent fall out. An 8-round match showcasing promising Korean-American middleweight Eric Priest (13-0, 8 KOs) failed to materialize when Priest’s opponent, 37-year-old Colombian campaigner Janer Gonzalez, failed to show.

In the first of the co-features, a 10-round cruiserweight fight, Tristan Kalkreuth opposed Anthony Hollaway, a fighter from Peoria, Illinois who was 7-5-3 (6) heading in. Hallaway replaced Mexico’s 23-9 Mario Aguilar.

A high school classmate of Vergil Ortiz in Grand Prairie, Texas, Kalkreuth, 22, signed with Golden Boy when he was 17 years old. Recently profiled in these pages, he had the noted trainer Brian “Bomac” McIntyre in his corner.

At six-foot-five, Kalkreuth had a five-inch height advantage. Hollaway wasn’t in his class, but he was well-conditioned and lasted the distance. All three judges scored it 99-91. Kalkreuth improved to 14-1 (10).

Darius Fulghum was slated to fight Ronald Ellis who had fought the likes of David Benavidez and Christian Mbilli. Ellis reportedly took ill and Vaughn Alexander stepped in on short notice.

The 38-year-old Alexander, the brother of former IBF/WBC 130-pound world title-holder Devon Alexander, was 13-11-1 since resuming his career in 2016 after a 10-year hiatus spent behind bars on an armed robbery conviction. Eleven of his post-prison opponents were undefeated when he fought them including Fulghum (pictured), a fast-rising super middleweight from Texas who was 11-0 (10 KOs) heading in.

During the 10 uneventful rounds, Fulghum threw roughly twice as many punches and may have earned a stoppage if not for the fact that he hurt his right hand, likely in the sixth round. The judges had it 99-91 and 98-92 for the house fighter.

Photo credit: Cris Esqueda / Golden Boy

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