Stephen Fulton doesn’t just like turning heads with his boxing – he enjoys doing it with his wardrobe too.
Long regarded as one of boxing’s most stylish fighters, the American superstar known as ‘Cool Boy Steph’ has built a reputation for his designer labels and eye-catching ring outfits.
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The former two-division world champ, who challenges Australia’s Liam Wilson in Sydney this weekend in a world title eliminator, has even revealed he has spent around $1.5 million ($2.1m AUD) building his wardrobe over the years, while one custom fight outfit alone cost upwards of $35,000.
It’s a hefty investvent, but for Fulton, fashion is more than expensive clobber — it’s about expressing exactly who he is.
Speaking on All The Smoke Fight earlier this year, the Philadelphia fighter explained that clothing has become one of his biggest passions outside boxing.
“I take my everyday lifestyle into the ring with me,” he smiled.
“I just like to get fly.
“Me bringing that swagness into the ring is organic.”
The 32-year-old has become known for working with some big fashion names, including celebrity footwear designer The Shoe Surgeon, while also drawing inspiration from luxury labels like Maison Margiela.
Last year, Fulton generated headlines worldwide after walking to the ring in a custom outfit inspired by Philly street culture, complete with oversized denim shorts and Timberland-style boots.
While not everyone was a fan, Fulton said it was about representing home.
“I said, ‘What can people actually relate more to? And it was the Carhartt, the Timberlands and the jean shorts. And it just came off so authentic,” he told the Philadelphia Inquirer.
“I was like ‘This is like an everyday fit. This is what we wear on the outside on a daily basis.’ … It was like a cultural moment.”
It was hardly the first time Fulton had blurred the lines between boxing and fashion, either.
When asked recently on the Ring Champs podcast about his favourite outfit, he said it was what he wore in his previous fight against Carlos Castro.
“The Margiela outfit,” he explained.
“I was Margiela from head to toe…”
When asked how much it all cost, he grinned.
“I dunno, maybe $35-40,000.”
The American has also revealed he hopes to build a fortune of around $17 million before retiring from boxing, with ambitions beyond the sport that include various business ventures.
But that hasn’t stopped him splashing out on fashion.
Asked how much he’d spent on clothes over the years, Fulton paused for a few moments before replying.
“It could be more, but I’m going to say about $1.5 million.”
He then revealed he has “two or three rooms” filled with clothes.
It also explained why a burglary at his Philadelphia home proved so devastating.
Fulton revealed he was away from home when thieves broke into his house, forcing him to watch the ordeal unfold live through his security cameras.
Unable to do anything, the former world champion said all he could do was watch as an intruder moved through his home, stealing thousands of dollars in gear.
“They took a 20 thousand dollar Channel bookbag,” he explained.
“I got an alert on my phone ‘back door open’ so I went on my camera system and watched somebody go in there…
“I even got them running out the house, I was talking to them through the Ring camera.”
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Yet for all the designer clothes and expensive tastes, boxing remains an pretty unforgiving business.
The American opened up on the brutal weight cut he went through before his recent loss to O’Shaquie Foster, revealing he collapsed unconscious at one point.
After trying to cut the weight for hours and it not coming off, Fulton stood up to go and weigh in.
“I went to walk out of the room and my whole body locked up on me,” he said.
“I passed out right there on the carpet.
“My whole body locked up.
“I went and weighed in with one shoe on and one shoe off.”
Fulton, who missed weight by two pounds, went on to be outclassed by Foster in a one-sided fight that surprised many fans.
Now, Fulton gets the chance to prove that nightmare is behind him against Wilson this weekend at Afterpay Arena in Sydney.
“I expect Liam to be on his ‘A’ game and take this fight as an opportunity to get a shot at the title,” Fulton said.
“This fight is to show that I am nowhere near finished and to redeem myself after my last performance.
“I let my fans and peers down in my last fight, as well as myself. So this is me coming back out strong.”