There are two ways to look at the inclusion of junior featherweight prospect Ervin Fuller III at the packed card at the Live! Casino and Hotel Maryland on January 30.
If you’re a glass-half-empty kind of person, then maybe you think that Fuller, a 23-year-old resident of Fort Washington, Maryland, could have gotten lost in the shuffle amid so much talent, performing on the undercard of a 12-bout show that also included standouts such as junior middleweight Benjamin Johnson and bantamweight Jordan Roach.
But if you see your glass as half full, then you recognize that Fuller being featured on this show is a compliment and a vote of confidence, as he was spotlighted alongside some of the best up-and-comers that the Washington, D.C., region has to offer.
And “Treypound” Fuller performed well under that spotlight, winning a six-round unanimous decision in a good developmental test against the game, experienced but otherwise outmatched Erik Ruiz. The scores were 59-55 on all three cards. Fuller improved to 12-0 (6 KOs).
Ruiz, a 33-year-old from Oxnard, California, came in with a record of 17-12-1 (7 KOs). He had been in with a number of recognizable names – including Jessie Magdaleno, Daniel Roman, Rico Ramos, Diego de la Hoya, Angelo Leo and Alan David Picasso – and never been stopped in any of his losses.
“[Ruiz] was applying pressure to Ervin initially, but Ervin was countering extremely well, especially with the uppercut and body shots, and he kept turning and giving him angles so he wouldn’t be so easy to hit,” said trainer Ernesto Rodriguez, of Hillcrest Boxing Gym, located just outside of Washington, D.C. “He showed his composure even when Ruiz landed some good shots. He kept his defense and he moved when he needed to.
“From what I’m looking at, he showed a total package – what you want in a young fighter. He’s in shape. He’s willing to engage. He’s not afraid. He moves when he needs to move and he sits there when he has to sit there to demand respect from a very seasoned professional fighter like Ruiz. I was very impressed with how he handled that. The only thing he didn’t do was knock him out, but he landed some extremely hard shots.”
Rodriguez previously guided Jarrett Hurd to become a unified junior middleweight titleholder, and his current fighters also include featherweight titlist Tiara Brown and junior lightweight prospect Francois Scarboro Jnr. Rodriguez is very high on Fuller’s potential.
“He’s a special talent,” said Rodriguez, who has worked with Fuller from the outset of his amateur career.
Rodriguez is hoping that the sport’s powerbrokers will see Fuller and agree.
“He’s still unsigned,” Rodriguez said. “We’re looking to have the opportunity to get signed. When you sign, it’s a little bit easier to navigate through the boxing world. He’s definitely a talent that nobody knows about, but if they’re watching, they can see how his composure is, and he’s getting that man strength, his counterpunching abilities, and he’s well-conditioned. He could probably go eight rounds to 10 rounds. He’s a good young man.”
Fuller turned pro in February 2023, so he’s just about two years into his stint in the paid ranks. He had five bouts in 2023, four in 2024 and two in 2025. Rodriguez wants more activity for 2026.
“I’d like him to fight at least four times a year, and he's ready to go to eight rounds,” Rodriguez said. “We’re looking to keep him busy. I’m not one of those coaches that I’m looking for fights where people come to lay down. I want my fighter to be challenged. But I don’t want a fight over the top of his head as we develop a fighter. My job is to develop him for the next level.”
David Greisman, who has covered boxing since 2004, is on Twitter @FightingWords2. David’s book, “Fighting Words: The Heart and Heartbreak of Boxing,” is available on Amazon.
