Ra’eese Aleem long ago signed a blank check for a fight against any junior featherweight in the world.
There haven’t been many takers to this point, particularly not the division’s unbeaten and unified titlists Stephen Fulton (21-0, 8KOs) and Murodjon Akhmadaliev (11-0, 8KOs). Fulton and Aleem are both aligned with Premier Boxing Champions and have appeared on the same shows. Their paths have yet to cross, however, no matter how hard Aleem has banged the drum for such a fight—or any at the top level.
“I have to remind people what I bring to the table,” Aleem told BoxingScene.com. “Boxing is a sport where you have to consistently prove yourself. You have to prove you belong, that a win wasn’t a fluke. That’s the hand I was dealt and that’s fine. I’m ready to reintroduce people to who I am.”
Aleem (19-0, 12KOs) will take that next step against Mike Plania (26-1, 13KOs) in a ten-round regional title fight, which takes place this Sunday at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. The bout will air live on FS1 preceding a Fox Sports Pay-Per-View headlined by a heavyweight semifinal eliminator between Andy Ruiz (34-2, 22KOs) and Luis Ortiz (33-2, 28KOs; 2NC).
There is nothing guaranteed for the winner, an all-too familiar tale for Aleem these days. The 32-year-old from Muskegon, Michigan—who now lives and trains in Las Vegas—previously tried to go the WBA route, securing an interim title in a sensational knockout win over then-unbeaten Vic Pasillas last January in Uncasville, Connecticut. The same show saw Philadelphia’s Fulton nab the WBO title in a win over Angelo Leo, the first of two straight shows where both boxers appeared in separate Showtime-televised bouts.
Aleem outpointed Eduardo Baez on a show last November 26 that saw Fulton edge Brandon Figueroa in their terrific WBC/WBO junior featherweight title unification bout. The win did not put Aleem any closer to a title shot of his own, with Fulton—who took on several tough fights to force his way into the title picture—seemingly disinterested in such a matchup until he is instructed to make it happen.
“I don’t believe Stephen Fulton is ducking me, or is scared of me, but I do believe that he’s not jumping to fight me,” noted Aleem. “I don’t believe it’s a fight that he wants.
“My expectation is that my next fight is to be a world title fight. The ultimate goal is to get the win, look good and keep it moving then make the title fight.”
Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox
