Sebastian Fundora defended his WBC super welterweight title for the fourth time by knocking out mandatory challenger Ermal Hadribeaj with a second left in the 12th round at the Chelsea inside the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas. The 6-foot-6-inch southpaw battered Hadribeaj with a series of lefts, finishing with a straight punch that dropped him as the final bell sounded. Although Hadribeaj rose before the referee completed the count, the official waved the bout off.
Fundora, who improved to 25-1-1 with 17 knockouts, celebrated by climbing a turnbuckle and flexing his muscles. He said after the fight, 'Today, I just wanted to brawl,' and added, 'We displayed we could still do what we’re best at right? Fighting on the inside. And we beat this guy who wanted to fight on the inside.' He noted that despite leading on all three scorecards, 'it’s never over until it’s over. … You can get knocked out at any second.'
Fundora confirmed his next goal is to fight Brian Ennis, the WBA and WBO 154-pound champion who recently defeated Xander Zayas. Ennis, a switch-hitting slugger from Philadelphia, is set to unify his titles with IBF champion Josh Kelly early next year. Fundora said he would eliminate Ennis — or middleweight contender Vergil Ortiz — the same way he beat Hadribeaj.
Sources: Las Vegas Review-Journal
Original reporting: Las Vegas Review-Journal →
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