WBC Super Welterweight World Champion Sebastian “The Towering Inferno” Fundora retained his title in style Saturday night with a sixth-round stoppage of former unified champion Keith “One Time” Thurman in the main event of a PBC Pay-Per-View event available on Prime Video from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
“We’ve been working very hard for this fight,” said Fundora. “I told him that I’ve always looked up to him. He’s a Hall of Famer for sure. I take my hat off to him. That’s why I had to train so hard to prove to the world that I’m the best at 154. I’ve fought in these high class fights that have allowed me to mature and grow. I’ve continued to strive for greatness and now I’m here.”
“It was a lot of fun,” said Thurman. “Sebastian definitely came in shape. He throws a lot of punches. The uppercut that caught me and cut me was an awkward punch that I’ve never been hit with before. The man brings it. He’s a tremendous champion, and I can lift my head up high knowing I was defeated by a great young fighter.”
Standing nearly 6’6”, Fundora (24-1-1, 16 KOs) has taken the 154-pound division by storm, and added another top name to his resume in Thurman (31-2, 23 KOs). Overall, Fundora owned a 96 to 26 edge in shots landed per CompuBox, and only allowed Thurman to land three jabs.
After Fundora looked to be picking up his power attack in round four, Thurman came out aggressively in round five, and landed a flush right hand on Fundora’s face in the opening moments. The shot was not able to deter the champion, however, who continued his onslaught, even as Thurman would occasionally land a power shot of his own. Fundora ended the round landing a piercing left hook that sent Thurman staggering back to his corner.
Early in round six, Fundora sensed his moment coming and went back to work with a series of power shots, including a right uppercut that left Thurman’s left eye badly cut. Thurman was unable to keep Fundora from pushing forward, as referee Thomas Taylor jumped in to stop the bout 1:17 into the round.
After the fight, Thurman expressed his frustration with what he saw as an early stoppage, while Fundora set his sights on continuing to stamp his elite status in the division.
“The fight was getting really good,” said Thurman. “The fans were loving the action and the referee stopped the fight too early. They don’t have the guts to let the fights go on like the Erik Morales days. He talked to me and said if I was moving my feet he wouldn’t stop the fight. I wasn’t on the ropes taking shots. It was very unfortunate to not give the fans a better show. Win, lose, or draw, I thought it was a little bit premature. I had more in me.”
“There’s all kinds of big names I want to fight,” said Fundora. “154 is the best division right now. Whoever wants it next can get it.”
In a co-main event battle of former interim 154-pound champions, Yoenis Tellez (12-1, 8 KOs) scored a hard-fought unanimous decision victory over Brian Mendoza (23-5, 17 KOs) after 10 grueling rounds.
The fight nearly came to an early end in round three, when Tellez was on the receiving end of an accidental headbutt that sent him down with a broken and bloodied nose. After using nearly the whole five minutes allowed to recover, Tellez rose to his feet and resumed the action.
“My corner lifted me up and they got me back into the fight,” said Tellez. “When you’re a warrior you don’t show any weakness, but I had trouble breathing, there’s no doubt. The pain was a 10 out of 10, but I’m a warrior and my corner told me I had the courage and that I could get this win.”
“He kept trying to switch to smother me and that’s how the headbutt happened,” said Mendoza. “It was just because of him switching.”
Despite a bloodied nose, Tellez began to find his range against Mendoza, working off the jab to pile up rounds and turn the tide after the headbutt. Mendoza was able to regain some momentum with a strong flurry to end round six, despite a left eye that began to bleed and that would remain bloodied through the rest of the action.
“The biggest thing was that I had to be aware not to get hit in the nose,” said Tellez. “I definitely had to think about it. I had to think more and focus on my defense.”
Both fighters stepped on the gas to begin round nine, landing eye-catching shots in the early moments that sent the crowd into a frenzy, and seemed to buoy the two fighters through the last two frames. Another nip and tuck round closed the bout, with both men looking to pull away on the scorecards.
In a narrow fight that saw the two fighters land nearly the same number of power shots (74-71 Tellez), the judges favored the more accurate fighter in Tellez (34% connect rate to 25%), by scores of 98-92 and 97-93 twice.