On March 28, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Sebastian Fundora vs Keith Thurman headlines a Premier Boxing Champions fight card broadcast live on pay-per-view via Prime Video and PPV.com. Fundora’s WBC super welterweight title is up for grabs.
Fundora has bounced back in style since his only career loss against Brian Mendoza. He has won all three fights, defeating Tim Tszyu twice and Chordale Booker. Thurman has been largely inactive in recent years, but did return last March, impressing in a stoppage win against Brock Jarvis.
We’ll bring you all the results from the Sebastian Fundora vs Keith Thurman main fight card. The first fight will begin at approximately 01:00 GMT (Sunday) /20:00 ET.
All results from Sebastian Fundora vs Keith Thurman on March 28
Yoenis Tellez vs Brian Mendoza
Next up was the intriguing super welterweight clash between Yoenis Tellez (12-1, 8 KOs) and Brian Mendoza (23-5, 17 KOs).
The opening round was competitive, with both looking to establish their jab. The action picked up in the second round, with Tellez landing the cleaner work. An accidental head clash opened up a huge, bloody gash on Tellez’s nose, seemingly breaking it.
The Cuban showed great desire to continue and adapted sensibly, looking to fight more on the outside. Tellez arguably landed the more eye-catching shots in the fourth round, mixing his punches more impressively. The jab from Mendoza was key during the first half of the fight, while Tellez looked to use his own jab more during the fifth round.
Mendoza landed some heavy-looking shots towards the end of the sixth round, and continued to land in the seventh, with Tellez refusing to take a backward step. Tellez ended the round on top, mixing his attacks well, landing some heavy-looking punches. Mendoza continued to have success, but the cleaner punches from Tellez were the most eye-catching. Another accidental clash of heads opened up a cut near the eye of Mendoza.
Tellez enjoyed a strong ninth round, teeing off on Mendoza, who took some heavy shots, before firing back near the bell to remind the Cuban of his power. After the early-fight clash of heads, it appeared unlikely this fight would reach the final round, but both made it to round 10. The final round saw both showcase their huge hearts, but it felt like Tellez landed the more eye-catching punches throughout. It was a gritty fight, where both showed their hearts. The judges’ scorecards read 98-92, and 97-93 x2 all in favour of Yoenis Tellez, who overcame a nasty early fight nose injury to record a deserved win.
Yoenli Hernandez vs Terrell Gausha
Next up was the middleweight division, featuring the dangerous, unbeaten Cuban, Yoenli Hernandez (10-0, 9 KOs), against the experienced Terrell Gausha (24-6-1, 12 KOs).
Hernandez was dominant throughout the first three minutes, whipping in a series of heavy shots, forcing Gausha to retreat. The Cuban fighter kept up the pressure in the second round and mixed his shots impressively, with Gausha, a former Olympian, unable to land anything of note.
The Cuban fighter continued to apply the pressure in the fourth round and threw a right hand, which saw the referee bizarrely step in and wave the fight off. It was difficult to see anything other than a Hernandez win, but Gausha had never been stopped before. That was a bizarre stoppage.
Gurgen Hovhannisyan vs Cesar Navarro
First up on the Sebastian Fundora vs Keith Thurman undercard was Gurgen Hovhannisyan (10-0, 9 KOs) vs Cesar Navarro (15-4, 13 KOs) in the heavyweight division.
It was a very quiet opening round, with Hovhannisyan using his sizeable reach advantage to control the distance. At the end of the second round, Hovhannisyan put together a smart combination. When Navarro used his footwork to move inside, he had success. However, the jab of Hovhannisyan, when used, stopped him from moving in too often.
Towards the end of the fourth round, the Armenian fighter landed an eye-catching left hook-right hand combination. Hovhannisyan continued to amp up the pressure, and in the fifth round, Navarro was hit with a series of heavy-looking shots, leading the referee to step in and wave the bout off. The Armenian won by fifth-round TKO.