When it comes to unified and undisputed world flyweight champion Gabriela Fundora, boxing is a family affair.
Both Gabriela and her brother, unified super welterweight champion Sebastian Fundora, are finishing up their training with their father, Freddy Fundora for title defenses in March. They’re working alongside younger sister and future champion Fabiola in the high desert chill north of their Coachella Valley home.
Gabriela Fundora (17-0, 9 KOs) will step into the ring first on Saturday, March 14 at the Honda Center in Anaheim to defend her belts against interim champion Viviana Ruiz Corredor (10-2, 5 KOs), a native of Colombia based in Australia in a bout scheduled for ten rounds.
Asked about Corredor in an interview, Fundora told me, “She’s the interim champion, but my job as a champion to make sure she has nothing she leaves with nothing.”
The fight is part of the Golden Boy Boxing card featuring a must win fight in the main event between Arnold Barboza Jr. (32-1, 11 KOs) and Kenneth “Bossman” Sims Jr. (22-3-1, 8 KOs); and WBA, WBO and Ring minimumweight champion Oscar Collazo of Puerto Rico (13-0, 10 KOs) putting his titles on the line against challenger Jesus Haro of Merced, California (13-3, 2 KOs) in the co-main event. The event airs on DAZN Boxing.
Sweet Poison From The Knockout Queen
Fundora was named the 2024 Fighter of the Year among women by NY Fights and Ring Magazine for unifying all the titles in her division with decisive wins. She is on a three-fight knockout streak and has scored five knockout wins in her last six fights.
Fundora knows that knockouts sell, and she’s got the talent to deliver them. Her body punches and hooks with the knuckles turning over may remind fans of power puncher Gennadiy Golovkin.
“People like touchdowns, people like the home runs. People like knockouts. We give them the knockouts. We train hard for the knockouts,” said Fundora.
Fundora is among the few women with a knockout ratio above 50%. Considering this rate reflects two-minute rounds, it’s particularly impressive. Fundora says knockouts don’t happen without putting in the work.
“We make it look easy, but it’s because of all the training that we do inside the gym to prepare for that. Now they want to see more of it and more of it and more of it.
“So every time the Fundora name comes to their mind, or they see Fundora is going to headline a card or go on the card, they know that we’re going to get a knockout tonight,” said Fundora, who embraces this identity.
“I like to leave that impression that’s who I am. When they think of Gabriela Fundora, they’re going to think power, they’re going to think knockouts. They’re going to think exciting fights.
“I already have that mindset going into the ring that I know I trained this hard to make sure I get the knockout no matter what. So it just comes almost naturally, like breathing or blinking.”
Boxing Is A Family Affair for Gabriela Fundora
Fundora considers the relationship working with her father as her trainer and her world champion brother Sebastian as her training partner and cornerman in her fights as something of a superpower.
One distinct advantage she pointed out was the support of her team, especially her father during a fight.
“The respect I have for him, the respect he has for me, the respect I have for myself, and the time management. That’s the foundation of the mindset, and the trust.
“I can close my eyes, and I know that that he can guide me through the dark path. I could be blind, but I know that as long as my family is with me, my father in my corner, that I could do anything, and literally anything is possible. I feel superhuman when I have my family in the corner.”
Fundora says over the years, the family dynamic has allowed them to develop an almost telepathic communication.
“You can just look at them, and you already know what they’re thinking, so not even words have to be said. Sometimes you could just see them, and then you already know. Okay, this is what I need to do,” explained Fundora. “It’s almost like NASCAR.”
“My brother, working with my dad in that corner. My dad doesn’t need to go, ‘Hey, pass me the stool.’ That takes too much time. My brother just automatically, boom, gives the water, the towel, whatever is needed. Honestly, that’s the best way to have it there. It all sinks into one mindset, seamless.”
Gabriela returns the favor, and she’ll do so in two weeks when her brother defends his unified titles against Keith Thurman on April 28. Seeing the fight from the corner gives her fresh perspective she can use in the ring.
“You see the training. You already know how it’s gonna turn out. You know how the book’s gonna or the movie is gonna play. You see it unfold right before your eyes.
“Then when it’s my turn to be in the ring, I know he feels the same way. I hear him get excited in that corner, so I hear his voice get really loud. I’m sure I do the same.
“You feel everything happening so fast, and then boom, boom, fight’s over. You’re the winner, you’re celebrating.”
Fundora: Confidence To Be Herself
Fundora carries herself with tremendous confidence due to her family support, her work ethic, and her results. At a time when many young women (and men) struggle with confidence, including athletes who don’t always feel in control of their lives, Fundora says it’s vital to be yourself, citing the recent success of Olympic gold medalist Alysa Liu as an example.
“With me, it is just the same. I’m going to be who I am outside the ring (while) inside the ring. If you like me, you like me. If you don’t, sorry. Make sure you’re tuning in, whether you like me or not,” Fundora laughed.
Fundora is staying busy between fights as she builds herself a new house, calling it “her life goal” But she remains focused on staying active in the ring in 2026. She is working on getting knockouts “ever quicker.”
We couldn’t end our interview without getting the answer to a question that’s intrigued me for several years. How did the 23-year-old Californian end up with a ringwalk song that was a hit for a Hall of Fame Canadian rock band in 1981?
“If I tell you the whole story, forget it. We’ll be here forever,” laughed Fundora. But I insisted she fill us in.
“When I was smaller, me and my father, every Saturday, we look for the perfect beat. We wouldn’t listen to the whole songs. We just listen to, maybe up to the where the rhythm is. So we’ll listen, and we’ll listen, we’ll listen.
My father picked the song “Tom Sawyer,” because he’s always listening to music. I think I have that musical ear as well where we’re just finding the perfect beat. What’s gonna catch the attention of fighters? What’s going to excite the fans? What’s going to say, ‘Gabriela Fundora is coming out!’
“So, I’m glad that you mentioned that every time you hear “Tom Sawyer,” you’re going to think of Gabriela Fundora.”
Fundora says she and father Freddy still listen to all genres of music in their playlists today. But “Tom Sawyer” by Canadian rock band Rush stuck.
Fundora also has a soft spot for her brother’s ringwalk song, another unlikely choice: “Engel” by the German industrial metal band Rammstein. “It starts off with the whistle. It’s like, oh man, trouble’s coming! I think that one. it’s really good. Love!”
Gayle Falkenthal is an award-winning boxing journalist and the only woman journalist who is a full voting member of the Boxing Writers Association of America (BWAA). She is the Managing Editor for NY Fights based in San Diego, California.