Key Takeaways: Sebastian Fundora Stops Keith Thurman
- Too Tall An Order For Thurman: No amount of training could adequately prepare Keith Thurman for the Rubik’s Cube puzzle presented by the height and offense of Sebastian Fundora.
- Activity Matters: Thurman, age 37, had only fought twice since his 2019 loss to Manny Pacquiao, in part due to injuries. His resume was too far in the past
- Fundora Growing Into Well-Rounded Fighter: Known for his relentless offense, Fundora has developed patience and a defensive skills set to go with his size advantage, learning his lessons well.
Try as he could to make himself appear competitive, former unified welterweight champion Keith Thurman’s ambitions got the better of him on Saturday in Las Vegas. Unified super welterweight champion Sebastian Fundora was simply too big a hill for Thurman to climb.
In what turned out to be a one-sided affair, Fundora of Coachella, California (24-1-1, 16 KOs) had too much firepower for Thurman of Clearwater, Florida (31-2, 22 KOs). Referee Thomas Taylor compassionately stepped in to stop the fight at 1:17 of round six, making it an early night for Fundora.
Fundora was gracious to the veteran former champion after the fight. “We were working very hard for this fight.
“I told him right now in the corner, I looked up to him, and I always looked up to him. He’s a great, great fighter, a Hall of Famer for sure, man. I just want to take my hat off for him, or I’ll literally take off my hat, right?
“All respect to Keith. That’s why I had to train so hard. That’s why I worked so hard to prove to him, to prove to the world, I am the best 154.”
But he also admitted the fight wasn’t much of a challenge.
“It was a lot easier than I expected. I was a little nervous today because he’s such a big name. Again, he’s such a big fighter. But we got in there, and I remind myself, as soon we stepped into the ring, it is my world. You’re in MY world.”
At the post-fight news conference, while applying an ice pack to his beaten face, Thurman blasted Taylor’s decision to stop the fight, insisting he was right on the verge of a good effort, but Taylor “couldn’t handle the violence.” Taylor need not lose any sleep over his call.
Sebastian Fundora Too Tall An Order
Fundora’s height makes him an enigma that most fighters struggle to solve. Thurman insisted his experience would be the key. But at age 37 and far too inactive with only two fights since his first loss to Manny Pacquiao in 2019, Thurman’s spirit was willing, but he could not physically execute against Fundora. He was reluctant to get inside and brawl, but he didn’t have a chance fighting on the outside, where Fundora could fire at will without much coming back in return.
Fundora landed 41 jabs alone in the first round. He buckled Thurman’s legs in round two with a hard left hook to the chin. By the fourth round, Fundora started pouring gasoline on the fire. Thurman struggled to find an opening, any opening.
In the fifth round, Fundora unloaded and Thurman’s face showed the effects of the onslaught. Fundora went to the body. Finally, Thurman fought back, but it was desperate measures. Fundora landed the most punches ever by any opponent against Thurman in the round: 36 punches landed of 80 punches thrown. Thurman landed just six of 32 punches thrown.
In the corner, Thurman’s trainer, Tony Morgan, told Thurman to close it up inside and that fighting outside is too dangerous. It left Thurman with nowhere to go.
Following the weigh-in, Fundora predicted a sixth-round stoppage, and he got it. Was it sparked by the challenge issued by his sister, undisputed women’s flyweight champion Gabriela Fundora? She challenged her brother to get a knockout win in fewer rounds than her sixth-round stoppage two weeks ago in Anaheim, California. Nothing like a little sibling rivalry to get the juices flowing.
Fundora Applies His Lessons Well
It’s finally time to stop bringing up Fundora’s single knockout loss to Brian Mendoza. Like the Harvard University student he is (and he really is), Fundora went to school on the Mendoza loss. It’s no longer a criticism.
Now, Fundora’s evolution is becoming obvious for all to see. Often criticized for fighting small by engaging in phone-booth wars rather than using his long jab, Fundora has added smart defensive skills and diversified his toolkit, allowing him to use his 80-inch reach to fight skillfully both inside and outside, as a volume-punching pressure fighter.
Fundora himself credited his maturity for the win.
“You see me grow up through this program on PBC. They provided me the chance to fight these high-class fighters. Sampson (Lewkowicz of Sampson Boxing), my promoter, giving me hard fights to grow.”
Fundora pointed out he was never an Olympian, and while he won national amateur tournaments, he’s done most of his learning on the job. “I continue to work, I continue to strive for the greatest, and now I’m finally here,” said Fundora.
“I was thinking today, there’s a quote that I read in my on Instagram that says, ‘Fly, fly. Birds use their wings. They use the whole wings to fly.’ I was like, let’s use the whole wing today.”
Now the Fundora siblings can return to the high desert where Sebastian can focus on his engineering studies at Harvard, Gabriela can work on the house she’s building, and both can tend their many animals while looking for their next challenge in the ring.
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Messy Co-Main Heads Up Undistinguished Undercard
The co-main event risked being stopped in the third round for a no contest when super middleweight Yoenis Tellez of Cuba (12-1, 8 KOs) suffered a vicious headbutt to his nose from the rugged and dangerous Brian Mendoza of Albuquerque (23-45 17 KOs). Tellez’s nose appeared broken, and no one would have blamed him for calling it a night. But Tellez soldiered on while his nose bled profusely for the rest of the fight.
The risky move paid off as Tellez held off Mendoza with smart boxing skills for a unanimous decision. Scores were 98-92, and 97-93 twice. After the fight, Tellez admitted the pain was a ten out of ten, but he wanted to prove he was a warrior, and he certainly did so.
Another talented Cuban, middleweight Yoenli Hernandez (10-0, 9 KOs) remained undefeated in a one-sided fight from the opening bell against U.S. Olympian Terrell Gausha of Cleveland (24-6-1, 12 KOs). Gausha just didn’t have anything to keep Hernandez off him. Referee Allen Huggins did the right thing stopping the fight at 1:17 of round four.
The opening heavyweight clash between Gurgen Hovhannisyan of Armenia (10-0, 9 KOs) was fun but one-sided, ending in a fifth round TKO win over Cesar Navarro, a native of Mexico fighting out of Phoenix (15-4, 13 KOs). It was a solid performance for “Big Gug,” trained by veteran Joe Goosen.
Gayle Falkenthal is an award-winning boxing journalist with more than four dozen awards for both written and video coverage from the Boxing Writers Association of America, Society of Professional Journalists, and San Diego Press Club, where she is the past president. She is the only woman journalist who is a full voting member of the BWAA. She is the Boxing Editor for NY Fights based in San Diego, California.