Carlos Ocampo & The Tall Order Called Sebastian Fundora

After a tranquil week in boxing, Showtime returns with a fight card next Saturday live from the Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, CA. Interim WBC Super Welterweight Champion Sebastian “The Towering Inferno” Fundora (19-0-1) puts his undefeated record against the rugged veteran Carlos Ocampo (34-1). This is yet another test for the 6’6″ Fundora, who is slowly becoming a fan favorite amongst the purists who follow the sport closely.

His opponent Ocampo is one of the most experienced fighters Fundora will be fighting to date. The twenty-six-year-old Ocampo is a Mexican fighter from Baja, California, MX, and has been a pro for over ten years. He considers himself a humble person who loves the sport of boxing and the work required to perform as a pro.

Before Ocampo came into this world, his parents would name him Jose Maria, Spanish for Joseph & Mary, who were the parents of Jesus in the Bible. Ocampo told NYF, “When I was born, my name was going to be Jose Maria until the last minute, I was given the name Carlos. Everyone in my family thought I was going to have the name Jose Maria, but when I ended up as Carlos, they gave me the nickname “Chema.”

Ocampo turned pro in 2012 and things were looking up for him until he met unified welterweight champion Errol Spence Jr. (28-0) back in June 2018. Ocampo suffered a first-round knockout loss to Spence Jr. that night, but it was a lesson he needed to learn at that point in his career. “Looking back, it’s been all about the hard work that has been put in after that fight. Right now, I’m at my best at this point of my career,” said the Mexican super welterweight. After the Spence Jr. loss, Ocampo fought solely outside of the U.S, racking up eleven consecutive wins.

Adding to his win streak and momentum, Ocampo won his twelfth straight fight only three months ago against Vicente Rodriguez (40-11-1) by first-round knockout. The card was headlined by Jaime Munguia defeating Jimmy Kelly, but Ocampo certainly earned the respect of those watching and in attendance.

Now, Ocampo has the tall task (literally) of facing a young, undefeated fighter whose profile is skyrocketing. Ocampo has his eyes on the prize and is confident enough in his skills to upset the A-side. So in preparation for Fundora, Ocampo took his training camp to Los Angeles, CA, where it is known in all boxing circles as the place you go for some of the best sparring in the business. Ocampo said, “Having it there helped us find sparring from tall and southpaw fighters. I particularly have gotten great work from this fighter named Kevin, and I want to thank him for getting me ready for this fight. I want to also thank Robert Garcia for allowing us to train at his gym.”

Ocampo is a veteran of the sport and knows how this goes. He is going in as the underdog and expected to be tough but not tough enough to earn a victory. Ocampo enjoys being the underdog and feels all the pressure is on Fundora to perform on Saturday night, not on him. “I’m preparing to do my job, have a great fight and win spectacularly,” said the confident Ocampo. But saying all of that, Ocampo has a message for everyone tuning in. Ocampo told NYF, “The fans are going to see a veteran Mexican fighter who is motivated to win. You do not want to miss this fight. I’ve worked so hard to give you all my best.”

Before ending the call, I am always interested to know what a fighter would say if standing in front of his opponent right then and there. Ocampo is not a pot stirrer, so when posed with that question, he simply said, “I would tell him, ‘Be ready for October 8″. I followed that up by suggesting a ladder may be required for him to say such a thing to Fundora, to which he quickly answered,” that may only get me to his waist” (laughs). Touché Ocampo. If you want to see this fight and how this one turns out, tune into Showtime or the Showtime app next weekend (10 pm ET/7 pm PT).

You can follow Abe on Twitter @abeg718 and subscribe to “The Boxing Rush Hour Show” podcast on all streaming platforms.