A Family Affair

Standing a lanky 6-foot-5 ½, Sebastian Fundora is often mistaken for a basketball player, which he insists he's “definitely not.”

“When I was about 14 or 15, I practiced basketball for about a month, but I couldn’t dribble the ball even a little bit,” said Fundora, 22. “I never even asked for my parents to sign the waiver because I was so terrible that I don’t even know why I tried and I’ve never done it again.”

It’s a good thing that by that time, Fundora’s Cuban-born father and trainer, Freddy Sr., a former boxer, had already passed on his love of the sport to his six children.

Fundora is the second-born. He, along with four siblings, excelled in pugilism, including older brother Alberto, Freddy Jr. and their amateur star sister, Gabriela, a highly-ranked 119-pounder. 

Fundora first entered a boxing gym as an eight-year-old in his native West Palm Beach, Florida. The family moved to California when he was nine. Fundora trains daily at the Coachella Valley Boxing Club, about 130 miles from Los Angeles.

“My father was a boxer, my mother [Monique] boxed. I started boxing at my Dad’s gym, which was a converted office building, and loved boxing from the moment I tried,” said Fundora. “Everybody in my family has boxed, and I believe that my sister is going to turn professional pretty soon. I had over 100 amateur fights, but I really never won anything significant.”

Making the Grade

Fundora weighed 155 pounds when turned pro in September 2016 with a 72-second KO of 162-pound Jose Cardenas. He had seven bouts in 2017, all of them victories. He went as high as 172 pounds and as low as 147 ¼. 

Currently, Fundora competes at 154-pounds. Nicknamed “The Towering Inferno” by promoter Sampson Lewkowicz, lived up to that name against Victory Toney in September 2017.  The 5-foot-10 Toney was 5-0 with four knockouts before tasting defeat and represented Fundora’s initial six-rounder of three for his career. 

“The Toney fight was my fifth and a huge stepping-stone,” said Fundora. “That was a big test, and I passed it.”

Fundora’s hat trick of knockouts in 2018 were made up of those in the fifth, fourth and first rounds against previously undefeated VeShawn Owens (April), Antonio Urista (August) and Jeremiah Wiggins, the latter in 31 seconds in November. 

The 5-foot-10 Owens had stopped all of his nine opponents before being battered and rescued by the official after absorbing a barrage of punches resulting in a fifth-round TKO. Urista entered at 10-2 with two knockouts but was stopped for the first time also as the referee halted their bout. 

“Owens was a big step up on the ladder and my hardest fight to that point, but we trained hard and had a great camp,” said Fundora. “I finished him off with some right hands and some straight lefts, and it ended earlier than we thought.” 

Fundora went 2-0-1 with a pair of knockouts in 2019 on third- and fourth-round stoppages of previously unbeaten fighters Donnie Marshall (February) and Hector Manuel Zepada (June). That August, he fought to a 10-round draw versus 6-foot-2 southpaw Jamontay Clark, who entered the bout at 15-1 with seven knockouts. 

“I thought I did enough to beat Jamontay Clark and I think I won that fight because I was more active,” said Fundora of a clash whose scores were 98-92 in his favor, 96-94 for Clark and even at 95-95. 

On February 22, 2020, Fundora dominated 2016 Australian Olympian Daniel Lewis, winning a 10-round unanimous decision in a bout featured on the undercard of the Deontay Wilder-Tyson Fury rematch at MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada. 

Lewis was 6-0 (4 KOs) coming in. He represented the seventh undefeated fighter faced by Fundora. 

“Lewis was definitely a big win because he’s a former Olympian, but I wasn’t nervous. I was actually excited to be on such a big card in front of such a big crowd. I grew up a little bit more in that fight," said Fundora. 

"I’d like to capture a title at 154, but that depends on where my body is in a year or two. I’ve served notice that I’m a force to be reckoned with and an action-packed fighter. We’re not here playing games but we’re here to please the fans and to become a champion.”

Standing Tall

On Saturday, August 22, 2020, Fundora took on what was expected to be the toughest test of his career in veteran slugger Nathaniel Gallimore. 

Fundora delivered his finest performance to date, beating Gallimore down until referee Ray Corona stepped in at 1:28 of the sixth round.

With the win, Fundora (15-0-1, 10 KOs) graduates from prospect to contender at super welterweight—a formidable one at that. There isn’t a more appropriate nickname in boxing than his moniker, The Towering Inferno. At 6-foot-6, he’s taller than most heavyweights. Yet, as lanky as he is, he’s as tough and strong as they come, often bullying his foes on the inside. 

That’s what he did to Gallimore (21-5-1, 17 KOs), who came into this fight brimming with confidence. The hard-hitting Chicago, Illinois resident had been in the ring with four of the best 154-pounders in the world and held a sizable advantage in pro experience over Fundora. 

That confidence evaporated after the first couple rounds. Gallimore did have his moments in second, particularly toward the end of the frame, when he buzzed Fundora with a left hook. 

It was all downhill from there. 

Fundora pounded away, boring in and unloading with power shots from all angles to Gallimore’s head and body. The nonstop assault sapped Gallimore’s energy. He was a battered, spent force by the sixth, when the fight was stopped. 

Fundora landed 168 punches out of 484 (35%) to Gallimore’s 35 out of 129 (27%). 

“I give my performance a 10 out of 10,” said Fundora. “I did what I had to do tonight. We’re always working on our distance and controlling that part of the fight, because I know I’m going to need it throughout my career. Whatever my team thinks is best for me next, I’ll be ready for it.”

Marching Toward Title Contention

On December 5, 2020, Fundora took on late-substitute Habib Ahmed of Ghana on the Errol Spence Jr-Danny Garcia undercard on FOX Sports Pay-Per-View, live from AT&T Stadium in Dallas, Texas. 

Fundora delivered a dominating second round TKO of former title challenger Habib Ahmed (27-2-1, 18 KOs) in their WBA Super Welterweight Title Eliminator.

Fundora was in control from the outset, stunning Ahmed in the early moments of round one with a left uppercut from his intimidating six-foot six-inch frame. Ahmed was able to make it through a rocky first round, but encountered similar problems in round two.

Early in the second round, Fundora pushed Ahmed to the ropes and began unloading with power punches, receiving no return fire from Ahmed. In the second round, Fundora managed to land 30 power punches in total before the fight was officially waived off by referee Laurence Cole 1:30 into the round.

Another Major Step Up

Fundora returned on May 1, 2021, on the undercard of the Ruiz-Arreola FOX Sports PBC pay-per-view at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California. In a thrilling battle, Fundora won a close-quarters war via fourth-round stoppage over Jorge “El Demonio” Cota (30-5, 27 KOs) in their WBC Super Welterweight Title Eliminator.
 
"I'm extremely grateful to fight in front of the fans tonight,” said Fundora. “It was fun to hear the cheers, the boos and everything. I'm honored to be in this position.”
 
Fundora and Cota stood toe-to-toe from the opening bell, throwing big punches and marking up each other early. Fundora landed 29 and 28 power punches in the first two rounds, with Cota connecting on 15 and 17.

The fight was fought at close range for 90% of the action, with each fighter showing off impressive in-fighting skills. Fundora was able to up his work rate significantly in the third and fourth rounds, landing 42 punches in each, every single one a power shot.
 
The fourth round saw Fundora break through with a big shot that appeared to finally daze Cota. Fundora pushed forward aggressively to look to send Cota down, while Cota was still able to wing his own power shots despite his impaired state.
 
A final powerful left hook that Fundora landed finally prompted referee Ray Corona to stop the bout at 2:35 of the fourth round. Cota disagreed with the stoppage, while Fundora set his sights on future big fights in the 154-pound division.

"My message to the rest of the division is that we're here,” said Fundora. “If you’re ready for war, we're ready to take it. Bring it on."

Fundora took a step closer to a world title shot on December 5, 2021, as he took on unbeaten Sergio Garcia at Los Angeles' Staples Center, on the Gervonta Davis-Isaac Cruz SHOWTIME pay-per-view. 

This time Fundora used his boxing skills to overcome his hungry opponent, easily winning a 12-round unanimous decision by scores of 118-110, 117-111 and 115-113. 

“I was using my distance a lot more. I wanted to display something different than what I’m used to,” said Fundora. “Height was definitely a difference in this fight.

“We just beat the No. 2 in the WBC, so we have No.1, and we have the champion. Whoever they give us next, we’re ready for.”

A BATTLE FOR THE AGES

On April 9, 2022, fight fans witnessed a battle for the ages. Top super welterweight contenders Fundora and Erickson Lubin delivered an instant classic as Fundora captured the Interim WBC Super Welterweight Title via TKO after nine rounds in the SHOWTIME main event from The Theater at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas, part of Curio Collection by Hilton in an event presented by Premier Boxing Champions.
 
In a bout that lived up to the pre-fight hype, both men hit the canvas and showed tremendous fortitude to recover from knockdowns and continue to deliver massive blows. It was the six-foot, six-inch Fundora who struck first with a sweeping right uppercut that sent Lubin to the mat during the final seconds of round two.
 
“I think this was probably my best performance ever,” said Fundora. “It was a back-and-forth fight. He really brought his hammer but I decided to bring my drill. The uppercut was landing like no other. The uppercut is my lucky punch. I’m here in Vegas, so I feel a little lucky, and that’s my lucky punch. It lands most of the time with everybody. Southpaw. Right hand. It doesn’t matter. Once I find that, I feel like the job’s done.”
 
Despite appearing on shaky legs after round two, Lubin recovered in the final minute of round three to bloody Fundora with a series of head shots. Lubin won three of the first four rounds on all three scorecards, buoyed by a bruising body attack against his taller opponent.
 
In round seven, Fundora and Lubin engaged in a surefire Round of the Year candidate, as both men took serious damage. Fundora’s nonstop volume began to show dividends on Lubin’s face, which started to swell up from damage during the frame. However, Lubin showed championship mettle by turning the tide with an unrelenting series of hooks that eventually forced Fundora to take a knee, the first time he’s been down as a pro.
 
“I got hit with a good punch and I didn’t feel like I needed to get hit again so I took a knee to get a little breather in and I recovered,” said Fundora. “I intentionally took a knee. I knew I had to take a knee because if I kept getting hit like that it wouldn’t be smart for me and I wouldn’t be able to recollect myself.”
 
After rising to his feet after the knockdown, Fundora recovered to out-land Lubin 26 to 12 and 28 to 3 in rounds eight and nine respectively, according to CompuBox. Overall, Fundora out-landed Lubin 255 to 149, while Lubin held a 40% to 36% advantage in punch accuracy. Lubin had early success with his jab, landing 18 over the first three rounds, but only connected on 15 throughout the rest of the action.
 
After a one-sided round nine, and with swelling continuing to grow around Lubin’s face, his trainer Kevin Cunningham asked referee Russell Mora to stop the fight, officially ending the action via a TKO after nine rounds. At the time of the stoppage, Lubin led 85-84 on two judges’ cards, with the third judge scoring the fight 85-85.
 
“I think it was a good decision for Kevin Cunningham to stop the fight,” said Fundora. “His face shifted from round one to round nine. It completely morphed and there was a lot of blood coming out. He’s a tough fighter. He was in the game the whole time but there’s no need to get hurt that much.”

Fundora followed up that victory with a hard-fought 12-round unanimous decision over the game Carlos Ocampo Saturday, Ocrtober 8, 2022, in a SHOWTIME headliner from Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California. 

Fundora showed off his noted ability to fight on the inside while also flashing an improved jab against a  competitive Ocampo (34-2, 22 KOs), who rode a 12-fight winning streak into the bout.
 
“I thought I would show a little boxing and put that on display but you know I still had to bang for the fans," said Fundora, who won by scores of 119-109, 118-110 and 117-111. "That’s what they came here for, so I had to give it to them. I felt my jab was solid and the difference and had him backing up. You know I like to break my opponent down and he was very tough. I am pleased with this performance because I did what we trained for. I trained for boxing and I trained to stay at a distance and I think we did that in the fight.

“I’m the WBC mandatory. I’ve earned my spot and we’ll see what happens. But I hope I’m next. Fingers crossed.”

Fundora' road to a world title hit a stumbling block on April 8, 2023, as rising contender Brian Mendoza knocked him out in round seven to capture the Interim WBC Super Welterweight Title.

“I’m good, for one second I turned off, but I guess that’s boxing, it happens,” said Fundora. “You just get caught with a punch. I did some punching and then I got caught you know. He was throwing that overhand right all night and I was dodging and dodging, but in boxing the second you fall asleep, you get punished.”

Mendoza looked to show his boxing ability early and kept his distance from Fundora while peppering body shots. As the fight progressed, Mendoza looked to try to close the distance and keep Fundora from gaining leverage on his punches, but was met with a consistent stream of uppercuts.

The Fundora attack caused blood to start coming from Mendoza’s nose in round five, as it appeared the previously unbeaten fighter was on his way to wearing out another opponent with a non-stop onslaught of power punches. The overall CompuBox stats saw Fundora out-land Mendoza 100 to 62 while also leading 60-54 twice and 59-55 on the cards at the time of the stoppage.

“It was a good punch,” said Fundora. “I didn’t recognize that moment, but I’m fine. I’m healthy now, and I’ll be back. I’ll be back to take over the division and this is a step up and a step down. It happens, but I’ll be back. I’m not sorry I took this fight, this is boxing. We gotta fight and we have to make these good fights. Congratulations to Brian Mendoza, he did his thing, but like I said, I’ll be back.”

From Loss To Unified World Champion

On Saturday, March 30, 2024, Fundora took home a split-decision over the previously unbeaten Tim Tszyu to capture the WBC and WBO 154-Pound World Titles in the main event of the inaugural PBC Pay-Per-View available on Prime Video Saturday night from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. One judge scored the fight 116-112 for Tszyu, but was overruled by scores of 116-112 and 115-113 for Fundora. 

"We've been praying for this moment for a long time and I'm just happy that Tim Tszyu gave me the opportunity and the opportunity became my dream come true,” said Fundora.”

Tszyu  looked in control in the first two rounds, almost landing straight right hands at will before running into an incidental elbow from Fundora in round two that opened a massive cut on the top of his head. After receiving an inspection from the ringside physician, Tszyu fought on, but was clearly affected by the blood caused from the cut.

With his opponent’s vision compromised, Fundora, who was dealing with blood flowing out of his nose following round two, focused on using his tremendous length to consistently pepper Tszyu with jabs and further disrupt his attack. Most of Fundora’s success with power punches came via the left hand, as he was able to land clean shots from the southpaw stance.

"I didn't want to break my nose today, but this is my life and this is boxing,” said Fundora. “I just had to be smart. I used my brain. I hope you saw me use my boxing skills tonight.”

According to CompuBox stats, Fundora out-jabbed Tszyu 93-39 and threw 721 punches to Tszyu’s 400. Tszyu held an impressive 44% connect rate, but despite a 136 to 101 edge in power punches, was never able to seriously hurt Fundora.

"Tszyu is a world champion for a reason,” said Fundora. “It's an honor to share the ring and make history with him.”