Sebastian Fundora is confident in his victory over Keith Thurman when they meet on October 25 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Making his third ring appearance of the year, “The Towering Inferno” puts his WBC super welterweight title on the line.
Fundora (23-1-1, 15 KOs) was last in action in July at the same venue, where he dominated Tim Tszyu, forcing him to quit after seven rounds. The contest was their rematch, with Fundora winning the first fight a year earlier by split decision.
“It was demolition,” Sebastian Fundora said. “We wanted to follow through and get him out of there. We wanted him to feel defeated before the fight ended, and show that nothing he could do could hurt us. He said after the fight that he felt like he was shadowboxing, and that’s what we plan to make every fighter feel like. Whether it’s my height or strength, we want the opponent to feel like it’s impossible to win.”
“We expected to hurt him. I know what I can do, and my dad [Freddy Fundora] does as well. Even my sister [Gabriela Fundora], she was talking a lot more than me about what we expected. It was a surprise to everyone else, but it wasn’t a surprise to us. Right after the first Tszyu fight ended, I felt like we could have done a lot more. So we went back to the gym and trained for a long time to show everyone that I can get that guy out of there.”
Coachella, CA-based 27-year-old southpaw Sebastian Fundora trains alongside his sister, Gabriela Fundora (16-0, 8 KOs). She returns to the ring this Saturday, September 20 in Indio, CA, defending her undisputed flyweight title against Alexas Kubicki (13-1, 2 KOs) of Canada.
“Training together absolutely makes us both better,” he said. “Watching her spar and watch her train, especially since she’s a southpaw as well, helps me pick up little tricks and strategies and put them into my training and my work. She’s gonna do her thing and defend her crown, and then I’ll be right after to defend my title.”
‘A win over Thurman solidifies us being the best in the division even more’
In his next fight next month, Sebastian Fundora takes on former unified welterweight champion Keith Thurman (31-1, 23 KOs) of Clearwater, FL. 36-year-old Thurman returned to the ring this past March to stop Brock Jarvis in the third round.
“I grew up watching Thurman,” Fundora said. “A lot of his bigger fights we watched all the time. I’ve always thought he’s a great fighter. I can’t say I expected to one day fight Thurman, but I knew it was possible because I always want the toughest fights, and now we’re here.”
“This is gonna be a crazy night. It’s a huge fight with two guys who like to bang. Expect fireworks. I feel like this fight sells itself. Thurman is the big talker, and I’m the quiet guy, but we both like to throw. It’s gonna be a great night for boxing.”
“We’re going for the knockout, but I just need to get the win however it comes. A win over Thurman solidifies us being the best in the division even more.”
In the Fundora vs Thurman co-feature, O’Shaquie Foster (23-3, 12 KOs) of Orange, TX defends his WBC super featherweight title against reigning WBC featherweight champion Stephen Fulton (23-1, 8 KOs) of Philadelphia, PA.
Also on the card, Jesus Ramos Jr. (23-1, 19 KOs) of Casa Grande, AZ and Shane Mosley Jr. (22-4, 12 KOs) of Pomona, CA clash for the interim WBC middleweight title.
Additionally, unbeaten Isaac Lucero (17-0, 13 KOs) meets Roberto Valenzuela Jr. (31-5, 29 KOs) in an all-Mexican showdown at super welterweight.