Sebastian Fundora retained his WBC junior middleweight title in spectacular fashion Saturday, as he knocked out determined Albanian challenger Ermal Hadribeaj in the final second of their 154-pound title bout in Las Vegas.
Fundora (25-1, 17 KOs) handed Hadribeaj (23-1-1, 8 KOs) his first professional defeat inside The Chelsea at The Cosmopolitan. Fundora, of Coachella, California, was already well ahead on the scorecards but continued to pursue Hadribeaj in the final round. The finish came after Fundora knocked Hadribeaj down with a left hand at the 2:59 mark of the 12th round, as referee Thomas Taylor had no choice but to wave it off.
"I like how we knocked him out in the final second. It was dramatic," Fundora said. "When I saw him almost fall from the overhand left, I said, 'Let's throw it again.'"
The 5-foot-10 Hadribeaj's approach was clear from the start, as he looked to crowd the 6-foot-5 Fundora and work on the inside. The underdog, who earned his mandatory shot with a decision over Bakary Samake in May, fought admirably throughout and appeared to hurt Fundora as early as the second round. But Hadribeaj visibly began to fatigue by the eighth round.
Fundora, 28, repeatedly worked his left uppercut inside as well as combinations to the body. He took advantage of Hadribeaj's fading gas tank in the middle rounds and overcame a brief, late rally from the challenger in the ninth. Hadribeaj suffered point deductions in the third and 11th rounds for holding.
Fundora has now won five consecutive bouts since suffering the only loss of his career, a seventh-round knockout to Brian Mendoza in April 2023. Saturday's victory could set up Fundora with a unification bout against WBA and WBO champion Jaron "Boots" Ennis or IBF champion Josh Kelly, who are expected to meet in early 2027.
"We're on our fourth defense already," Fundora said. "Let's go for undisputed. We'll break them down like we did this guy -- and the last guy, the guy before and the guy before."
