Fundora Stops Hadribeaj With One Second Left

Sebastian Fundora retained his WBC junior middleweight title on October 17, stopping Ermal Hadribeaj with one second remaining in the 12th round to secure his fourth successful defense. The champion landed a left hand that dropped Hadribeaj, ending a bout that had gone the scheduled distance of 12 rounds before the late finish. The fight took place at The Chelsea at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas. Fundora’s victory came at 2:59 of the final round, according to the reported result. Hadribeaj, an Albanian challenger, entered the bout unbeaten, but suffered his first professional defeat. The result improved Fundora’s record to 25 wins, one loss and one draw, with 17 knockouts, while Hadribeaj left with a 23-1-1 record and eight knockouts. The challenger’s close-range tactics made the fight demanding for Fundora, who is notably taller. Hadribeaj stayed low, moved inside and landed hard punches, limiting the champion’s ability to use his reach. Fundora found opportunities to answer with short punches and uppercuts, and his body attack became more effective as the bout progressed. Referee Thomas Taylor deducted a point from Hadribeaj for holding in the third round and another in the...