Two bouts set for Fundora vs Hadribeaj prelims
Jaime Diaz to face Cristian Cangelosi and David Garcia to meet Angel Carrillo
The Fundora vs Hadribeaj prelims are expected to feature Jaime Diaz facing Cristian Cangelosi and David Garcia taking on Angel Carrillo. The event takes place at The Chelsea at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas on October 17.
- The bout between Mexico’s Diaz (11-0, 5 KOs) and Italy’s Cangelosi (13-0-1, 5 KOs) is set for eight rounds at middleweight.
- The contest between David Garcia (7-0, 5 KOs) of Phoenix, Arizona, and Angel Carrillo (5-0-1, 2 KOs) of Oxnard, California, is set for six rounds at featherweight.
BoxRec currently lists both matchups, while Danny Garcia’s Swift Promotions has announced that its fighters, Garcia and Cangelosi, will compete on the card. The event promoter, Premier Boxing Champions (PBC), is expected to make the announcement shortly.
Sebastian Fundora vs. Ermal Hadribeaj | DAZN - October 17, 2026
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Re: Sebastian Fundora vs. Ermal Hadribeaj | DAZN - October 17, 2026
Huge Underdog Hadribeaj Promises ‘Real War’ With Fundora
When Ermal Hadribeaj first crossed paths with Sebastian Fundora, the thought of fighting him in the future didn’t cross the undefeated contender’s mind.
Three years later, he’ll have to dethrone Fundora if he is going to become the first world champion from Albania. Hadribeaj will challenge Fundora for his WBC 154-pound title Saturday night at The Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas.
Their 12-round bout will headline a Premier Boxing Champions card DAZN will stream worldwide and TNT and truTV will televise in the United States (8 p.m. ET; 5 p.m. PT).
“He was like my favorite fighter,” Hadribeaj told The Ring of meeting Fundora. “He was tall, aggressive, he fights on the inside, outside – he’s a real world-class fighter. At that time, I was growing up in my career. Sebastian Fundora was champ at that time, and of course, you look up to these kinds of fighters. I really appreciate their work and what they did to deserve those titles.
“So, it was exciting, and we were joking around, ‘Imagine if we fight him one day.’ I was probably meant to meet him on that day, so we can meet on October 17 and fight together.”
Hadribeaj (23-0-1, 8 KOs), The Ring’s No. 9 contender for an unclaimed junior middleweight championship, became the mandatory challenger for Fundora’s title when he beat Bakary Samake by unanimous decision on May 23 in Oberhausen, Germany. While the unknown southpaw was pleased with his performance, Hadribeaj believes he still has more to show in the ring.
In Fundora (24-1-1, 16 KOs), ranked No. 3 in The Ring’s junior middleweight top 10, Hadribeaj believes he has the kind of opponent who will make him show all of the tools he has developed.
“I knew I had more experience than the other guy,” Hadribeaj said regarding his victory over Samake. “I overcame him, and I didn’t even give 100 percent. For me to give 100 percent or more, it has to be against a world-class fighter [like] Fundora. I’m gonna show a lot more in this fight on October 17.”
Fundora, 28, is coming off a dominant sixth-round stoppage of former unified welterweight champion Keith Thurman on March 28 at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. The 6-foot-6 southpaw, an 18-1 favorite according to DraftKings, will make the fourth defense of his title when he faces the 32-year-old Hadribeaj.
It’s no secret that a win would position Fundora to face the winner of the unification bout between WBA/WBO champion Jaron “Boots” Ennis and IBF titleholder Josh Kelly, who will fight next, perhaps as soon as January. Hadribeaj is hellbent on making sure that if that plan is going to come to fruition, “The Towering Inferno” will have to walk through the fire to do so.
“I’m gonna bring a hell of a fight on that night,” Hadribeaj said. “If it happens for 12 rounds, that means it’s gonna be a real war.”
When Ermal Hadribeaj first crossed paths with Sebastian Fundora, the thought of fighting him in the future didn’t cross the undefeated contender’s mind.
Three years later, he’ll have to dethrone Fundora if he is going to become the first world champion from Albania. Hadribeaj will challenge Fundora for his WBC 154-pound title Saturday night at The Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas.
Their 12-round bout will headline a Premier Boxing Champions card DAZN will stream worldwide and TNT and truTV will televise in the United States (8 p.m. ET; 5 p.m. PT).
“He was like my favorite fighter,” Hadribeaj told The Ring of meeting Fundora. “He was tall, aggressive, he fights on the inside, outside – he’s a real world-class fighter. At that time, I was growing up in my career. Sebastian Fundora was champ at that time, and of course, you look up to these kinds of fighters. I really appreciate their work and what they did to deserve those titles.
“So, it was exciting, and we were joking around, ‘Imagine if we fight him one day.’ I was probably meant to meet him on that day, so we can meet on October 17 and fight together.”
Hadribeaj (23-0-1, 8 KOs), The Ring’s No. 9 contender for an unclaimed junior middleweight championship, became the mandatory challenger for Fundora’s title when he beat Bakary Samake by unanimous decision on May 23 in Oberhausen, Germany. While the unknown southpaw was pleased with his performance, Hadribeaj believes he still has more to show in the ring.
In Fundora (24-1-1, 16 KOs), ranked No. 3 in The Ring’s junior middleweight top 10, Hadribeaj believes he has the kind of opponent who will make him show all of the tools he has developed.
“I knew I had more experience than the other guy,” Hadribeaj said regarding his victory over Samake. “I overcame him, and I didn’t even give 100 percent. For me to give 100 percent or more, it has to be against a world-class fighter [like] Fundora. I’m gonna show a lot more in this fight on October 17.”
Fundora, 28, is coming off a dominant sixth-round stoppage of former unified welterweight champion Keith Thurman on March 28 at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. The 6-foot-6 southpaw, an 18-1 favorite according to DraftKings, will make the fourth defense of his title when he faces the 32-year-old Hadribeaj.
It’s no secret that a win would position Fundora to face the winner of the unification bout between WBA/WBO champion Jaron “Boots” Ennis and IBF titleholder Josh Kelly, who will fight next, perhaps as soon as January. Hadribeaj is hellbent on making sure that if that plan is going to come to fruition, “The Towering Inferno” will have to walk through the fire to do so.
“I’m gonna bring a hell of a fight on that night,” Hadribeaj said. “If it happens for 12 rounds, that means it’s gonna be a real war.”
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Re: Sebastian Fundora vs. Ermal Hadribeaj | DAZN - October 17, 2026
Mazoudier embraces underdog mentality for Resendiz
Australia’s Koen Mazoudier had twice been set for the chance of a lifetime by facing Jermall Charlo.
However on both occasions, the two-division world champion withdrew from their scheduled fight.
This time, that has opened the door for former WBA 168-pound champion Armando Resendiz to step in, facing Mazoudier as part of a Premier Boxing Champions card DAZN will stream worldwide. TNT and truTV will televise in the United States from The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, in the fourth installment of their joint "The Fight" series.
"I couldn't care less at this stage, who the opponent is," Mazoudier (16-4-1, 6 KOs) told The Ring. "I've got a job to do, knowing it's a former world champion and world class opponent is still the same mission.
"Charlo, I send him my prayers cause he can't get himself to a fight. Twice in a row now, he's pulled out 10 days out.
"I heard [Charlo] talk about fighting Resendiz at some point. I get through Resendiz, hopefully that fight is somewhere in the future or God willing, I'll be onto bigger and better things anyway."
The 31-year-old visitor appreciates the sizable task ahead but believes it will bring out his best on the big stage in Sin City.
"From what I've seen, he's a tough, strong, well-rounded fighter," Mazoudier said in previewing Resendiz.
"He's been in some big-name fights over the last few years. A truly world class challenge, it's going to be an exciting fight for the fans and fun for myself.
"It's one of the world's fight hubs, the opportunity to go there and beat him is even better. A lot of people would see that as hometown advantage to him, I see that as a potential advantage for me. It's a lot easier to be comfortable at home, to feel a hero with your friends and family around you.
"I love the underdog mentality, it's always served me well, whenever I've been [the underdog] is when I've fought my best. The fights I'm supposed to win is not the right head space."
Mazoudier has spent much of his career at junior middleweight but dipped his toe into middleweight waters back on August 26. There, he won a hard-fought 10-round majority decision over compatriot Sam Beck.
He'll be stepping up another weight division to face Resendiz, who up until May was the reigning WBA super middleweight champion.
"It's a real-life Rocky story,” he said. "I'm just a boy from a biker town, from west Sydney. I've done the hard yards and been in this sport since I was 13. Had a big amateur career, come through some hard losses and these are the fights I've dreamed of. It's no easy task, got to be my best and then some."
Mazoudier has doubled down on his goals in recent years. Having worked as a buying agent in the property business, he quit two years ago to begin coaching and only stepped away to train full-time earlier this year.
"It sets me and my family up," he said.
"I've got three kids and a beautiful wife that has been with me through the whole journey. We've sacrificed stuff along the way, sold our place to be close to our coach, gone all the way in with this career, chasing this dream.
"To provide for my family through this sport has always been the real dream. This opens up all those doors and sets up that future."
Resendiz (16-3, 11 KOs), The Ring's No. 7-rated super middleweight, made his living in his native Mexico before venturing to America in 2021. He lost his second bout there, a 12-round decision against battle-tested Marcos Hernandez in September 2021.
The 27-year-old returned to the win column before upsetting former unified 154-pound titleholder Jarrett Hurd via 10th-round stoppage at middleweight in March 2023. He parlayed that success into a fight with Elijah Garcia, who stopped him in eight rounds six months later.
He jumped to 168 and produced a 12-round split decision upset win over Caleb Plant in May 2025 to claim the WBA interim title. Later upgraded to full champion, he was outboxed by Jaime Munguia (UD12) on May 2.
Australia’s Koen Mazoudier had twice been set for the chance of a lifetime by facing Jermall Charlo.
However on both occasions, the two-division world champion withdrew from their scheduled fight.
This time, that has opened the door for former WBA 168-pound champion Armando Resendiz to step in, facing Mazoudier as part of a Premier Boxing Champions card DAZN will stream worldwide. TNT and truTV will televise in the United States from The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, in the fourth installment of their joint "The Fight" series.
"I couldn't care less at this stage, who the opponent is," Mazoudier (16-4-1, 6 KOs) told The Ring. "I've got a job to do, knowing it's a former world champion and world class opponent is still the same mission.
"Charlo, I send him my prayers cause he can't get himself to a fight. Twice in a row now, he's pulled out 10 days out.
"I heard [Charlo] talk about fighting Resendiz at some point. I get through Resendiz, hopefully that fight is somewhere in the future or God willing, I'll be onto bigger and better things anyway."
The 31-year-old visitor appreciates the sizable task ahead but believes it will bring out his best on the big stage in Sin City.
"From what I've seen, he's a tough, strong, well-rounded fighter," Mazoudier said in previewing Resendiz.
"He's been in some big-name fights over the last few years. A truly world class challenge, it's going to be an exciting fight for the fans and fun for myself.
"It's one of the world's fight hubs, the opportunity to go there and beat him is even better. A lot of people would see that as hometown advantage to him, I see that as a potential advantage for me. It's a lot easier to be comfortable at home, to feel a hero with your friends and family around you.
"I love the underdog mentality, it's always served me well, whenever I've been [the underdog] is when I've fought my best. The fights I'm supposed to win is not the right head space."
Mazoudier has spent much of his career at junior middleweight but dipped his toe into middleweight waters back on August 26. There, he won a hard-fought 10-round majority decision over compatriot Sam Beck.
He'll be stepping up another weight division to face Resendiz, who up until May was the reigning WBA super middleweight champion.
"It's a real-life Rocky story,” he said. "I'm just a boy from a biker town, from west Sydney. I've done the hard yards and been in this sport since I was 13. Had a big amateur career, come through some hard losses and these are the fights I've dreamed of. It's no easy task, got to be my best and then some."
Mazoudier has doubled down on his goals in recent years. Having worked as a buying agent in the property business, he quit two years ago to begin coaching and only stepped away to train full-time earlier this year.
"It sets me and my family up," he said.
"I've got three kids and a beautiful wife that has been with me through the whole journey. We've sacrificed stuff along the way, sold our place to be close to our coach, gone all the way in with this career, chasing this dream.
"To provide for my family through this sport has always been the real dream. This opens up all those doors and sets up that future."
Resendiz (16-3, 11 KOs), The Ring's No. 7-rated super middleweight, made his living in his native Mexico before venturing to America in 2021. He lost his second bout there, a 12-round decision against battle-tested Marcos Hernandez in September 2021.
The 27-year-old returned to the win column before upsetting former unified 154-pound titleholder Jarrett Hurd via 10th-round stoppage at middleweight in March 2023. He parlayed that success into a fight with Elijah Garcia, who stopped him in eight rounds six months later.
He jumped to 168 and produced a 12-round split decision upset win over Caleb Plant in May 2025 to claim the WBA interim title. Later upgraded to full champion, he was outboxed by Jaime Munguia (UD12) on May 2.
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Re: Sebastian Fundora vs. Ermal Hadribeaj | DAZN - October 17, 2026
I have changed my view on this fight. Intially I wrote I had no interest in it as I had never heard of Hadribeaj.
After watching Hadribeaj shadow box, and work mitts and meet the press on Sean Zittel channel I am intriguged by this fight.
Hardibeaj says the reason he had so little KO"s is he is coming from MMA and took him time to develop power that he now has. I still favor Fundora but am intrigued by this fight for long shot upset.
After watching Hadribeaj shadow box, and work mitts and meet the press on Sean Zittel channel I am intriguged by this fight.
Hardibeaj says the reason he had so little KO"s is he is coming from MMA and took him time to develop power that he now has. I still favor Fundora but am intrigued by this fight for long shot upset.
Re: Sebastian Fundora vs. Ermal Hadribeaj | DAZN - October 17, 2026
Lets see the weigh in.
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Re: Sebastian Fundora vs. Ermal Hadribeaj | DAZN - October 17, 2026
Sebastian Fundora - 152.8 lbs
Ermal Hadribeaj - 152.4 lbs-
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Re: Sebastian Fundora vs. Ermal Hadribeaj | DAZN - October 17, 2026
Figgy missed weight so loses his belt
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Re: Sebastian Fundora vs. Ermal Hadribeaj | DAZN - October 17, 2026
Breaking: Brandon Figueroa weighs-in at 127.4lbs and has been stripped of his WBA featherweight title after failing to make the 126lb limit.Tomoki Kameda will be crowned champion if he beats Figueroa Saturday night after successfully making weight.
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Re: Sebastian Fundora vs. Ermal Hadribeaj | DAZN - October 17, 2026
Brandon Figueroa misses weight, stripped of WBA featherweight title
In possibly the biggest bag fumble since David Benavidez permanently iced himself out of a Canelo fight by losing his super middleweight title, now-former WBA featherweight champion Brandon Figueroa came in over a pound heavy for tomorrow night’s defense against Tomoki Kameda.
Figueroa (27-2-1, 20 KO) tells Chris Mannix that he suffered a “hamstring injury” while training, which would throw a wrench into most non-sauna weight cutting methods. May or may not make a huge impact in the fight, as both men are generally intent on meeting in the pocket and trying to find out whether their opponents’ ribs are more fragile than their skulls, but it does shoot down Figueroa’s entire roadmap for the immediate future. “The Heartbreaker” reportedly turned down a potential big ‘n tall unification against Rafael Espinoza earlier this year in favor of waiting for Naoya Inoue, who recently made clear his intention to move up to 126 rather than wait for “Bam” Rodriguez.
So much for that.
Kameda (42-5, 23 KO), fighting for the first time since a close loss to the equally inactive Angelo Leo 17 months ago, can still claim the belt with a victory. Odds are he’d inherit the Inoue fight, too; a fight between them would do absolute gangbusters on Japanese turf.
Should he fall short, perhaps no. 1 Mirco Cuello will finally get his due. The Argentinean is coming up on two years since he won a final eliminator, having been forced to watch as Nick Ball fought a pair of super bantamweights before letting Figueroa cut the line. Behind Cuello sits knockout artist Mikito Nakano, then Kameda, then Ivan Chirkov, who somehow got that ranking despite his most recent fight being a six-round draw against a random Uzbek whose previous 11 foes combined for an 0-12 record.
In possibly the biggest bag fumble since David Benavidez permanently iced himself out of a Canelo fight by losing his super middleweight title, now-former WBA featherweight champion Brandon Figueroa came in over a pound heavy for tomorrow night’s defense against Tomoki Kameda.
Figueroa (27-2-1, 20 KO) tells Chris Mannix that he suffered a “hamstring injury” while training, which would throw a wrench into most non-sauna weight cutting methods. May or may not make a huge impact in the fight, as both men are generally intent on meeting in the pocket and trying to find out whether their opponents’ ribs are more fragile than their skulls, but it does shoot down Figueroa’s entire roadmap for the immediate future. “The Heartbreaker” reportedly turned down a potential big ‘n tall unification against Rafael Espinoza earlier this year in favor of waiting for Naoya Inoue, who recently made clear his intention to move up to 126 rather than wait for “Bam” Rodriguez.
So much for that.
Kameda (42-5, 23 KO), fighting for the first time since a close loss to the equally inactive Angelo Leo 17 months ago, can still claim the belt with a victory. Odds are he’d inherit the Inoue fight, too; a fight between them would do absolute gangbusters on Japanese turf.
Should he fall short, perhaps no. 1 Mirco Cuello will finally get his due. The Argentinean is coming up on two years since he won a final eliminator, having been forced to watch as Nick Ball fought a pair of super bantamweights before letting Figueroa cut the line. Behind Cuello sits knockout artist Mikito Nakano, then Kameda, then Ivan Chirkov, who somehow got that ranking despite his most recent fight being a six-round draw against a random Uzbek whose previous 11 foes combined for an 0-12 record.
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Re: Sebastian Fundora vs. Ermal Hadribeaj | DAZN - October 17, 2026
Figueroa misses weight by 1.4 pounds, stripped of WBA title
Brandon Figueroa has lost his WBA 126-pound title before even stepping into the ring.
Figueroa weighed 127.4 pounds on Friday for his scheduled title bout against Tomoki Kameda. The Westlaco, Texas, native weighed 126.8 pounds on his second attempt to make the featherweight limit.
Kameda weighed under the featherweight limit at 125.4 pounds and is still eligible to win the title. If Figueroa wins, the belt will become vacant. Representatives for both fighters are negotiating a penalty for Figueroa to pay for missing weight, but the fight is expected to happen.
Figueroa (27-2-1, 20 KOs) vs. Kameda (42-5, 23 KOs) is scheduled as the co-main event to Sebastian Fundora’s defense of his WBC 154-pound title against Ermal Hadribeaj on Saturday. The card begins at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT and will stream on DAZN worldwide and be televised on TNT and truTV in the U.S.
Figueroa, The Ring’s No. 4-ranked featherweight, won the title with a 12th-round stoppage of Nick Ball on February 7 in Liverpool. The 29-year-old from Westlaco, Texas, dropped Ball twice in the final round to become a two-time featherweight world champion.
Kameda is making his second bid to win a featherweight world title. The Osaka, Japan, native lost a majority decision to IBF champion Angelo Leo in May 2025.
Kameda, 35, held the WBO bantamweight title from 2013 to 2015 before losing it by unanimous decision to Jamie McDonnell in May 2015. Figueroa made his pro debut on that same card, winning a unanimous decision against Hector Gutierrez in a four-round bout.
Brandon Figueroa has lost his WBA 126-pound title before even stepping into the ring.
Figueroa weighed 127.4 pounds on Friday for his scheduled title bout against Tomoki Kameda. The Westlaco, Texas, native weighed 126.8 pounds on his second attempt to make the featherweight limit.
Kameda weighed under the featherweight limit at 125.4 pounds and is still eligible to win the title. If Figueroa wins, the belt will become vacant. Representatives for both fighters are negotiating a penalty for Figueroa to pay for missing weight, but the fight is expected to happen.
Figueroa (27-2-1, 20 KOs) vs. Kameda (42-5, 23 KOs) is scheduled as the co-main event to Sebastian Fundora’s defense of his WBC 154-pound title against Ermal Hadribeaj on Saturday. The card begins at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT and will stream on DAZN worldwide and be televised on TNT and truTV in the U.S.
Figueroa, The Ring’s No. 4-ranked featherweight, won the title with a 12th-round stoppage of Nick Ball on February 7 in Liverpool. The 29-year-old from Westlaco, Texas, dropped Ball twice in the final round to become a two-time featherweight world champion.
Kameda is making his second bid to win a featherweight world title. The Osaka, Japan, native lost a majority decision to IBF champion Angelo Leo in May 2025.
Kameda, 35, held the WBO bantamweight title from 2013 to 2015 before losing it by unanimous decision to Jamie McDonnell in May 2015. Figueroa made his pro debut on that same card, winning a unanimous decision against Hector Gutierrez in a four-round bout.
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Re: Sebastian Fundora vs. Ermal Hadribeaj | DAZN - October 17, 2026
Damn!
Figgy just pulled out.
I feel bad for Kameda. Hopefully he’s compensated.
He trained. He could have still won the belt, but now he can’t.
Hopefully they allow him to fight for the vacant title.
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Ruthless-RKO
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Re: Sebastian Fundora vs. Ermal Hadribeaj | DAZN - October 17, 2026
Apparently Figueroa fell ill following his weight cut
Re: Sebastian Fundora vs. Ermal Hadribeaj | DAZN - October 17, 2026
I'm pretty certain that one a fighter has officially weighted in, he will get paid.
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Ruthless-RKO
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Re: Sebastian Fundora vs. Ermal Hadribeaj | DAZN - October 17, 2026
Date: Saturday October 17, 2026
Location: The Chelsea - Las Vegas, NV
TV/Stream: DAZN | TNT
Start Times
YouTube: 5:50 pm ET | 2:50 pm PT | 10:50 pm BST (Preliminary Card)
DAZN: 8 pm ET | 5 pm PT | 1 am BST (Main Card)
Promoted by:
Main Card
WBC Super Welterweight Championship
Sebastian Fundora (24-1-1, 16 KOs) vs. Ermal Hadribeaj (23-0-1, 8 KOs)
Figueroa’s WBA Featherweight Championship - CANCELLED!
Brandon Figueroa (27-2-1, 20 KOs) vs. Tomoki Kameda (42-5, 23 KOs)
10 Round Super Middleweight Bout
Armando Resendiz (16-3, 11 KOs) vs. Koen Mazoudier (16-4-1, 6 KOs)
8 Round Super Middleweight Bout
Marco Romero (15-0, 13 KOs) vs. Braulio Matias Ferreira (8-3, 3 KOs)
Preliminary Card
8 Round Middleweight Bout
Jaime Enrique Osuna Diaz (11-0, 5 KOs) vs. Cristian Cangelosi (13-0-1, 5 KOs)
6 Round Featherweight Bout
David King Garcia (7-0, 5 KOs) vs. Angel Carrillo (5-0-1, 2 KOs)
Re: Sebastian Fundora vs. Ermal Hadribeaj | DAZN - October 17, 2026
Marco Romero looked excellent on the undercard here
Fundora is having a tough fight with Habrideaj, but Sebastian is ahead still I believe. I missed some of this, but the first 2 rounds were his.
Fundora is having a tough fight with Habrideaj, but Sebastian is ahead still I believe. I missed some of this, but the first 2 rounds were his.
Re: Sebastian Fundora vs. Ermal Hadribeaj | DAZN - October 17, 2026
Bizarre ending to the Fundora vs Habrideaj fight. Fundora drops Habrideaj literally at the final .5 seconds of the fight before the final bell rings. Habrideaj hits the mat as the bell sounds. The referee starts counting the knockdown. Habrideaj stands up at 9 on unsteady legs. He wobbles, and the referee stops the fight.
Can't say I agree with the argument that the referee was protecting him from further punishment since the fight was literally over
But it's not as if he was going to get the decision anyway. He had lost.
Can't say I agree with the argument that the referee was protecting him from further punishment since the fight was literally over
But it's not as if he was going to get the decision anyway. He had lost.
Re: Sebastian Fundora vs. Ermal Hadribeaj | DAZN - October 17, 2026
I agree. If a fighter beats the 10 count and the last round has expired, the ref shouldn't evaluate him to see if he can continue.
Re: Sebastian Fundora vs. Ermal Hadribeaj | DAZN - October 17, 2026
Yes even he stumbles all the way back to his corner. As long as he's standing. He's finished the fight. Any other circumstance I'd have said yeah stop that fight, but here there was no fight left to continue.
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Re: Sebastian Fundora vs. Ermal Hadribeaj | DAZN - October 17, 2026
If I'm Hadribeaj team I protest the KO to the commission and take the decision loss. The KO compared to the decision on his record impacts future earning power. Decision loss always better than a KO & the rules were not applied correctly. The bell can't save you in the final round but the bell had already rung & he beat the count. As soon as he was up the fight is over. NO need or call for a referee assessment in that situation AT ALL. HORSESHIT stoppage. #FundoraHadribeaj #boxing
— Dan Rafael
— Dan Rafael
Re: Sebastian Fundora vs. Ermal Hadribeaj | DAZN - October 17, 2026
Funny enough I just watched a classic old bout Pernell Whitaker vs Gary Jacobs. It has almost the same exact ending as Fundora vs Hadribeaj with Jacobs getting dropped hard at the very last moment of the fight before the bout ends.
The difference there is Jacobs gets to his feet, and the fight is over, and it goes to the scorecards.
So there was a precedent for this sorta situation in the past, and I happened upon it coincidentally on the same day something of the sort happened,
The difference there is Jacobs gets to his feet, and the fight is over, and it goes to the scorecards.
So there was a precedent for this sorta situation in the past, and I happened upon it coincidentally on the same day something of the sort happened,
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Re: Sebastian Fundora vs. Ermal Hadribeaj | DAZN - October 17, 2026
If fans don’t like the rule, totally understandable. But under the unified rules, the fighter has not beat the count unless he both is up before 10 AND able to continue regardless of what round it is and how much time is left. Taylor applied the rule correctly. Whether or not the punch landed before the bell is a different story.
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Re: Sebastian Fundora vs. Ermal Hadribeaj | DAZN - October 17, 2026
Fundora got a late stoppage & certainly would have won if the fight went the distance. He didn't need assistance from Referee Thomas Taylor who dogged Hadibeaj all night & needlessly took two points away for holding. Referees are as blatant as many judges in showing favoritism for the favored fighters in a match. Taylor used to be one of best refs in boxing, now he is just the opposite--far too anxious to put his own imprint own a fight with too much involvement that often seems unfair to one of the boxers.