Nobody’s Having More Fun Than Sebastian Fundora

Call it a buzzer beating. The reigning WBC super welterweight champ and most interesting man in boxing, Sebastian Fundora, delivered as interesting a knockout as memory serves while retaining his title Saturday night in Las Vegas. Fundora, the tallest 154-pound champ in history (6-foot-5.5 inches) and someone who taunts opponents about the ease with which he makes weight, wounded pesky challenger Ermal Hadribeaj with a vicious assortment of body blows and haymakers to the head as the last seconds of the last round of their brutal and surprisingly competitive 12-round slugfest ticked away. Then, just as the final bell sounded, Fundora landed a lightning-fast kill shot to Hadribeaj’s chin. Referee Thomas Taylor began counting out Hadribeaj, who was sprawled on the canvas, as most onlookers inside the casino arena were wondering what was going on, given that the clock had run out. But, no matter what the title of that ubiquitous '80s and ‘90s sitcom implies, you can no longer actually be saved by the bell in boxing, not even the bell ending the last round. And even though Hadribeaj got to his feet just before getting a 10 count, Taylor ruled he was in no condition to continue. And utilizing the powers vested in him by the so-called Unified Rules of Boxing, a package of uniform edicts which since around the turn of the century have been adopted in Nevada and throughout the U.S. that allows for fights to be stopped even after the final bell under such circumstances, Taylor waved his hands over his head and declared a knockout. (Decorated vets Terence Crawford and Tim Bradley, who sat ringside as working media for the TV broadcast, vented at Taylor after the fight for not letting Hadribeaj go home with a decision loss.)

Read it at Defector ↗

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