Gabriela Fundora vowed to show historical past into her story.
The unbeaten 22-year-old grew to become the game’s youngest undisputed champion with a seventh-round knockout of Gabriela Alaniz. A pair of knockdowns produced the stoppage at 1:40 of spherical seven Saturday at Virgin Inns Las Vegas.
With the win, Fundora (16-0, 7 knockouts)—who held the IBF belt—received The Ring championship and WBC, WBA and WBO titles. She is the first-ever undisputed flyweight champion and the youngest lady amongst any weight class.
Fundora and her group not solely vowed to make historical past however even correctly dressed for the event.
“This struggle is devoted to Oscar,” Fundora instructed DAZN’s Chris Mannix. “I wore gold in his honor.”
The reference was to Corridor of Famer Oscar De La Hoya, whose Golden Boy Promotions co-promotes Fundora together with Sampson Lewkowicz.
Fundora rapidly made her manner inside however nonetheless put her huge six-inch top and attain to good use. The jab was sufficient to maintain Alaniz outdoors of efficient punching vary. Fundora slipped numerous the incoming and landed with proper hooks and straight left palms from the southpaw stance.
Alaniz made a struggle of it within the third and fourth spherical.
The visiting Argentinean linked with a left hook to briefly stun Fundora within the third. Fundora stormed again within the fourth and landed physique photographs. They paved the best way for a proper hook which cracked Alaniz upstairs. Alaniz responded with a left hook which precipitated Fundora’s again leg to buckle, although she survived the sequence.
Fundora regained management within the center rounds. Her jab was as soon as once more key however she additionally didn’t pardon the physique. Alaniz did her finest to push previous her opponent’s energy and in addition plowed ahead with one-two combos.
That labored till it didn’t.
Fundora is among the many few ladies within the sport who all the time strives to shut the present. She managed simply that on the power of her straight left hand. Alaniz protested the primary knockdown name within the seventh, insisting that Fundora stepped on her left foot.
There was no disputing the second knockdown. Alaniz hit the deck exhausting from one other left hand. The competition was delivered to a halt instantly thereafter.
“We skilled for this,” insisted Fundora. “I instructed my dad [Freddy Fundora, Gabriela’s head trainer] that is the punch I needed to get the knockout with. And it was.”
The straight lefts had been among the many 112 punches she landed out of 462 thrown (24.2 p.c).
Alaniz (15-2, 6 KOs) was 97-of-359 (27 p.c) in defeat, the second in her final three fights. Her earlier loss got here beneath doubtful circumstances, a questionable majority resolution to Marlen Esparza final July 8 in San Antonio, Texas. Alaniz was the unbeaten WBO titlist on the time however the questionable name ended her reign.
A direct rematch was ordered by the WBO. Alaniz seized the second and received a majority resolution to assert The Ring, WBC, WBA and WBO belts.
All of them now belong to Fundora.
“I feel each fighter ought to emulate her coronary heart and relentlessness,” De La Hoya mentioned of his latest undisputed champion. “She is a celebrity within the making.”
The win got here in the identical metropolis the place Sebastian Fundora (21-1-1, 13 KOs), Gabriela’s older brother, additionally grew to become a champ in 2024. Sebastian defeated unbeaten Tim Tszyu to win the WBC/WBO 154-pound titles on March 30 at T-Cellular Area.
As is all the time the case once they struggle, one sibling accompanies the opposite into the ring. Sebastian proudly held Gabriela’s IBF title through the ring stroll. The household now goes residence with much more {hardware}.
Fundora has now received 4 title fights in a span of simply 54 weeks. All however one have resulted in knockout, together with her IBF title-lifting fifth-round stoppage of Arely Mucino final Oct. 21. Fundora then stopped unbeaten Christina Cruz within the tenth and last spherical on Jan. 27 in Phoenix. She went all ten rounds in a call win over Daniela Asenjo on Aug. 10 at close by Michelob ULTRA Area.
The game’s latest undisputed queen was decided to not permit this one to go to the judges.
“Take heed to how lit the group was,” Fundora identified. “That explains all of it. I feel everybody enjoys the knockout. I wouldn’t watch ladies’s boxing if there weren’t any knockouts. That’s what they deserved at this time.”
Fundora deserves all of the accolades that come her manner throughout year-end awards season. For now, she will take consolation figuring out her identify is perpetually etched within the report books. There can solely be one “first”—she is simply that for the flyweight division, and did so in a fashion that brings extra followers to the game.
UNDERCARD RESULTS
Bektemir Melikuziev rode a second half surge to a break up resolution win over David Stevens.
Scores had been far and wide of their 12-round tremendous middleweight contest. Stevens (14-2, 10 KOs) received 116-112 on the cardboard of Chris Migliore. It was overruled by judges Dave “Not Carl” Moretti (118-110) and Zachary Younger (117-111) for Melikuziev (15-1, 10 KOs).
There was confusion over the load restrict for the struggle. It was marketed as a WBA tremendous middleweight eliminator. Nevertheless, Melikuziev’s group insisted their contracted known as for a 170-pound restrict.
Nonetheless, it’s the eighth straight win for Melikuziev. His lone defeat was a June 2021, one-punch third-round knockout by the hands of Gabriel Rosado. Melikuziev avenged his lone profession defeat in a Sept. 2022 digital shutout win.
Darius Fulghum (13-0, 11 KOs) resumed his knockout methods with a third-round stoppage of Christopher Pearson (17-5-1, 12 KOs).
The struggle was a mismatch on paper, however an encouraging signal that Fulghum went straight on the assault. Pearson is a shell of his former self and got here merely to outlive. He lined up on the ropes as Fulghum went on the assault. Referee Michael Ortega noticed sufficient and stopped the struggle at 1:00 of the third spherical.
Rookie welterweight Joel Iriarte (5-0, 5 KOs) remained good with a first-round knockout of Xavier Madrid (5-6, 2 KOs) of their DAZN opener. The 21-year-old from Bakersfield, California turned professional in March. Up to now, he has ended each struggle inside two rounds.
