It was April 8, 2023 when Sebastian Fundora got an unnerving wakeup call.
The moment took place during the seventh round of his fight against Brian Mendoza for the Fundora’s then-WBC interim junior middleweight world championship.
For a brief sequence, Fundora lowered his right hand and left his chin exposed from the southpaw stance. The critical error was all Mendoza needed to launch a vicious left hook that buckled Fundora’s knees, leaving his 6’5½” frame compromised.
Mendoza hit the kill-engine switch on Fundora’s legs next with a raucous right hook and left hand for good measure, ensuring that “The Towering Inferno” hit the canvas with a thud and wouldn't get up.
Nearly a year removed from suffering his first pro loss, Fundora (20-1-1, 13 KOs) believes the painful experience served as an invaluable lesson toward preparing him for this moment: trying to defeat Tim Tszyu (24-0, 17 KOs) for Tszyu’s WBO junior middleweight world championship and vacant WBC title Saturday night.
“I got a reminder – you can’t play boxing. You cannot play boxing,” Fundora told DAZN News over Zoom of the painful lesson learned last spring.
“You cannot make these mistakes,” he continued. “Small, little mistakes, you cannot make ’em because if you do, you pay for it and that’s what I got in that fight. I put my hand down, I leaned forward and I gave it to him.
He added: “I gave him that punch. It’s obvious. You don’t need to go through those things to realize it, but I did get it and I’m more than ready now.”
Against Tszyu, Fundora is a late replacement for Keith Thurman who suffered a bicep injury, in a fight shown this Saturday live on Amazon Prime in the US (click Live on DAZN : Check your region for PFL on DAZN
Tszyu is installed as the favorite across most Las Vegas betting houses and Fundora is used to the treatment by now.
“I might be the underdog for every fight,” he said with a smile. “That’s what I have my mindset as.
“Everyone always seems to doubt me but we are here.
“We are competing for this championship fight and we’re ready to become world champion.”
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