Notebook: Fundora, Ocampo banking on brawn and brains in Showtime main event

IBF strips injured Cordina; Lara-Sanmartin to headline on DAZN; WBC creates special belt for Shields-Marshall; Quick hits; Show and tell

Oct 06, 2022

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When junior middleweight Sebastian Fundora was last in the ring he found himself in trouble.

Although he had dropped Erickson Lubin in the second round of their vacant WBC interim title bout on April 9 in Las Vegas, Lubin stormed back in what was an all-out rumble and a candidate for fight of the year.

In the seventh round Lubin dropped Fundora, who suddenly faced the first serious adversity of his career. But Fundora, all 6-foot-6 him — enormous for a 154-pounder — climbed off the mat and rallied, eventually stopping Lubin when his trainer, Kevin Cunningham, threw in the towel at the end of the ninth round.

“I never had a doubt in my mind during the Lubin fight,” Fundora said recently. “If I doubted myself, I would not be here right now. I had the composure to use my brain and take a knee during that fight. I got hit with a good punch and I was like, ‘let me take a little breather’ instead of getting hit like that again. I used my intelligence.

“Before I got knocked down against Lubin, that round was all me I felt. I got hit with a good punch, I took a knee and just needed to get my energy back. The round right after that I was back to being me.”

Now, coming off that memorable fight, Fundora returns to action to defend the interim belt against Carlos Ocampo in the main event of a Premier Boxing Champions tripleheader Saturday (Showtime, 10 p.m. ET) at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California.

“Ocampo is a big, Mexican 154-pounder,” Fundora said. “He’s been at this weight for a while now and I know he’s coming in hungry. It’s his second chance on the big stage and I’m eager to see what he brings to the ring. I’m ready for him to bring his best. He’s going to be an aggressive fighter with a classic Mexican style.”

Ocampo (34-1, 22 KOs), 26, enters the fight riding a 12-fight winning streak since moving up to junior middleweight. But it is his final welterweight fight — the other time he was on a big stage — that he is best known for. It was an embarrassing first-round destruction at the hands of welterweight titlist Errol Spence Jr., who blew away the mandatory challenger in June 2018.

Fundora (19-0-1, 13 KOs), 24, a southpaw from Coachella, California, hopes to fight for the full title eventually, but first up is Ocampo.

“I’ve been ready for the title, but we have to stay busy,” Fundora said. “I have to take hard fights like this to continue to grow. Ocampo is a ranked fighter and he’ll help me get to where I want to be.

“I’m just focused on my career, not what the (undisputed) champion (Jermell Charlo) is doing. I know that it’s going to take care of itself. We want to keep fighting and stay busy so that when the challenge presents itself, we can take it with no problem. We’ve been watching Ocampo and we’ve noticed that he’s been on a long win streak. Of course, we’re not going to let it continue. We know he’s going to bring it and hopefully we can give the fans another great fight.”

Ocampo, who also has a goals of becoming a champion, expects a tough fight with Fundora. He watched the fight with Lubin and knows what he is up against.

“I thought Sebastian fought really well against Lubin,” Ocampo said. “It was a dynamic and entertaining fight. I enjoyed watching it for sure. But I think he fits my style really well. With two Mexican fighters inside the ring, you’re going to see fireworks

“We’re both fighters who like to get inside and we’re not afraid to exchange and brawl. We give the fans what they want and I know they’re going to be happy with what they see. I want to show people that I’m hungrier than ever. I’m here to win the (interim) title and I’m going after it with all my might. I want to grab that title and bring it back home to Mexico where it belongs.”

He said he learned from the Spence debacle and put it behind him.

“I made a rookie mistake in the Spence fight,” Ocampo said. “I got careless at the end of the first round and I promise that it won’t happen again. I’m moving forward, but I’ve become a better fighter because of it.

“The biggest lesson that I’ve learned is that I need to be more cerebral and that I have to think through things more. I learned that being careless for one second can cost me. It was a tough lesson to learn, but I won’t make the same mistake again.”

Also on the card:

Middleweights Carlos Adames (21-1, 16 KOs), 28, of the Dominican Republic, and Juan Macias Montiel (23-5-2, 23 KOs), 28, of Mexico, will meet for the vacant WBC interim title made available while full titleholder Jermall Charlo, whose last fight in June 2021 was a one-sided decision over Montiel, has been recovering from a back injury.
Fernando Martinez (14-0, 8 KOs), 31, of Argentina, will defend the IBF junior bantamweight title in an immediate rematch against Jerwin Ancajas (33-2-2, 22 KOs), 30, a southpaw from the Philippines, from whom he won the belt by wide unanimous decision in an upset in February.

Injured Cordina stripped

Joe Cordina was stripped of the IBF junior lightweight title this week, just four months after he won the belt, due to an injury that has forced the cancellation of his first defense.

He was due to make a mandatory against Shavkat Rakhimov on Matchroom Boxing’s DAZN card on Nov. 5 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates in the co-feature of the fight between light heavyweight titlist Dmitry Bivol and Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez.

However, Cordina is sidelined by a hand injury that will require surgery and keep him out until months into 2023.

The IBF announced the stripping with its explanation in a news release. Then-titleholder Kenichi Ogawa was due to make a mandatory defense against Rakhimov but the IBF eventually agreed to sanction Ogawa in an optional defense against Cordina on June 4 in Cordina’s hometown of Cardiff, Wales. Cordina (15-0, 9 KOs), 30, won the title by spectacular second-round knockout but the title shot was approved with conditions, which he is unable to meet due to the injury.

The IBF told Cordina that it would “not sanction any bouts to further delay the mandatory defense” — including unification bouts — “nor will the IBF grant any further exception requests.”

The IBF also stated that after winning the title, Cordina had 90 days (until Sept. 2) to face Rakhimov.

According to the IBF, on July 7, it granted Cordina a medical extension allowing the fight to be rescheduled for Nov. 5 but on Sept. 21 it received an email from Matchroom Boxing that said Cordina would have to postpone the mandatory defense due to the injury.

Cordina’s hand surgeon, Dr. Mike Hayton, wrote that Cordina’s return would be no sooner than four months after surgery, meaning not until March. That was well past the IBF deadline for the bout.

“To postpone the Cordina vs. Rakhimov bout any further, Mr. Cordina would need to seek and be granted an exception pursuant to IBF Rule 11. However, one the conditions of the May 3, 2022 IBF communication stated that the IBF will not grant any further exception requests,” the IBF wrote. “Additionally, Rule 11 J states in part: A reigning Champion shall not be permitted to request more than one exception to delay a mandatory obligation.”

Thus the title was vacated.

“Absolutely gutted. Worked my whole life to become a world champion and I haven’t even had the chance to defend the title,” Cordina wrote on Twitter. “Feel like I’ve been robbed!!”

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The IBF has ordered Rakhimov (16-0-1, 13 KOs), 28, a southpaw from Tajikistan, to face European champion Zelfa Barrett (28-1, 16 KOs), 29, of England, for the vacant belt. The fight likely will land on the Nov 5 card, according to Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn, who promotes Cordina and Barrett.

“Joe Cordina will fight the winner of that fight,” Hearn said. “We’re going to make sure he will be reinstated as No. 1 with the IBF. Zelfa Barrett is more than up for fighting Joe Cordina, as is Rakhimov. The plan will be Barrett versus Rakhimov in Abu Dhabi, with the winner fighting Joe Cordina.”

Lara to headline in Mexico

Featherweight contender Mauricio Lara will face Jose Sanmartin in a 10-round main event on Oct. 22 (DAZN) in Mexico City, Matchroom Boxing announced.

Lara was scheduled to challenge WBA “regular” featherweight titlist Leigh Wood on Sept. 24 in Wood’s hometown of Nottingham, England, but Wood suffered a torn biceps two weeks beforehand and the fight was canceled.

Initially, Matchroom Boxing planned to have WBC flyweight titlist Julio Cesar Martinez headline the Oct. 22 card but he was moved to the co-feature of the trilogy fight between lineal junior bantamweight champion Juan Francisco Estrada and four-division champion and former pound-for-pound king Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez on Dec. 3 (DAZN) at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona, where he will face interim titlist McWilliams Arroyo in a rematch of their third-round no contest in November 2021.

That opened the Oct. 22 main event for Lara (24-2-1, 17 KOs), 24, of Mexico, who came out of obscurity in February 2021 when he traveled to England and knocked out Josh Warrington in a huge upset. They fought to a second-round technical draw in an immediate rematch.

Subscribe to DAZN for Lara vs. Sanmartin

If Lara beats Sanmartin, Matchroom Boxing said it could set up a third fight with IBF titleholder Warrington.

“I still wish to become world champion. None of what has happened has stopped me from it,” Lara said. “It’s been two years since I last fought in Mexico City and I am so excited to be back with my people. I want to give them an overwhelming win and to hope I get the promised world title opportunity.”

Sanmartin (33-5-1, 21 KOs), 25, of Colombia, has won seven fights in a row since a 12th-round knockout loss to Emanuel Navarrete in June 2018 in the fight before Navarrete, now the WBO featherweight world titlist, won the WBO junior featherweight belt.

“I am more than excited for this opportunity to face a great fighter like Mauricio Lara,” Sanmartin said. “I believe that I have fought the best fighter already at 126 pounds, which is Navarrete, so I have the experience to beat Lara come Oct. 22.”

There are also two other 10-round regional title bouts on the card:

Lightweight Angel Fierro (19-1-2, 15 KOs), 24, of Mexico, will face Jeremy Cuevas (14-1, 10 KOs), 26, a southpaw from Philadelphia, in the co-feature.
Prospect Reshat Mati (12-0, 7 KOs), 24, of Staten Island, New York, will move down to junior welterweight and face Diego Sanchez Santiago (19-2, 16 KOs), 23, of Mexico. It will be Mati’s first scheduled 10-rounder.

Shields-Marshall special belt

Claressa Shields, the WBC/IBF/WBA women’s middleweight champion, and WBO titleholder Savannah Marshall will meet in their rescheduled bout on Oct. 15 (ESPN+ in the U.S., Sky Sports in the U.K.) at The O2 in London. The winner will walk away not only as the undisputed champion but will also receive an honorary belt created for the bout by the WBC.

The winner will receive the Elizabethan belt, which the WBC described as “celebrating the glorious 70-year reign of Queen Elizabeth II and commemorating the monarch for the ages.”

Three-division champion Shields (12-0, 2 KOs), 27, of Flint, Michigan, and Marshall (12-0, 10 KOs), 31, of England, were originally supposed to headline the all-women’s card, which also includes the three-belt junior lightweight unification bout between Mikaela Mayer and Alycia Baumgardner, on Sept. 10 at The O2. However, the card was postponed the day before due to the death of Queen Elizabeth. Now rescheduled, the trophy belt is a way to honor Queen Elizabeth.

“Queen Elizabeth II will live forever in our hearts and minds,” WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman said in announcing the belt. “The boxing world unites to render homage to one of the greatest human beings that ever lived, here where boxing was born.”

Added promoter Ben Shalom of Boxxer, the lead promoter of the event, “This is a wonderful tribute to the late Queen Elizabeth II in what will be an iconic event for boxing.”

Shields and Marshall have a long-running feud, making their fight one of the most anticipated in women’s boxing.

Shields, who was the undisputed middleweight champion before vacating the belt that Marshall eventually won, is seeking to avenge her only boxing defeat. She was 77-1 as an amateur and won two Olympic gold medals but lost a 14-8 decision as a teenager to Marshall in a disputed 2012 bout.

Quick hits

Golden Boy announced that welterweight Alexis Rocha (20-1, 13 KOs), 25, of Santa Ana, California, will defend is regional belt against Jesus Perez (24-3, 18 KOs), 25, of Mexico, in the 10-round co-feature on the Joseph Diaz-William Zepeda card Oct. 29 (DAZN) at Pechanga Arena in San Diego. In the other two bouts on the main card, Leonela Yudica (18-0-3, 1 KO), 34, of Argentina, will defend the IBF women’s flyweight title against former titlist Arely Mucino (31-3-2, 11 KOs), 33, of Mexico, and junior featherweight Hector Valdez Jr. (15-0, 8 KOs), 27, of Dallas, will face Max Ornelas (15-0-1, 5 KOs), 24, of Las Vegas, in a 10-rounder.

Manager Keith Connolly told Fight Freaks Unite that he has signed 6-foot-3½, 245-pound power-punching Ukrainian heavyweight Vladyslav Sirenko (19-0, 16 KOs). Connolly said that Sirenko, 27, has moved to Brooklyn, New York, and will begin fighting in the United States, where he has fought once previously (in his fourth fight in 2017).

Show and tell

In front of the hometown crowd in London, Anthony Joshua narrowly outpointed Italy’s Roberto Cammarelle to win the 2012 Olympic super heavyweight gold medal for Great Britain. The victory made Joshua an instant star at home, but he took his time before turning pro. He talked to various promoters and eventually signed with Matchroom Boxing’s Eddie Hearn, who is still his promoter.

Joshua would go on to become a mega star. He has sold out stadiums time and again, been in a series of huge fights, drawn big numbers on pay-per-view and earned hundreds of millions of dollars while also twice winning the unified heavyweight title. Even coming off back-to-back losses in title fights to Oleksandr Usyk, Joshua remains at the forefront of boxing and been in talks to challenge WBC and lineal champion Tyson Fury in December.

Joshua’s pro debut came 14 months after winning gold when he knocked out Emanuele Leo (who was 8-0 at the time) in the first round at The O2 in London. The bout was on Oct. 5, 2013 — nine years ago on Wednesday. Here is a program from the fight in my collection.