Sebastian Fundora took his biggest step yet toward a shot at a 154-pound belt.
The 6-foot-6 contender outworked Spaniard Sergio Garcia to win a unanimous decision in a 12-round WBC title eliminator on the Gervonta Davis-Isaac Cruz card Saturday at Staples Center in Los Angeles.
Fundora (18-0-1, 12 KOs) had trouble in the first half of the fight, as Garcia (33-1, 14 KOs) stayed on his opponent’s chest and banged away.
However, by the middle rounds, Fundora created space by using his jab, catching Garcia coming in and sometimes simply stepping back before unloading his shots.
Garcia maintained a good pace throughout but couldn’t land as consistently he had in the early rounds.
The judges scored it 118-110, 117-111 and 115-113, all for Fundora. Boxing Junkie scored it 116-112 for Fundora.
Garcia and Fundora were ranked Nos. 2 and 4 by the WBC, respectively. Jermell Charlo is the sanctioning body’s champion, Erickson Lubin is No. 1 and Tim Tszyu is No. 3.
It’s not clear where Fundora will land after his victory but he’s obviously closer to his goal of winning a major championship.