Tag: Sebastian Fundora

Pound-for-pound: Does No. 3 Oleksandr Usyk leap frog Terence Crawford and Naoya Inoue?

Pound-for-pound: Does No. 3 Oleksandr Usyk leap frog Nos. 1 and 2 Terence Crawford and Naoya Inoue to the top of the list?

Oleksandr Usyk gave the performance of a lifetime on Saturday in Saudi Arabia, rallying to defeat gigantic Tyson Fury by a split decision to become the first undisputed heavyweight champion in a quarter century.

But was it enough to catapult No. 3-ranked Usyk past Nos. 1 and 2 Terence Crawford and Naoya Inoue on the Boxing Junkie pound-for-pound list?

No.

Usyk (22-0, 14 KOs) deserves consideration for the top spot after taking down Anthony Joshua in back-to-back fights in 2021 and 2022, stopping Daniel Dubois in nine rounds in August and now handing Fury the first loss of his career.

That’s a hell of a run by any standard. And the former cruiserweight champ has done it against naturally larger men, who would have trouble competing with him if he were their size. That obviously works in his favor in the pound-for-pound debate.

So why isn’t he No. 1?

Let’s start with Crawford and Inoue. The gifted lower-weight stars don’t have quite the resume Usyk has but they’ve dominated one contender after another to climb to the top of the list and have shown no signs of weakness.

Remember: We were as amazed when Crawford demolished fellow pound-for-pounder Errol Spence Jr. and Inoue got up from a knockdown to destroy Luis Nery as we are now following Usyk’s historic victory over Fury.

And while we must keep in mind the size difference between Usyk and his heavyweight rivals, he dominated neither Joshua nor Fury and benefitted from a controversial call by the referee – a clean body shot that was ruled a low blow — against Dubois to maintain his perfect record.

Fury believes he did enough against Usyk to get the decision, which isn’t far fetched given the tight, back-and-forth war. Had it gone Fury’s way, we wouldn’t even be talking about Usyk as a potential No. 1.

None of the above is meant to denigrate Usyk’s accomplishments. He has demonstrated over the past two years that he not only is the top heavyweight at the moment but also an all-time great, which is the highest praise in boxing.

He just hasn’t done quite enough to leap frog two other future Hall of Famers, Crawford and Inoue.

Of course, we must add one thing: If Usyk fights and beats Fury again — particularly if it’s more convincing the second time — we’ll have to revisit our decision to leave him at No. 3.

What about Fury, who entered Saturday at No. 9? He drops to No. 11 — below Bam Rodriguez and Artur Beterbiev — after his disastrous performance against Francis Ngannou in October and his setback against Usyk on Saturday.

And, obviously, Fury also can change his fortunes if he can turn the tables on Usyk in a rematch.

Next pound-for-pounder up: No. 8 Gervonta Davis will face Frank Martin and No. 15 David Benavidez will take on Oleksandr Gvozdyk on the same card June 15 in Las Vegas.

Here’s what the list looks like at the moment:

BOXING JUNKIE
POUND-FOR-POUND

  1. Terence Crawford – Scheduled to challenge 154-pound titleholder
    Israil Madrimov on Aug. 3 in Los Angeles.
  2. Naoya Inoue – No fight scheduled.
  3. Oleksandr Usyk – No fight scheduled.
  4. Dmitry Bivol – Fight against No. 12 Artur Beterbiev for the undisputed 175-pound championship, originally scheduled for June 1, was postponed after Beterbiev injured his knee.
  5. Juan Francisco Estrada – Scheduled to defend his 115-pound title against No. 11 Jesse Rodriguez on June 29 in Phoenix.
  6. Canelo Alvarez – No fight scheduled.
  7. Jermell Charlo – No fight scheduled.
  8. Gervonta Davis – Scheduled to defend his 135-pound title against Frank Martin on June 15 in Las Vegas.
  9. Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez – Scheduled to face No. 5 Juan Francisco Estrada for Estrada’s 115-pound title on June 29 in Phoenix.
  10. Artur Beterbiev – Fight against No. 4 Dmitry Bivol for the undisputed 175-pound championship, originally scheduled for June 1, was postponed after Beterbiev injured his knee.
  11. Tyson Fury – No fight scheduled.
  12. Errol Spence Jr. – No fight scheduled.
  13. Vasiliy Lomachenko – No fight scheduled.
  14. Shakur Stevenson – No fight scheduled.
  15. David Benavidez – Scheduled to fight 175-pounder Oleksandr Gvozdyk on June 15 in Las Vegas.

Honorable mention (alphabetical order): Jermall Charlo (no fight scheduled); Roman Gonzalez (no fight scheduled); Kazuto Ioka (scheduled to face Fernando Martinez in a 115-pound title-unification bout in on July 7 in Tokyo); Teofimo Lopez (scheduled to defend his 140-pound title against Steve Claggett on June 29 in Miami); Junto Nakatani (scheduled to defend his 118-pound title against Vincent Astrolabio on July 20 in Tokyo).

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Pound-for-pound: Did No. 2 Naoya Inoue do enough to supplant No. 1 Terence Crawford?

Pound-for-pound: Did No. 2 Naoya Inoue do enough in his breathtaking victory over Luis Ney to supplant No. 1 Terence Crawford?

Who’s truly the best fighter in the world pound-for-pound? Depends who you talk to.

Terence Crawford, No. 1 on Boxing Junkie’s list, and No. 2 Inoue are both unbeaten, near-flawless all-around fighters who have dominated almost everyone they’ve faced over an extended period of time.

Inoue (27-0, 24 KOs) was at his glorious best in the early morning hours (U.S. time) Monday in Japan.

Luis Nery shocked everyone watching by putting Inoue down in the opening round but that only hardened Inoue’s resolve. The 122-pound champion responded by destroying a good opponent, putting him on the canvas three times and brutally stopping him in Round 6.

Inoue was nothing short of brilliant. It becomes more and more clear that he’s one of the best to ever do it.

And don’t count the knockdown against him when assessing his pound-for-pound credentials. Almost all the great ones have gone down. The important thing is they get up and  demonstrate who’s the better man, as Inoue did in spectacular fashion on Monday.

The question is whether he did enough — or is good enough — to supplant Crawford at No. 1. That answer is no, at least for now.

The resume of Crawford (40-0, 31 KOs) is roughly equal to that of Inoue. Both of them have faced a long list of top contenders but relatively few pound-for-pound-caliber foes, although Crawford is coming a ninth-round knockout of Errol Spence Jr. last July.

And Crawford has been as dominating as Inoue, unleashing an overwhelming combination of skill, speed and power on one opponent after another.

The knockout of Spence, a pound-for-pounder himself, was just as breathtaking as Inoue’s annihilation of Nery at the Tokyo Dome even though Crawford didn’t have to demonstrate that he could overcome adversity.

Crawford has been nothing short of brilliant his entire career, which is why he was Boxing Junkie’s top pound-for-pounder since this feature was initiated in 2019 and hasn’t budged.

How could we justify demoting him under those circumstances? We can’t.

Inoue could reach the top at some point in part because of their respective ages: He’s 31, Crawford 36. That time simply isn’t now.

Another pound-for-pounder was in action on May 4, No. 6 Canelo Alvarez, who defeated Jaime Munguia by a one-sided decision in Las Vegas.

The superstar looked sharp but he was never destined to leap up the list because Munguia was not ranked. However, sitting directly above Alvarez at No. 5 is fellow Mexican Juan Francisco Estrada.

Did Alvarez do enough to swap places with his countryman? That’s a matter of interpretation. We decided to leave Alvarez where he is in good part because Estrada is scheduled to face rising star and No. 10 “Bam” Rodriguez on June 29. Estrada’s fate is in his hands.

Next pound-for-pounder up: No. 13 Vasiliy Lomachenko is scheduled to face George Kambosos Jr. for the vacant IBF 135-pound title May 12 in Australia..

Here’s what the list looks like at the moment:

BOXING JUNKIE
POUND-FOR-POUND

  1. Terence Crawford – Scheduled to challenge 154-pound titleholder
    Israil Madrimov on Aug. 3 in Los Angeles.
  2. Naoya Inoue – No fight scheduled.
  3. Oleksandr Usyk – Scheduled to face No. 9 Tyson Fury for the undisputed heavyweight championship on May 18 in Saudi Arabia.
  4. Dmitry Bivol – Fight against No. 12 Artur Beterbiev for the undisputed 175-pound championship, originally scheduled for June 1, was postponed after Beterbiev injured his knee.
  5. Juan Francisco Estrada – Scheduled to defend his 115-pound title against No. 11 Jesse Rodriguez on June 29 in Phoenix.
  6. Canelo Alvarez – No fight scheduled.
  7. Jermell Charlo – No fight scheduled.
  8. Gervonta Davis – Scheduled to defend his 135-pound title against Frank Martin on June 15 in Las Vegas.
  9. Tyson Fury – Scheduled to face No. 3 Oleksandr Usyk for the undisputed heavyweight championship on May 18 in Saudi Arabia.
  10. Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez – Scheduled to face No. 5 Juan Francisco Estrada for Estrada’s 115-pound title on June 29 in Phoenix.
  11. Artur Beterbiev – Fight against No. 4 Dmitry Bivol for the undisputed 175-pound championship, originally scheduled for June 1, was postponed after Beterbiev injured his knee.
  12. Errol Spence Jr. – No fight scheduled.
  13. Vasiliy Lomachenko – Scheduled to face George Kambosos Jr. for the vacant IBF 135-pound title May 12 in Australia.
  14. Shakur Stevenson – No fight scheduld.
  15. David Benavidez – Scheduled to fight 175-pounder Oleksandr Gvozdyk on June 15 in Las Vegas.

Honorable mention (alphabetical order): Jermall Charlo (no fight scheduled); Roman Gonzalez (no fight scheduled); Kazuto Ioka (scheduled to face Fernando Martinez in a 115-pound title-unification bout in on July 7 in Tokyo); Teofimo Lopez (reportedly near a deal to defend his 140-pound title against Steve Claggett on June 29 in Miami); Junto Nakatani (no fight scheduled).

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Pound-for-pound: Did Isaac Cruz do enough against Rolando Romero to crack list?

Pound-for-pound: Did Isaac Cruz do enough against Rolando Romero to crack Boxing Junkie’s list?

Isaac Cruz made a strong impression with his eighth-round knockout of Rolando Romero on Saturday in Las Vegas.

But did the new 140-pound titleholder from Mexico do enough in that fight — and does he have the resume — to climb onto Boxing Junkie’s pound-for-pound list?

Not quite.

Everyone agrees that Cruz is evolving into a formidable fighting machine, a pressure fighter with the fitness, durability and punching power to dominate opponents.

However, we shouldn’t overreact to a one-sided victory over Romero, a good, but limited fighter. And Cruz still doesn’t have a victory over a top-tier opponent, although he gave Gervonta Davis hell in defeat in 2021.

Bottom line: Cruz has to beat a pound-for-pounder or someone of that caliber to leave no doubt that he belongs with the best in the business.

And those matchups will come soon enough if Cruz (26-2-1, 18 KOs) continues to win. Perhaps showdowns with the likes of fellow beltholders Devin Haney or Teofimo Lopez — or maybe even a rematch with Davis — are in his near future.

A victory over any of the above would be enough to lift Cruz to the next level. Stay tuned.

What about Sebastian Fundora?

The new 154-pound champ defeated rising star Tim Tszyu by a split decision in the main event on Saturday, an accomplishment for which Fundora (21-1-1, 13 KOs) deserves credit.

However, we can’t draw firm conclusions because Tszyu was effectively blinded by blood in his eyes, the result of a ghastly cut on his hairline. Plus, Fundora was knocked out by Brian Mendoza in his previous fight.

Fundora’s time might come, just not now.

Next pound-for-pounder up: No. 10 Devin Haney is scheduled to defend his WBC 140-pound title against Ryan Garcia on April 20 on pay-per-view from Las Vegas.

Here’s what the list looks like at the moment:

BOXING JUNKIE
POUND-FOR-POUND

  1. Terence Crawford – No fight scheduled.
  2. Naoya Inoue – Scheduled to defend his undisputed 122-pound championship against Luis Nery on May 6 in Japan.
  3. Oleksandr Usyk – Scheduled to face No. 9 Tyson Fury for the undisputed heavyweight championship on May 18 in Saudi Arabia.
  4. Dmitry Bivol – Scheduled to face No. 12 Artur Beterbiev for the undisputed 175-pound championship on June 1 in Saudi Arabia.
  5. Juan Francisco Estrada – Scheduled to defend his 115-pound title against No. 11 Jesse Rodriguez on June 29 in Phoenix.
  6. Canelo Alvarez – Scheduled to face Jaime Munguia for the undisputed 168-pound championship on May 4 in Las Vegas.
  7. Jermell Charlo – No fight scheduled.
  8. Gervonta Davis – No fight scheduled.
  9. Tyson Fury – Scheduled to face No. 3 Oleksandr Usyk for the undisputed heavyweight championship on May 18 in Saudi Arabia.
  10. Devin Haney– Scheduled to defend his WBC 140-pound title against Ryan Garcia on April 20 in Las Vegas.
  11. Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez – Scheduled to face No. 5 Juan Francisco Estrada for Estrada’s 115-pound title on June 29 in Phoenix.
  12. Artur Beterbiev – Scheduled to face No. 4 Dmitry Bivol for the undisputed 175-pound championship on June 1 in Saudi Arabia.
  13. Errol Spence Jr. – No fight scheduled.
  14. Vasiliy Lomachenko – Scheduled to face George Kambosos Jr. for the vacant IBF 135-pound title May 12 in Australia.
  15. Shakur Stevenson– Reportedly near a deal to defend his 135-pound title against Artem Harutyunyan on July 6 in Newark, New Jersey.

Honorable mention (alphabetical order): David Benavidez (has agreed to fight 175-pounder Oleksandr Gvozdyk in June but no announcement has been made); Jermall Charlo (no fight scheduled); Roman Gonzalez (no fight scheduled); Kazuto Ioka (no fight scheduled); Teofimo Lopez (reportedly near a deal to defend his 140-pound title against Steve Claggett on June 29 in Miami).

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Weekend Review: Sebastian Fundora seizes opportunity, Isaac Cruz serves notice

A critical look at the past week in boxing BIGGEST WINNER Sebastian Fundora Give Fundora full credit. Sure, he was fortunate when his elbow collided with Tim Tszyu’s head and caused a deep cut on the champion’s hairline in the third round, …

A critical look at the past week in boxing

BIGGEST WINNER
Sebastian Fundora

Give Fundora full credit. Sure, he was fortunate when his elbow collided with Tim Tszyu’s head and caused a deep cut on the champion’s hairline in the third round, effectively blinding him from then on. That’s boxing, the fighters agreed afterward. Crazy things happen. Sometimes they become insurmountable obstacles, which was the case for Tszyu. Sometimes they’re opportunities, which you either seizer or squander. Fundora did the former. The 6-foot-5½ physical anomaly came in with a good game plan, which was to finally commit to using his height and reach advantages. And he simply stayed the course after the cut occurred, pumping his jab into Tszyu’s face and following with enough power shots to keep him at a safe distance and win rounds. As a result, Fundora won a split decision to take Tszyu’s WBO 154-pound belt and win the vacant WBC title. Some will look back on the victory and say Fundora (21-1-1, 13 KOs) was lucky, lucky to get the fight immediately after a knockout loss to Brian Mendoza, lucky to win it because of a freak accident. The fact is he was both lucky and good, which is a combination that’s difficult to beat. He did what he had to do in strange circumstances to realize a lifelong dream.

 

BIGGEST WINNER II
Isaac Cruz

No one is going to be in a hurry to face this little monster. Cruz used his typical nonstop pressure to batter WBA 140-pound titleholder Rolando Romero before finally stopping him in the eighth round to win his first major belt on the Fundora-Tszyu card. Romero had the right strategy. He tried to slow Cruz down by timing him with hard shots when he was coming in and using his feet to avoid dangerous exchanges. However, it was like trying to protect yourself from a tsunami with a cocktail umbrella. It was impossible. Romero didn’t have the power to give Cruz pause, not even once. That made the result inevitable. And it raised a legitimate question: Can anyone hurt “Pitbull,” whose chin would make Julio Cesar Chavez and Marvin Hagler proud. It took a great fighter in Gervonta Davis to beat this version of Cruz (26-2-1, 18 KOs). And “Tank” was barely able to have his hand raised. A victory over the limited Romero (15-2, 13 KOs) doesn’t prove that Cruz can beat or even compete on the same level as the 140-pound likes of Devin Haney and Teofimo Lopez but an indestructible little punching machine isn’t the ideal opponent for anyone. That includes the best in the division.

 

RABBIT PUNCHES

I feel strongly that Fundora and his handlers should give Tszyu (24-1, 17 KOs) an immediate rematch. The champion gave the challenger an opportunity to fight for the title on short notice even though the adjustment from averaged-sized Keith Thurman to a giant would be difficult. And, obviously, Tszyu was the victim of terrible luck. The right thing to do is to give him a chance to avenge the defeat in the next fight for both men. … Tszyu will be back. I still feel he’s a better fighter than Fundora, as he seemed to show in the first few rounds. If he gets a rematch, I think he’ll win. If he doesn’t, he’ll continue to beat top contenders and become a champion again sooner rather than later. … I wouldn’t be too hard on Romero for his pre-fight trash talk. He was selling the fight and himself, which is what promoters hope to see. But, yes, he had to eat his words. He learned the hard way that Cruz was the opposite of an easy mark. …

Erislandy Lara (30-3-3, 18 KOs)  isn’t as good as he once was at 40 but he’s still better than almost anyone else, as he demonstrated against Michael Zerafa (31-5, 19 KOs) on the Fundora-Tszyu undercard. The 160-pound titleholder stopped his Australian opponent with a vicious left hand less than two full rounds into the fight, proving again that he has more to give even though he was returning from a 22-month layoff and has lost a step late in his career. One thing he still has working for him is his boxing acumen, which is as sharp as ever. And who knew he could become a knockout artist? He has stopped his last three opponents. We’ll see whether he will continue to have success against next-level opposition. I won’t be surprised if he does. … Julio Cesar Martinez (21-3, 15 KOs) was fortunate to get past pesky Angelino Cordova (18-1-1, 12 KOs) on the Fundora-Tszyu card. The WBC 112-pound champ never really figured out his awkward opponent, who peppered him with light punches and never stood still. However, the champ never lost focus and continued to bring the heat. That resulted in a majority decision victory in his seven title defense, including one no-contest. Martinez doesn’t have pound-for-pound talent but he is consistent. …

Serhii Bohachuk (24-1, 23 KOs) was taken the distance for the first time but still tuned in an excellent performance against Mendoza (22-4, 16 KOs) on the Fundora-Tszyu card, suffocating his veteran opponent with nonstop pressure and winning a one-sided decision. If you can hurt Bohahuck — as Brandon Adams did his his KO victory over the Ukrainian — you have a chance to beat him. If you can’t, it’s going to be difficult to get past him. He appears to be a threat to anyone at 154 pounds. … Floyd Mayweather protégé Curmel Moton (3-0, 2 KOs) might’ve been the most talented fighter on the Fundora-Tszyu card. The 17-year-old 130-pound prospect battered a pretty good opponent in Anthony Cuba (7-1-2, 3 KOs) to win a shutout decision in an eight-round fight. Moton is remarkably skillful and poised for his age. It seems possible to me that he could win a major title as a teenager, which is a rarity. … Gilberto Ramirez (46-1, 30 KOs) made history on Saturday in Inglewood, California, easily outpointing the naturally bigger Arsen Goulamirian (27-1, 19 KOs) to become the first Mexican to win a 200-pound title. Ramirez isn’t a great fighter but he’s an excellent, durable boxer who knows how to win fights, the only exception being his setback to the gifted Dmitry Bivol. Mexicans should be proud of their countryman. …

Oscar Valdez (32-2, 24 KOs) is back in business after stopping Liam Wilson (13-3, 7 KOs) in seven rounds to win the WBO “interim” 130-pound title Friday in Glendale, Arizona. He could be elevated to full champion if titleholder Emanuel Navarrete moves up in weight as planned. It remains to be seen whether Valdez can beat a top talent after losses to Shakur Stevenson and Navarrete.

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Bloody mess: Photos from Sebastian Fundora’s gruesome upset of Tim Tszyu

Bloody mess: Photos from Sebastian Fundora’s gruesome upset of Tim Tszyu on Saturday in Las Vegas.

Sebastian Fundora upset Tim Tszyu by a split decision to become a unified 154-pound champion in a horribly bloody fight Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Tszyu (24-1, 17 KOs) suffered a deep cut on his hairline when his head collided with Fundora’s elbow in the third round, making it difficult for the Aussie to see. Fundora (21-1-1, 13 KOs) also bled from his nose and mouth.

Here are images from the fight. All photos by Steve Marcus of Getty Images.

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Sebastian Fundora upsets Tim Tszyu in bloody brawl to become unified champion

Sebastian Fundora upset Tim Tszyu in a bloody brawl to become a unified 154-pound champion Saturday in Las Vegas.

Sebastian Fundora was fortunate. He was also good. That combination resulted in the biggest victory of his life.

Fundora used his jab and a high work rate to upset Tim Tszyu by a split decision in a horribly bloody fight to become a unified 154-pound titleholder – his first major championships – on Saturday night at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

One judge had Tszyu winning 116-112 but the other two scored it for Fundora, 116-112 and 115-113. Boxing Junkie also had Fundora winning 116-112, eight rounds to four.

Why was Fundora lucky? Tszyu couldn’t see.

The Aussie got off to a strong start, working his way past his 6-foot-5½ opponent’s long jab to land several eye-catching punches that seemed to portend a strong performance from the champion.

Then, in Round 3, everything changed in an instant.

Tszyu (24-1, 17 KOs) suffered a deep cut on his hairline when his head collided with Fundora’s elbow. Blood gushed into his eyes for the remainder of the fight, impairing his sight and ability to fight effectively, although he never gave up.

And Fundora (21-1-1, 13 KOs) took full advantage. The “Towering Inferno,” a brawler at heart, used his jab and timely power shots to score points and keep Tszyu at a safe distance round after round.

Tszyu tried to overcome the monumental adversity – a giant opponent, a red haze – and had some good rounds, when he landed the cleaner, harder shots. That evidently won over one judge. However, Fundora stayed the course, outworking his favored opponent to have his hand raised.

The victory seemed particularly unlikely given that he had to contend with his own bloody nose and mouth, he was coming off a knockout loss to Brian Mendzoa and he took the fight less than two weeks ago, when Keith Thurman pulled out with a biceps injury.

Nevertheless, after taking Tszyu’s WBO belt and the vacant WBC title, he’s a world champion.

“Like I told you in the locker room, we’ve been praying for this moment for a long time,” Fundora said in the ring. “I’m just happy that Tim Tszyu gave me this opportunity and the opportunity became a dream come true.”

Fundora was asked about his battle with blood coming from his nose and mouth. His response could apply to both him and Tszyu.

“This is boxing, you’re going to get hurt,” he said. “I just gotta be smart. I’ve been telling everyone this whole camp that I’m going to use my brain, use my brain.

“I hope you guys saw me use my boxing skills today and you enjoyed it.”

Fundora also made unusual history with his victory. He and sister Gabriela Fundora reportedly are the only brother and sister to hold world boxing titles simultaneously in the history of the sport.

The new unified 154-pound champ credited his father and trainer, Freddy Fundora, who trains both of his offspring.

“It means the world,” Sebastian Fundora said. “Now I think my dad’s in the running for trainer of year. He did it (guiding two fighters to world titles) in six months. Without him, I wouldn’t be anywhere.

“Without him, our whole family would be nowhere near boxing. I’m so grateful.”

Meanwhile, Tszyu had to try to make sense of his first loss coming in strange and unfortunate circumstances.

He was asked what kept him going with blood in his eyes.

“I told you, I’m an old, throwback fighter, whatever the circumstances,” he said. “I couldn’t see but all credit goes to the man who won tonight. These things happen. The momentum was swinging hard in the first two rounds and then, boom, you’re blinded completely.

“This is boxing,” he added, echoing Fundora. “This is part of the sport. These things happen. Congrats to Fundora, the new king of 154.”

The determination Tszyu demonstrated in the fight certainly will carry over as he moves forward.

He can legitimately say that bad luck played as significant a role as Fundora did in his fate, which should take some of the sting out of his disappointment. He’ll let the cut heal, get back into the gym and then pursue what he believes is his destiny: a special place in boxing history.

“Look, we’ll bounce back,” he said. “… I showed up no matter what. And I always bring the fight. I was given one week [to prepare] but no excuses. I’ll fight whoever, whatever. Errol Spence is here. I’ll fight him, as well as Terence Crawford.

“If you want a good scrap, you know who to call.”

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Isaac Cruz sizzles in eighth-round knockout of overmatched Rolando Romero

Isaac Cruz made a loud statement by battering and then stopping Rolando Romero in eight rounds to win his first major title Saturday.

Isaac Cruz has officially arrived.

The relentless “Pitbull” battered WBA140-pound titleholder Rolando Romero before finally stopping him in the eighth round to win his first major world championship on the Tim Tszyu-Sebastian Fundora card Saturday in Las Vegas.

The fight was stopped 56 seconds into Round 8.

“I’m very happy and humbled to win this title for my family and for Mexico,” said Cruz, who was the target of trash talk from Romero leading up to the fight. “I was prepared for this. I wasn’t here to just fight. I was here to terminate him. …

“I did my talking right here in the ring. And I did this not just for me but for everybody that is here at T-Mobile Arena. There’s going to be a Mexican champ at 140 pounds for a long time.”

Cruz (26-2-1, 18 KOs) did his thing from the opening bell, which is to plow forward and wing hard punches to the head and body. Romero (15-2, 13 KOs) tried to counter, tried to get out of the way but simply had no answer for the onslaught.

Cruz almost took Romero out in the opening round when he rocked him with a left hook to the temple. Romero survived but that only prolonged the inevitable.

The new champion continued to walk Romero down, pounding him to every legal target on the body as the old champ jabbed, moved, held and sometimes fired back in an attempt to survive. Romero caught Cruz with solid shots coming in on occasion but he never fazed the Mexican once, which seemed to seal his fate.

Cruz again almost took out Romero in the final minute of Round 7, when he battered Romeo around the ring and took nothing in return. Again, Romero survived.

The end came the following round when Cruz unloaded a vicious flurry of hard, accurate shots that seemed to paralyze Romero, which prompted referee Thomas Taylor to jump between them to stop the action.

Cruz has now won four consecutive fights since he was outpointed by WBA 135-pound champ Gervonta Davis in 2021.

Romero is now 1-2 in his last three fights. He was stopped by Davis in six rounds in 2022.

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Isaac Cruz sizzles in eighth-round knockout of overmatched Rolando Romero

Isaac Cruz made a loud statement by battering and then stopping Rolando Romero in eight rounds to win his first major title Saturday.

Isaac Cruz has officially arrived.

The relentless “Pitbull” battered WBA140-pound titleholder Rolando Romero before finally stopping him in the eighth round to win his first major world championship on the Tim Tszyu-Sebastian Fundora card Saturday in Las Vegas.

The fight was stopped 56 seconds into Round 8.

“I’m very happy and humbled to win this title for my family and for Mexico,” said Cruz, who was the target of trash talk from Romero leading up to the fight. “I was prepared for this. I wasn’t here to just fight. I was here to terminate him. …

“I did my talking right here in the ring. And I did this not just for me but for everybody that is here at T-Mobile Arena. There’s going to be a Mexican champ at 140 pounds for a long time.”

Cruz (26-2-1, 18 KOs) did his thing from the opening bell, which is to plow forward and wing hard punches to the head and body. Romero (15-2, 13 KOs) tried to counter, tried to get out of the way but simply had no answer for the onslaught.

Cruz almost took Romero out in the opening round when he rocked him with a left hook to the temple. Romero survived but that only prolonged the inevitable.

The new champion continued to walk Romero down, pounding him to every legal target on the body as the old champ jabbed, moved, held and sometimes fired back in an attempt to survive. Romero caught Cruz with solid shots coming in on occasion but he never fazed the Mexican once, which seemed to seal his fate.

Cruz again almost took out Romero in the final minute of Round 7, when he battered Romeo around the ring and took nothing in return. Again, Romero survived.

The end came the following round when Cruz unloaded a vicious flurry of hard, accurate shots that seemed to paralyze Romero, which prompted referee Thomas Taylor to jump between them to stop the action.

Cruz has now won four consecutive fights since he was outpointed by WBA 135-pound champ Gervonta Davis in 2021.

Romero is now 1-2 in his last three fights. He was stopped by Davis in six rounds in 2022.

[lawrence-related id=41224,41221]

Erislandy Lara stops Michael Zerafa with massive left hand in second round

Erislandy Lara evidently is far from finished at 40. The WBA middleweight titleholder from Cuba stopped Michael Zerafa in the second round to retain his belt on the Tim Tszyu-Sebastian Fundora card Saturday in Las Vegas. Nothing much happened until …

Erislandy Lara evidently is far from finished at 40.

The WBA middleweight titleholder from Cuba stopped Michael Zerafa in the second round to retain his belt on the Tim Tszyu-Sebastian Fundora card Saturday in Las Vegas.

Nothing much happened until the violent ending, as each fighter used the first one-plus rounds to assess the strengths and weaknesses of the other.

Lara (30-3-3, 18 KOs) evidently figured it out quickly. In the final seconds of Round 2, Zerafa missed a left jab, and Lara, a southpaw, countered with a right and then a straight left to the chin that put Zerafa onto his back and hurt him badly.

Zerafa (31-5, 19 KOs) was able to get to feet but stumbled into a corner, which convinced referee Allen Huggins that the challenger was in no condition to continue. And no one objected to the stoppage.

The official time of the knockout was 2:59, meaning one second remained in the round.

Lara was making the second defense of his title. He also had a long reign as a 154-pound champion.

[lawrence-related id=41221]

Erislandy Lara stops Michael Zerafa with massive left hand in second round

Erislandy Lara evidently is far from finished at 40. The WBA middleweight titleholder from Cuba stopped Michael Zerafa in the second round to retain his belt on the Tim Tszyu-Sebastian Fundora card Saturday in Las Vegas. Nothing much happened until …

Erislandy Lara evidently is far from finished at 40.

The WBA middleweight titleholder from Cuba stopped Michael Zerafa in the second round to retain his belt on the Tim Tszyu-Sebastian Fundora card Saturday in Las Vegas.

Nothing much happened until the violent ending, as each fighter used the first one-plus rounds to assess the strengths and weaknesses of the other.

Lara (30-3-3, 18 KOs) evidently figured it out quickly. In the final seconds of Round 2, Zerafa missed a left jab, and Lara, a southpaw, countered with a right and then a straight left to the chin that put Zerafa onto his back and hurt him badly.

Zerafa (31-5, 19 KOs) was able to get to feet but stumbled into a corner, which convinced referee Allen Huggins that the challenger was in no condition to continue. And no one objected to the stoppage.

The official time of the knockout was 2:59, meaning one second remained in the round.

Lara was making the second defense of his title. He also had a long reign as a 154-pound champion.

[lawrence-related id=41221]