Sebastian Fundora defends the WBC super welterweight title against unbeaten mandatory challenger Ermal Hadribeaj on Saturday, October 17 at The Chelsea at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas. The Premier Boxing Champions card airs on TNT and DAZN from 8 p.m. ET, with main event ring walks expected around 11 p.m. ET.
What’s at stake
This is a mandatory defense, and Fundora’s camp treated it that way from the start. “Sebastian Fundora will comply with the WBC and face his No. 1 mandatory next,” promoter Sampson Lewkowicz told BoxingScene in the summer, adding that any unification fight would wait until 2027.
Getting past Hadribeaj clears that path. Fundora believes fights with fellow titleholders Jaron Ennis and Josh Kelly are realistic once this one is done. “Next year, definitely, there’s going to be some unifications,” he told BroBible.
For Hadribeaj, it’s the first world title shot of a career that didn’t start in boxing at all.
The case for Sebastian Fundora
Fundora, 24-1-1 with 16 knockouts, is coming off a stoppage of Keith Thurman in March and says he has finished three straight opponents. He isn’t shy about expecting a fourth.
“Ability-wise, I see nothing really. But he’s still undefeated and he still wants to win,” Fundora said of Hadribeaj. “That’s the only thing that gives him a chance.”
The lone loss on his record came against Brian Mendoza, and he credits the run since then to growing up and listening more closely to his father in the gym. “Maturity. A lot of maturity,” he said.
The case for Ermal Hadribeaj
Hadribeaj, 23-0-1 with 8 knockouts, is a Miami-based Albanian and a former MMA fighter who earned this shot the hard way. In May he beat previously unbeaten Bakary Samake by unanimous decision in a WBC final eliminator, taking the WBC Silver belt and the No. 1 ranking with it.
He isn’t a knockout puncher, and he doesn’t need to be. The Samake win showed he can win over 12 rounds against a highly regarded, unbeaten opponent, which is exactly what a long night with Fundora would demand.
“I’m working hard to be at my best and become world champion on October 17,” Hadribeaj said when the fight was announced. “If he takes me lightly, he’s gonna be in for a big surprise.”
Full fight card
| Bout | Division | Rounds |
|---|---|---|
| Sebastian Fundora (c) vs. Ermal Hadribeaj | Super welterweight, WBC title | 12 |
| Brandon Figueroa (c) vs. Tomoki Kameda | Featherweight, WBA title | 12 |
| Armando Resendiz vs. Koen Mazoudier | Super middleweight | 10 |
| Marco Romero vs. Braulio Ferreira | Super middleweight | 8 |
In the co-main event, Brandon Figueroa makes the first defense of his WBA featherweight title against former world champion Tomoki Kameda, and has already said he’s open to a Naoya Inoue fight if he gets through it.
Former super middleweight champion Armando Resendiz stepped in against Koen Mazoudier after Jermall Charlo pulled out with a training camp injury. Unbeaten Marco Romero, 15-0, opens the telecast. Jaime Enrique Osuna Diaz vs. Cristian Cangelosi and David King Garcia vs. Angel Carrillo are on the preliminary portion.
How to watch
The televised card starts at 8 p.m. ET (5 p.m. PT) on Saturday on TNT and DAZN in the US, with no pay-per-view charge. Fundora and Hadribeaj are expected to walk around 11 p.m. ET (8 p.m. PT).
For UK viewers, that’s a 1 a.m. BST start on Sunday morning, with the main event around 4 a.m. Check DAZN in your region for availability outside the US.
