Sebastian Fundora TKO6 Headlining a PBC on Amazon Prime PPV event at the MGM Grand Garden Areana in Las Vegas, “The Towering Inferno” Sebastian Fundora successfully defended his WBC junior middleweight crown with a dominant performance against former welterweight champion Keith “One Time” Thurman.  The champion, 153.6 lbs., applied pressure from the start, increasing his punch output with each passing round. Thurman, of Clearwater, FL, spent much of the contest on his toes circling the ring, having difficulty getting inside Fundora’s 11-inch reach advantage. The six-foot-five Fundora, of Coachella, CA, literally towered over the five-foot-eight former unified 147lb. world champion. A welterweight for most of his career, Thurman, who weighed 152.6 lbs. tonight, moved up to 154 pounds in March 2025, following three years of inactivity.

 

A grazing right hand from Fundora caught Thurman off-guard in round two, causing him to stumble into the ropes. By the fourth, Fundora was digging hooks to the body. A barrage of punches in the fifth frame staggered the 37-year-old Thurman, whose face was visibly showing damage. The Tony Morgan-trained Thurman’s best chances came when Fundora closed the gap to land his own power shots. Much of Thurman’s offensive attempts were wild swings, hoping to catch the champion with his hands down. In the sixth, Fundora set out to end the contest with a sustained attack of combinations upstairs and to the body. A final volley of heavy leather prompted the referee to end the contest at the 1:17 mark of the stanza. Suffering his first defeat inside the distance, Thurman saw his record dip to 31-2 (23 KOs).

 

Making the third defense of his WBC crown, Fundora improved to 24-1-1 (16 KOs). He was stripped of the WBO title last May when he opted to go ahead with a rematch against Tim Tszyu rather than take on his mandatory Xander Zayas, who now holds the WBO and WBA 154lb. world title belts. 

 

“We've been working very hard for this fight. I told [Thurman] that I've always looked up to him. He's a Hall-of-Famer for sure. I take my hat off to him. That's why I had to train so hard to prove to the world that I'm the best at 154,” said Fundora. 

 

“I've fought in these high class fights that have allowed me to mature and grow. I've continued to strive for greatness and now I'm here. There's all kinds of big names. 154 is the best division right now. Whoever wants it next can get it.”

 

Thurman, who was highly critical of referee Thomas Taylor’s stoppage, said, “The fight was getting really good. The fans were loving the action and the referee stopped the fight too early. They don't have the guts to let the fights go on like the Erik Morales days. He talked to me and said if I was moving my feet he wouldn't stop the fight. I wasn't on the ropes taking shots. It was very unfortunate to not give the fans a better show. Win, lose, or draw, I thought it was a little bit premature. I had more in me. 

 

“It was a lot of fun. Sebastian definitely came in shape. He throws a lot of punches. The uppercut that caught me and cut me was an awkward punch that I've never been hit with before. The man brings it. He's a tremendous champion, and I can lift my head up high knowing I was defeated by a great young fighter.”