By: Sean Crose
24-1 Erickson Lubin faced Sebastian Fundora 18-0-1 for the WBC interim super heavyweight belt on Saturday night at Virgin Hotels in Las Vegas. The scheduled 12-round event is the main event of the Showtime/Premier Boxing Champions’ card on television.
The opening chapter sees Lubin stab his man. Fundora lunges at Lubin in a second, getting close and getting some serious work done. Lubin returned fire, but a few punches from Fundora knocked him down late in the round. Lubin was able to beat the numbers but his opponent’s attacks clearly worked.
The third match started at breakneck speed with each player shooting the other. They continued to fight each other throughout the round. The much taller Fundora stepped up the action in the fourth inning, but his shorter opponent parried his good shots and continued to fight hard. The high-octane pace of the match slowed down a bit in the fifth round, though Fundora continued to hit the action.
The sixth round was about infighting, it seemed that no man wanted the fight to go to the judges’ scorecards. Fundora really begins to take it to her man in season seven, turning the fight into a one-sided relationship. Then, almost immediately, a powerful punch from Lubin sent Fundora to the ground. Fundora bravely stood up and managed to survive the chapter. Fundora then returned to form in season eight. He took control of the fight again in ninth.
Lubin’s corner then stopped the game at half-time. Looking at Lubin’s bruised face it was clear why.
