Fundora Dominates Keith Thurman, Stopping Him In Round Six

By David Finger

If there was any question about just how good Sebastian Fundora was, he answered it tonight in Las Vegas. Fundora dominated Keith Thurman, winning basically every minute of every round before the referee elected to wave off the massacre at 1:17 of round six. Although there were no knockdowns, and although Thurman was still trying to find an answer for Fundora’s reach and jab, it was clear that he had dug himself into such a deep hole that it would have taken a knockout for him to win. Still, fans booed the quick stoppage, even though Fundora was upping the pressure in rounds five and six and the knockout seemed a foregone conclusion.

The opening round set the tone of the fight, as Fundora clearly boxed effectively behind his long jab. The frustration on Thurman’s face was evident immediately, as he quickly realized that Fundora’s size advantage was something you can’t train for, no matter how great your camp might be. Although Thurman had a brief moment where he closed the gap at 2:00 of the round, it led to nothing noteworthy and in no way changed the domination that Fundora established.

Round two saw Thurman score what was probably his lone highlight as he landed a body shot early on. But it was all Fundora from that point on. A right-hand counter buckled Thurman and nearly sent him to the canvas, but although Fundora responded by sticking out his tongue, he wisely didn’t abandon what was working so effectively for him. He continued to dominate from the outside, and by round three, the first rumblings in press row began to emerge about a stoppage. When Thurman grazed Fundora with a right hand, Fundora responded with a quick flurry upstairs, and by round four, Fundora could see that his foe was wilting badly from the pressure. He began to incorporate hooks and combinations into his offensive output, and even though it exposed him a little more to Thurman, Keith was simply unable to capitalize. When a left hook clearly hurt Thurman in round five, Fundora began looking for the knockout and exploded with a flurry to close out the round.

The end came not with a bang, but with a simple recognition from referee Thomas Taylor that there was no chance for Keith Thurman to turn the tide. Although Thurman was not seriously hurt, he was still getting tagged, and Taylor decided to wave the fight off at 1:17 of round six, much to the dismay of the fans and Thurman.

Walkout Bout Result: Blancas Halts Johnson In Two

In the final bout of the night, lanky Aldo Blancas, 141.6, did his best Sebastian Fundora impersonation as he dominated a shorter Jamal Johnson, 140.8, before referee Thomas Taylor jumped in to stop the fight at 1:17 of the second round. Much like his stoppage in the Fundora-Thurman fight, fans booed as the stoppage appeared to some to be a bit quick. But Blanca’s was in complete control against the shorter man and had the Baltimore native visibly rattled. With the loss Johnson falls to 2-2, 1 KO. It was Blancas’s professional debut.

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