Sebastian Fundora and his increasing power as a super welterweight

Sebastian Fundora is emerging as a knockout threat in the super welterweight division. He fights veteran Jorge Cota next. 

In boxing, punching power can be a strange thing. You either have it, or you don’t. But for some fighters, power takes time to emerge. Based on his last two performances, it looks like Sebastian Fundora is a bonafide knockout puncher.

Fundora (16-0, 11 KOs) has a solid KO percentage at 64 percent. He’s riding a two-fight KO streak, and his punches appear to be having a bigger impact recently. Fundora stopped Habib Ahmed in the second round in his last fight, and he knocked out Nathaniel Gallimore four months before that.

Fundora has noticed a difference in his punching power too.

“With this camp by itself, I felt like I grew two times stronger,” Fundora told FanSided. “So with age, the power is going to come. And I’ve been waiting for this moment for a long time. You know, I remember my dad was telling me a lot though, wait till your manpower comes in, and we will be strong back then when we were younger, but it just seems like it’s endless now.”

Fundora is finding new strength and the 6-foot-5 super welterweight has tons of potential at just 23 years of age. His height and reach are daunting for the 154-pound division, and his youth is the cherry on top.

“We’re not even past 25 years,” said Fundora. “So it’s crazy. I think we’re settling into our manpower completely now. But uh, there’s plenty more time to grow, plenty more room to grow. You know? Maybe by the end of my career, I’ll be fighting a light heavyweight? Who knows?”

Sebastian Fundora has a two-fight knockout streak. Can he make it three against Jorge Cota?

Fundora is very tall and long for the division. He fights Jorge Cota on May 1 on the Andy Ruiz Jr. vs. Chris Arreola FOX pay-per-view card. Fundora is half a foot taller than Cota and has a 7-inch reach advantage. Those numbers are actually closer than most fights for Fundora.

Fundora is developing into a special fighter. Currently, he’s rated as the 17th best super welterweight in the world by Boxrec.com. Despite having a massive height and reach advantage over most of his opponents, Fundora prefers to mix things up on the inside.

Conventional wisdom would be for the taller, longer fighter to box from the outside, but that’s not Fundora. His increasing power makes him even more dangerous because of his battling style.

“I definitely created my own style,” explained Fundora. “I don’t see a lot of super welterweights walking at 6-foot-6. That’s a style I think I had to create for myself, but I did pick up things from different fighters. I like fighters that knock out people, you know. I like fighters with power, and I always admire fighters with power because that’s what the fans like.”

Fundora absorbed knowledge from the boxers that influenced him, and he keeps getting better. His contest with Cota will be his first in 2021. Fundora wants to get in as much work as possible this year.

“If I can have 10 [fights], why not?” said Fundora, half-joking. “Give me the chance to have 10 fights in a row. Why not?”

Fundora needs to get past Cota before moving on to the next fight, but the heavy betting odds in his favor imply that he should be on the rise following his matchup with Cota. If Fundora delivers another knockout against Cota, then he might become the most feared punchers in the division.

Watch Sebastian Fundora vs. Jorge Cota on the undercard of Andy Ruiz Jr. vs. Chris Arreola on Saturday, May 1. The fight card can be purchased through FOX pay-per-view and the FITE app. Coverage begins at 9 p.m. ET.