After the Fight: Did Sebastian Fundora level up?

Sebastian Fundora wins by unanimous decision against Carlos Ocampo but did he create more questions?

At times, a lot is asked of young fighters who receive a heavy promotional push during the early part of their career. Super welterweight Sebastian Fundora (20-0-1) was the headliner on Saturday night, and early on, it seemed as if the pressure had gotten to him a bit even though the 24-year-old walked into the ring all smiles. Nevertheless, Fundora successfully defended his interim WBC title against the tough Carlos Ocampo by unanimous decision (119-109,118-110 & 117-111) at the Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, CA.

The fight wasn’t a modern-day classic by no means, as Fundora started just using his right jab to keep Ocampo at bay and not using much of the combination punching we have been used to. Although the jab was working, there were spots where Fundora would dip down from his 6’6” frame and land to the body, but it kept his hands down, which made him very vulnerable to big wide shots from Ocampo. A few of Ocampo’s shots landed, and it looked as though it shifted Fundora’s thoughts on how he would finish this fight.

After the third round, Fundora threw out any thoughts of making this a boxing match and closed the distance, which gave him an advantage and disadvantage against Ocampo. The advantage was that he was in his comfort zone, and you could tell he thrived in that close distance. The disadvantage was that by being close, he was giving Ocampo all the opportunities to land big shots on him. Although the window of opportunity was there, and Ocampo took it, Fundora didn’t seem fazed by the shots and was right there with him, landing big shots of his own.

Sebastian Fundora beat Carlos Ocampo and is now in line for a shot at the title.

The thing with Fundora is that he is not a one-punch knock-out guy. He wears you down and just keeps coming. That’s precisely what happened in this one, and in the eighth round, it seemed like Ocampo was having a delayed reaction to the punches landed by Fundora. When Fundora landed some of his vintage combinations, Ocampo stood still for an additional second or two, which caught the attention of referee Jack Reiss. This was a cause for concern, and Reiss went to the corner and suggested that stopping the fight could occur if he didn’t show him something. Ocampo would finish the fight and lose by decision, but there was a ton of unnecessary criticism of the referee for suggesting the thought of stopping the fight.

Where do both fighters go from here? Let’s start with Ocampo, who lost by a wide decision. I don’t think he remains a contender for a title, but he does transition into a gatekeeper for the young fighters on the rise since he has shown how tough he can be in the ring. A fight that could potentially happen for Ocampo is against a guy like Charles Conwell (17-0), who is desperately looking to show the world why he is one of the most talented super welterweights in the division. Conwell fights in November, but a battle against Ocampo wouldn’t be out of the realm of possibility for early 2023.

Regarding Fundora, he answered many questions from that Erickson Lubin fight, where fans did not know if it took a little bit from him. Fundora also lets everyone know that the toughness is still there, and he isn’t afraid to get into his opponent’s kitchen even though he was knockdown in his last fight. The new questions come from his defense and the habit of dipping down, making him very vulnerable for a big shot. He was able to get away with it against Ocampo, but against the next tier of opponents, which is the champ Jermell Charlo, that could be a costly mistake. If you want to know how much of a mistake, watch Paul Williams vs. Sergio Martinez so you understand what could potentially happen. The other question is if Fundora can be successful on the back foot, as he hasn’t had someone put much pressure on him outside of the Lubin fight.

With this victory, Fundora is lining himself up for a title shot in 2023, as mentioned in the lead-up article to his fight. The winner of Charlo vs. Tszyu, which takes place in January, will be on the radar of Fundora. With all three fighters under the umbrella of Premier Boxing Champions, that should be a makeable fight. Given his performance on Showtime, did Fundora level up? Can everyone see him as the next super welterweight champion? Next year will be interesting, and we either witness the birth of a star or someone who was brought up too quickly and needs more seasoning.