Sebastian Fundora rises to stop Erickson Lubin after nine brutal rounds

In a war of attrition, Sebastian Fundora stopped Erickson Lubin after nine brutal rounds at The Theater at Virgin Hotels in Las Vegas, NV Saturday night. 

 

Sadly the bout had flown under the radar though many, this writer included, anticipated a tremendous fight.

 

It was. 

 

The towering Fundora struck first when he wobbled than floored Lubin with an inside right uppercut in the final seconds of round two. Lubin got up on shaky legs. Somehow he made it to the end of the heat. 

 

Lubin looked fully recovered in round three. A number of shots bloodied Fundora’s face. His hammer like punches had him winning three of the first four rounds.

 

Fundora was hardly finished. If anything, he seemed to enjoy the back and forth action.

 

He ignored Lubin’s body attack to slash his opponent with inside uppercuts. The blows caused the number one contender’s face to swift and swell. 

 

Round seven was damaging for both fighters. Fundora cracked Lubin with a half dozen punches that seemingly had him out on his feet, but Lubin showed championship mettle by turning the tide with an unrelenting series of hooks that eventually forced Fundora to the canvas. 

 

“I got hit with a good punch and I didn’t feel like I needed to get hit again so I took a knee to get a little breather in and I recovered,” said Fundora. 

 

Fundora got up punching, strafing Lubin with vicious headshots in rounds eight and nine. Lubin’s trainer Kevin Cunningham asked referee Russell Mora to stop the fight after round nine. At the time of the stoppage, Lubin led 85-84 on two judges’ cards, with the third judge scoring the fight 85-85.

 

In the co-main event, crafty former super middleweight Tony Harrison (29-3-1, 21 KOs) dominated Sergio Garcia (33-2, 14 KOs) for 10-rounds.

 

“I pitched a shutout against a guy who just fought a guy that’s in the main event right now,” said the crafty Harrison. “Muscles are the way in the street, but skills pay the bills.”

 

You bet.

 

Kevin Salgado (14-0-1, 9 KOs) and Bryant Perrella (17-3-2, 14 KOs) fought to a split-draw after 10-rounds of action.

 

Perrella jabbed and moved consistently from the outset, a punch he landed 64 times throughout the contest. e.  

 

“I thought my game plan and execution was great,” said Perrella. “I boxed smart. I broke him down. I’m not going to run from him. ”

 

Salgado, who landed a number of body shots, saw the fight differently. 

 

“I felt like I won,” said Salgado. “All Perrella did was run around and away from me.”