Sebastian Fundora stops Erickson Lubin, captures WBC interim belt

The site of this epic main Event between Erickson "The Hammer" Lubin (24-2, 17 KOs) and Sebastian Fundora (19-0-1, 13 KOs) took place in Las Vegas at the Virgin Hotel under the bright lights of Showtime in a PBC event promoted by TGB Promotions. 

This was the first event Showtime televised from the newly renovated Casino which was formerly the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino. And it was certainly not one to forget. 

Lubin, of Orlando, challenged the much taller Fundora (6ft 5) for the WBC interim 154 lb title.  

Fundora, of Coachella, CA, came in looking to cement his place among the top junior middleweights in the world.  

Lubin boxed very well in the opening round and had early success with right hooks to the head and straight punches to the body. 

Lubin’s offensive success continued throughout the second round up until Fundora landed a series of big punches and most notably a right uppercut that put the Florida native on the canvas.  

The ensuing rounds were competitive while Fundora continued to pressure and stay in close range while Lubin looked to go toe to toe with the fighter known as "The Towering Inferno."

Fundora came out firing in the 7th round and imposed his will.  Shockingly, Lubin found a burst of energy and landed a series of power shots that caused Fundora to take a knee.  

Judges Dave Moretti and Steve Weisfeld both scored the round 10-8 despite Fundora’s success leading up to the knockdown.

Judge Tim Cheatham scored the round 10-9 while Showtime’s Steve Farhood obliged with the same score.  

Throughout the 8th and 9th rounds Fundora quickly got his legs back and continued to pressure Lubin while throwing at high volume.  

As a 9th round came to a close it only took trainer Kevin Cunningham a few seconds to wave it off, saving Lubin from further punishment.  His face was badly swollen and he made the right decision to stop the fight.  

Ice was thrown at Cunningham for making the decision to stop the fight.  

The judges had a slight edge for Lubin but it could have gotten ugly over the last three rounds if it went that far.  

Promoter Sampson Lewkowicz looked confident in the days leading up to the fight and had a smile on his face as if he knew what was going to happen.  

There are some interesting fights to be made at 154 lbs as more of the smoke clears.  

In the 10-round co-feature, Tony "Super Bad" Harrison (29-3-1, 21 KOs) of Detroit, Michigan dominated a game Sergio Garcia (33-2, 14 KOs) of Spain over the 10 round duration. 

Harrison earned the WBC silver super welterweight belt and is now in a position to challenge once again for the world title.  

The slick Detroit fighter used his jab and excellent defensive skills throughout the fight while Garcia fought aggressively but had trouble landing consistently enough to earn more than a couple rounds on one of the judges’ score cards. 

Two shutouts of 100-90 and a 98-92 score were rightfully announced as Harrison put a stamp on the boxing clinic he put on. 

Harrison’s been through a lot since losing his father and it was great to see him come back to the ring in impressive fashion. 

In the opening TV fight, Bryant "Goodfella" Perrella (17-3-2, 14 KOs) of Ft Meyers, FL and Kevin Salgado (14-0-1, 9 KOs) of Mexico City battled to a 10-round split draw.

It was a true contrast of styles with the southpaw Perrella the taller and longer of the two, and the shorter, orthodox Salgado as the aggressive, power puncher. 

There were some tough rounds to score in this one.  

Perrella, in my opinion, fought his fight and followed the plan that his trainer Roy Jones Jr had in place.  Feinting, level changes, jabs, effective countering.

He found a home for his left uppercut to the chin and to the body, most notably the counter left uppercut in the fifth round.  

Salgado landed his fair share of right hands to the body which looked to be his most obvious punch of the fight. 

Obviously both guys felt they won the fight as they expressed afterwards.  

Salgado finished the fight strong in the final two rounds and showed more aggression than he did throughout the middle of the fight.  

The judges scored the fight 97-93 for Perrella, 96-94 Salgado, and 95-95.  

Undercard results: Hart-Breaking Defeat steals the undercard attention.

Cincinnati’s Jamontay Clark (16-2-1, 7 KOs) scored a split decision victory over durable California native Aaron Coley (16-4-1, 7 KOs) over eight rounds. 

Scores were 77-75 x 2 for Clark, and 77-75 for Coley.  Both tipped the scales just over the junior middleweight limit. 

Clark sparred with Lubin for this fight and is the loan blemish on Fundora’s record, after battling to a draw nearly three years ago. 

In one of the evening’s most exciting fights Filipino native and Olympic bronze medalist Eumir Marcial (2-0, 1 KO) scored a controversial fourth round TKO over Atlantic City’s Isiah Hart (6-3-1, 4 KOs) at :47 of the fourth round of a scheduled six. 

The contract weight was 162 lbs whole Marcial came in at 160.2 and Hart at 161.8. 

Marcial, of MP Promotions, found himself on the canvas early and often. 

Hart landed a clean right hand early in the first round after some feeling-out moments by both parties. That sharp right hand sent Marcial to the canvas. Two more right hands in the second round, earned the same result, putting the decorated Filipino on the canvas two more times. 

Marcial, a southpaw, fought aggressively, attacking the body and looking to land upstairs to the 6ft 3 Hart, who was able to counter effectively at times with his back against the ropes. 

Marcial continued to press the action in the third round while Hart looked to circle and use his jab when the two were not in a clinch.  Marcial’s body work continued to slow down the fleet-footed Hart. 

In the fourth round Marcial landed a left hand to the head of Hart.  Some questioned if the punch landed on the back of his head.

Hart retreated to the ropes and quickly tied up as referee Raul Caiz Jr. stepped in to stop the fight.  

Many felt the stoppage was premature including Showtime analyst Raul Marquez.  He simply smiled, shook his head, and said, "That’s boxing!"

All three judges scored the opening round 10-9, including Las Vegas judge Dave Moretti. Scores were 29-26 at the time of the stoppage.  

Hart was very disappointed in the referee’s decision to stop the fight. 

Both fighters gave a great effort and pleased the fans.  The word "rematch" circulated through the area shortly after the fight. 

Super bantamweight Albert Gonzalez (2-0, 1 KO) of Moreno, Valley, California scored a fourth round TKO over Santa Clara, Arizona’s Deiniel Alegre (1-1, 1 KO).  

Gonzalez jumped on Alegre early and often, leaving the Arizona native little space to breathe.

The stoppage came at :57 of the final round. Both fighters came in just over the super bantamweight limit.

In the opening fight of the night a successful pro debut by Donna, TX native Xavier Bocanegra (1-0) went all four rounds against Tucson’s Jose Ramirez (1-2, 1 KO) in the super bantamweight division. 

Xavier was sharp and notched 40-36 scores across the board. 

Several notable fighters were in attendance to witness this night of boxing including Shakur Stevenson, Devin Haney, Rolando Romero, Caleb Plant, Adrien Broner, and a number of others.