LAS VEGAS (AP) — Sebastian Fundora easily retained his WBC super welterweight championship, knocking out Keith Thurman at 1:17 of the sixth round on Saturday night.
Referee Thomas Taylor stopped the fight after Fundora battered Thurman repeatedly, the former unified welterweight champion’s bloody face showing the damage.
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The 6-foot-5 Fundora (24-1-1, 16 knockouts) used his nine-inch height and reach advantage to pepper Thurman (31-2, 23 KOs) with a series of hard lefts and combinations. Thurman managed to get into the occasional blow, but had to pick his spots.
There just wasn’t enough of an opportunity for him.
By the fifth round, Fundora was in complete control, delivering blow after blow with Thurman against the ropes. A knockout seemed like a matter of time, and it nearly came in the closing seconds of that round.
The moment, instead, occurred early in the sixth.
Fundora, a 28-year-old from Coachella, California, was a significant favorite entering the bout, listed at -325 at BetMGM Sportsbook.
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Thurman, a Clearwater, Florida resident, looked all of his 37 years old, and perhaps after this night, it could have some big decisions to make about his future. Thurman once ruled the welterweight division, his only loss before this one occurring July 20, 2019, in a split-decision loss to Manny Pacquiao.
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AP boxing: https://apnews.com/boxing