By: Sean Crose
The 24-1 Erickson Lubin faced the 18-0-1 Sebastian Fundora for the WBC interim super welterweight title Saturday night at Virgin Hotels in Las Vegas. The scheduled 12 round affair was the main event of a televised Showtime/Premier Boxing Champions’ card.
The opening chapter saw Lubin pick away at his man with his southpaw jab. Fundora banged away at Lubin in the second, getting in close and grinding out some serious work. Lubin returned fire, but some sound punching from Fundora put him down at the end of the round. Lubin was able to beat the count but his opponent’s blows were clearly taking effect.
The third started at a blistering pace with each man firing away at the other. They continued to bang away throughout the round. The far taller Fundora pushed the action in the fourth, but his shorter opponent landed good shots of his own and continued to fight hard. The high octane pace of the bout slowed down a bit in the fifth, though Fundora continued to press the action.
The sixth round was all about infighting, with neither man seeming to want the fight to go to the judge’s scorecards. Fundora really began to take it to his man in the seventh, turning the fight to a one sided affair. Then, almost instantaneously, a burst of power punching from Lubin put Fundora on the mat. Fundora got up bravely and managed to survive the chapter. Fundora then returned to form in the eighth. He took control of the fight again in the ninth.
Lubin’s corner then stopped the fight after the round had ended. A look at Lubin’s battered face made it clear as to why.