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<\/a>Undefeated prospect Sebastian Fundora used his five-and-a-half-inch height advantage to cruise to victory Friday night in his first ShoBox: The New Generation appearance, forcing a TKO stoppage of Manuel Zepeda after four rounds from WinnaVegas Casino in Sloan, Iowa.<\/p>\nThe southpaw Fundora (13-0, 9 KOs), nicknamed \u201cThe Towering Inferno\u201d, started on the front foot and continuously backed up Zepeda (17-1, 4 KOs) with his activity, strong jab and excellent body punching. Fundora averaged 84 punches per round to Zepeda\u2019s 54 and landed 26 jabs to just four for Zepeda. Despite being perhaps the tallest fighter in the history of the 154-pound division, Fundora was effective and persistent in his body attack, connecting on 35 body punches.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m pretty happy with my performance,\u201d said the six-foot-five-and-a-half Fundora. \u201cI got to do what I wanted to do, which was show off a little bit more of my boxing skills.\u201d<\/p>\n
Between rounds, Zepeda\u2019s trainer, Romulo Quirarte, continuously warned his fighter that he would stop the fight unless Zepeda showed more aggression. After a lackluster fourth round, a frustrated Quirarte stuck to his word and informed referee Mark Nelson that his fighter would no longer continue.<\/p>\n
\u201cHonestly, Zepeda was a pretty tough guy so I didn\u2019t think that they were going to stop it,\u201d said Fundora, who has now registered five straight stoppages. \u201cI thought that it would have taken the ref stopping it, but either way we still got the stoppage and the result we were looking for.\u201d<\/p>\n
Zepeda, the 188th fighter to lose his unblemished record in the prospect-oriented series, knew he was in trouble from the beginning of the fight, \u201cHe caught me with a good punch in the first round and that took a toll on me,\u201d said a disappointed Zepeda. \u201cIt affected my performance.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy trainer Romulo Quirarte has been around and he knew better. Stopping the fight was what needed to be done. I was not performing well. We are going to keep on working hard and move forward. I\u2019m not giving up on my dream. One day I will be a world champion.\u201d<\/p>\n
In the co-feature, Dominican Republic\u2019s Michel Rivera (16-0, 10 KOs) made his U.S. debut in style, scoring a near-shutout unanimous decision over previously unbeaten Rene Tellez Giron (13-1, 7 KOs). The judges scored the fight 78-73, 78-73 and 79-72. Click HERE for highlights.<\/p>\n
In a clash of young, undefeated lightweight prospects, it was the 21-year-old Rivera who showed that he is one to watch, dominating the outmatched but gamed Tellez Giron throughout the eight rounds. Rivera capped a special performance with a knockdown late in the final round, finishing off a lightning quick combination with a right hook that sent Tellez Giron to the canvas for the first time in his career.<\/p>\n
Rivera’s blistering power punches landed at a 57 percent rate, while Tellez Giron was limited to 23 percent power accuracy. In all, Rivera led 205-101 in overall punches connected and 158-86 in power punches landed.<\/p>\n
Despite Rivera\u2019s impressive performance, the Santo Domingo native feels he has more to give.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m my harshest critic and although I won tonight, I\u2019m not happy with performance,\u201d he said. \u201cI was hoping to showcase my skills and I don\u2019t think I did that. You saw half of what I can do in the ring. I can do so much better.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere have been world champions from the Dominican Republic, but none of them have had long reigns. I want to be the first long reigning champion from my country, and to get there I have to work hard.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tellez Giron, who became the 187th fighter to lose his undefeated record on the developmental series, disagreed with the judges\u2019 scorecards.<\/p>\n
\u201cI felt the fight was closer than the judges saw it,\u201d he said. \u201cIt could have been a draw. Rivera caught me off balance and that\u2019s why I went down.<\/p>\n
\u201cToday we didn\u2019t lose, this was a learning experience. You have to know the taste of defeat to appreciate a victory.\u201d<\/p>\n
In the opening bout of the tripleheader, undefeated prospect Yeis Solano (15-0, 10 KOs) kept his record intact in an all-action, punishing affair with Elias Araujo (19-2, 7 KOs). Solano won via split-decision in a battle of Colombia vs. Argentina where a total of 1,470 punches were thrown. The judges scored the fight 76-75, 78-73 and 74-77. Click HERE for highlights.<\/p>\n
Solano, of Monteria, Colombia, earned the split-decision due to his sharper punching and a key knockdown in the closing seconds of a frantic fourth round. The 26-year-old Solano staggered his opponent on three occasions and despite Araujo\u2019s best efforts to survive the round, he finally went down for just the second time in his career when a right hook sent him face first into the ropes.<\/p>\n
\u201cI agree with the judges\u2019 decision, I won the fight,\u201d said Solano. \u201cIt wasn\u2019t easy but I feel I won. I hurt him in the fourth.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s a tough fighter. He\u2019s hard to counter. He was coming forward, pushing me against the ropes, not allowing me to bring the fight to the center of the ring. Now I\u2019m going to go back to the drawing board and work with my team to correct the mistakes I made tonight. I let Araujo dictate the pace and that almost cost me the fight.\u201d<\/p>\n
Araujo\u2019s workmanlike, high-volume punching approach made the fight difficult to score. He averaged more than 100 punches thrown per round. Solano, despite throwing fewer punches, showed more power and precision. He connected on 33 percent of his power punches compared to Araujo\u2019s 22 percent.<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought I won the fight,\u201d said Araujo. \u201cI was so sure I was winning by points. I was surprised when I heard the judges\u2019 decision. I\u2019m disappointed but I won\u2019t let this bring me down. I\u2019ll go back to California and continue training for the next opportunity that comes my way.\u201d<\/p>\n
Friday\u2019s fights were promoted by Sampson Boxing in association with Paco Presents. The full telecast will replay on Monday, June 24 at 10 p.m. ET\/PT on SHOWTIME EXTREME and will be available on SHOWTIME ANYTIME\u00ae and SHOWTIME on DEMAND\u00ae.<\/p>\n
Barry Tompkins called the action from ringside with boxing historian Steve Farhood and former world champion Raul Marquez serving as expert analysts. The executive producer was Gordon Hall with Richard Gaughan producing and Rick Phillips directing.<\/p>\n
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