WBC junior middleweight champion Sebastian “The Towering Inferno” Fundora will bring his all-action style to the ring against unbeaten mandatory challenger Ermal Hadribeaj headlining the latest installment of “The Fight” live on TNT and DAZN on Saturday, October 17th at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas and presented by Premier Boxing Champions. The show begins at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT and also features two-division champion and reigning WBA featherweight champion Brandon “The Heartbreaker” Figueroa making his first defense against former bantamweight champion Tomoki Kameda, plus undefeated former two-division champion Jermall Charlo against Australia’s Koen Mazoudier in a ten-round super middleweight showdown. The fourth installment of the acclaimed live monthly boxing series “The Fight”, this event will be broadcast co-exclusively in the U.S. on TNT, truTV and DAZN. Tickets are available through Ticketmaster.com. The event is promoted by TGB Promotions and Sampson Boxing.
“Sebastian Fundora, Brandon Figueroa and Jermall Charlo are three of the sport’s most dominant and fan-friendly stars and will all need to be at their best to deliver another memorable night on October 17th,” said Tom Brown, President of TGB Promotions. “Fundora and Figueroa are each matched up against tough challengers who are highly-motivated to wrest their belts away in the undefeated Ermal Hadribeaj and the former champion Tomoki Kameda, while Charlo will go up against a come-forward brawler in Koen Mazoudier. With these action-packed styles entering the ring, October 17th is a perfect card to be featured on a big stage on TNT and DAZN and at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas.”
“October 17th in Las Vegas will be a grand stage for Sebastian Fundora to once again prove that he towers over the rest of the 154-pound division,” said Sampson Lewkowicz of Sampson Boxing. “I am sure that Ermal Hadribeaj will bring everything he’s got, but I am confident that ‘The Towering Inferno’ will leave with his hand raised.”
“One of the strengths of ‘The Fight’ is the opportunity to build real continuity around the fighters and divisions we’re showcasing,” said Britton Hardin, Head of Boxing, North America at DAZN. “Fans who watched Bruce Carrington compete on the first installment are now seeing Brandon Figueroa featured in the co-main event, with both champions potentially on a path toward each other at featherweight. That kind of linear storytelling across TNT and DAZN helps elevate the fighters, builds anticipation for what could come next and gives audiences a deeper connection to the sport.”
Standing nearly six-feet, six-inches, Fundora has cemented his place at 154 pounds with a series of dominating performances and will look to make the fourth defense of his crown against the WBC’s mandatory challenger, the unbeaten Ermal Hadribeaj in the twelve-round main event.
Fundora (24-1-1, 16 KOs) first rocketed to the top of his weight division by dethroning Tim Tszyu via decision in 2024’s bloodiest fight, earning both the WBC and WBO titles. After defending his belts with a knockout of Chordale Booker in March of last year, Fundora put his WBC belt back on the line in a July rematch against Tszyu. This time, Fundora closed the show in style, dropping Tszyu in the first round before forcing an end to the bout after round seven. A native of Coachella, California, Fundora most recently blew through another highly-accomplished challenger in March, as he stopped former unified champion Keith Thurman in the sixth-round. The 28-year-old notably showed his mettle in April 2022, battling the hard-hitting Erickson Lubin in an instant 2022 Fight of the Year contender. Despite both men hitting the canvas, Fundora stood tall in the end, prompting Lubin’s corner to stop the fight at the end of the ninth round. Fundora represents one of boxing’s most accomplished families, as he is trained by his father Freddy alongside his younger sister, undisputed flyweight world champion Gabriela. The two fighting Fundoras are the first brother and sister to simultaneously hold world championships.
“Camp is going great! October 17th is going to be an exciting night for boxing fans, Sebastian ‘The Towering Inferno’ Fundora will be taking over Las Vegas once again,” said Fundora.
Originally from Tirana, Albania, Hadribeaj (23-0-1, 8 KOs) now resides and trains in Miami as he prepares for the world title opportunity he’s worked his whole career towards. The 32-year-old first announced himself as a world contender in 2022, as he won a vacant international title with a dominant unanimous decision victory over the previously unbeaten Daniel Buciuc. He continued to rise up the rankings with a stoppage of former world champion Carlos Molina in 2023 and unanimous decisions over previously unbeaten contenders Bohdan Shtonda and Younes Zarraa in 2024. He earned his spot as Fundora’s mandatory this May when he went twelve rounds for the first time in a unanimous decision triumph over previously undefeated Bkary Samake. This will be Hadribeaj’s first fight stateside since May 2023, in a career that has also seen him compete in his native Albania, Germany, Croatia, Uzbekistan and the United Arab Emirates.
“I’m working hard to be at my best and become world champion on October 17th,” said Hadribeaj. “This is what I’ve worked for my entire career, and I’m going to be prepared for the fight Fundora is gonna bring. If he takes me lightly, he’s gonna be in for a big surprise.”
