By Joseph Santoliquito

Fundora and Tszyu cap off a thrilling night of action with a tense back and forth battle that ended with a career-defining win for Fundora Saturday night.

The long car rides. The long morning runs. Sebastian Fundora’s climb to the top was never a lonely one, because he always had his family with him. The quest was always to win a world title since “The Towering Inferno” first put on gloves.

The 6-foot-5½ southpaw got to live his dream before 14,726 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday night by winning the WBO and WBC 154-pound titles with a split-decision victory over Tim Tszyu on Premier Boxing Champions’ inaugural Prime Video event.

Sebastian now joins his younger sister Gabriela Fundora, the IBF flyweight titlist, as a rare pair of brother-sister world boxing champions.

Judge Tim Cheatham saw it 116-112 for Tszyu, overruled by David Sutherland’s 115-113 score and Steve Weisfeld’s 116-112 card for Fundora.

Fundora (21-1-1, 13 KOs) handed Tszyu his first career loss in a fight best described as gory.

The first round was a feeling out stanza, but Tszyu (24-1, 17 KOs) did connect with a straight right on Fundora with 50 seconds left in the round.

But it was the second that changed the course of the fight. Tszyu returned to his corner after the round with a cut on the left side of his forehead, which was leaking badly. Fundora returned to his corner with a severely bloody nose.

A replay showed near the end of the second as Tszyu dipped to avoid a punch, his head caught a piece of Fundora’s left elbow, opening the gash.

The cut seemed to spark a sense of alacrity in Tszyu, because he came out for the third with a purpose, sensing the fight might be stopped because of the cut. Tszyu appeared to have problems seeing. He kept swiping the blood from his eyes as Fundora began tagging him with the jab.

Tszyu walked out for the fourth wearing a red mask. He was missing bad, while Fundora kept poking away with the jab and kept connecting.

By the fifth, both fighters were literally in a blood bath. Fundora was growing more confident and comfortable with each round, like watching a live horror show. Referee Harvey Dock began taking a closer look at both fighters. Since the cut, Tszyu did not appear to be the same fighter.

At the start of the seventh, the ringside doctor came up and looked at Tszyu’s cut again. They decided to go on.

Fundora wisely kept a safe distance, used his jab, and stayed away. Tszyu, to his credit, was fighting an ongoing battle of the blood falling in his eyes and Fundora’s jab falling on his face. Tszyu showed little activity in the seventh, as Fundora kept poking him with the jab.

Through nine, it seemed an even fight, with Fundora holding possibly a slight edge on activity. But in the 10th, Tszyu began opening a little more. He started attacking Fundora to the body and became more aggressive, willing to take a risk. Fundora, meanwhile, was wearing shining gloves from Tszyu’s blood. He kept Tszyu away with the jab and was very effective the times Tszyu closed in.

Midway through the 11th, Fundora had outlanded Tszyu 165-152. Fundora had boxed smartly, and patiently stayed with a game plan.

In the last round, Fundora used his jab again in keeping the shorter Tszyu away. He kept a tight defense, which for a moment Tszyu cracked with 1:37 left in the fight with a straight right to the head. Fundora took the shot well. He kept Tszyu at the end of the jab and seemed to have lived a dream come true by winning his first major world championship.

Isaac Cruz wins his first world title by demolishing Rolando Romero

Isaac Cruz said his actions would speak louder than Rolando “Rolly” Romero’s words.

“Pitbull’s” punches spoke loudly.

Cruz captured his first world title by smashing Romero before finishing him off at :56 to win the WBA Super Lightweight World Championship in his 140-pound debut.

“I’m very happy and humbled to win this title for my family and for Mexico,” Cruz said. “I was prepared for this. I wasn’t here to just fight. I was here to terminate him … I did my talking right here in the ring. And I did this not just for me but for everybody that is here at T-Mobile Arena. There’s going to be a Mexican champ at 140 pounds for a long time.”

Cruz (26-2-1, 18 KOs) came out swinging like a man possessed in the first minute. Clearly the fan favorite, it took “Pitbull” about 90 seconds to hone in and calm down. Romero, meanwhile, tried to keep Cruz off him, before he nailed Romero with a looping left hook to the side of the head with just over a minute left in the round.

The shot disconnected Romero (15-2, 13 KOs). He was never the same again. Romero was left stumbling; his legs were locked. He was barely able to get out of the round.

Cruz stalked Romero again in the second, though not to the effectiveness of the first round.

By the third, Romero appeared to have his legs back, but it was “Rolly” who would first register fear. With a minute left in the third, Cruz crowded Romero again, walking through everything Romero threw.

With 1:10 left in the fourth, Cruz cornered Romero, plowed him with thudding shots, and Romero knew better to stand there and take it. He got out, though barely, and safely stayed away the remainder of the round.

In the last 15 seconds of the fifth, Cruz had Romero pinned against the ropes, smacking him with shots to the head and the body. Romero spent most of the round running from Cruz than he did engaging him.

In the sixth, Cruz went chasing Romero again. He connected on a few body shots, while Romero extended his left in trying to measure Cruz. He threw one punch at a time, and rarely landed anything in combination.

By the seventh, Cruz had outlanded Romero 90-75. But it was the visual of Cruz, chin tucked, eyes determined, constantly coming at Romero. With 40 seconds left in the seventh, Cruz placed Romero in deep trouble again. A Cruz right uppercut, followed by a left hook, followed by a right had Romero reeling around the ring.

Referee Tom Taylor looked at Rolly before the eighth, concerned he had little left to fend off Cruz.

With 2:18 left in the eighth, Taylor stopped the action so Cruz could get tape reattached to his glove. Then “Pitbull” went at Romero again—this time finishing him.

He slammed a left hook into Romero’s chin, followed by a right, left, and another punishing right before Taylor mercifully stepped in and ended it at :56 of the eighth.

“I feel great!” Cruz said. “Here were the fruits of four months of hard work reaping their rewards. This is priceless. It was just a matter of time, but damn if it doesn’t feel good to be a world champion. I fought with the intention to leave the decision out of the judges’ hands. Mission accomplished.”

Article courtesy of PBC