Brian Mendoza Shocks Fundora

Brian Mendoza Rallies to Knock Out Cold Sebastian Fundora

By Lauren Rodriguez

(All photos by Al Applerose)

CARSON, Ca.- It was a chilling night in Los Angeles County’s coldest outdoor venue. The breeze cooled down the heating ring as viewers cheered on. Showtime sports and Premier Boxing Champions held their latest event at Dignity Health Sports Arena.

The main event of the night was between Sebastian “The Towering Inferno” Fundora (20-0-1,13 KOs) and Brian Mendoza (22-2, 15 KO’s). Mendoza began the first round by fighting on the outside, the two fighter’s leading knees seemed to be only an inch from bumping into each other. The set up between a lengthy southpaw and a shorter orthodox fighter made for an awkward fight. Although shorter in length, New Mexico native, Mendoza was able to extend his reach to the body of his opponent pretty easily in the first rounds.

As the match progressed, Mendoza began to lose his ability to get inside his opponent's body. Mendoza began suffering with damage to the face, becoming frustrated and bloody as the match continued. By the fifth round Mendoza appeared to be hanging on for dear life, barely attempting a jab as Fundora continued to attack from above. The seventh round appeared to be no different before Fundora’s right hand seemed to wake up the beast in his opponent. Mendoza retaliated with shots to the body before dazing Fundora with a left hand. As Mendoza took a moment to gather himself, Mendoza realized he had stunned the towering opponent. After slight hesitation, Mendoza continued with his right hand and another left combination that sent Fundora dropping straight back. It was 39 seconds of the seventh round that Mendoza stopped the once undefeated Fundora.

“The thing with him was to break him down. He’s a monster, he literally does not stop throwing punches and I wasn't going to sit there in the middle and trade with him. You saw he would do sneaky weird shots. So, I don’t care, I'll give rounds away. The game plan from the beginning was to break the machine down and take him out, either in the late half by decision or take him out late,” said Mendoza.

Mendoza becomes the new WBC interim super welterweight title holder, improving to (22-2, 15 KO’s).

Co- Main

In the super lightweight division, fan favorite Brandon Lee (29-0, 23 KO) and Mexico's Pedro Campa (34-2-2,23 KO’s) faced off in a 10-round bout.  The two quickly moved up the arena as they went blow for blow within seconds. Lee used his left jab to move the round, knocking Campa’s mouthpiece for the first of many times.

Campa seemed tired by the first round, Lee appeared to enjoy the warmup.  Campa was sturdy but retaliation by left hooks and a straight jab to the face by Lee knocked Campa’s mouthpiece once more.

The crowd favorite seemed to be Lee who had fans screaming his name from around the arena. Despite being on the ropes Lee was able to maneuver his way out  from Campas attacks, repositioning himself for a sturdy counter. As campa made a comeback in the fifth round, Lee seemed to tire out. Campas focus on his opponent's body seemed to be working in his advantage. The constant focus up top was a hassle for Campas mouthpiece that just wouldn’t stay put in his mouth.

 The two began going blow for blow in an attempt to see who tired first. Lee's inability to move down on his opponent's body seemed to foreshadow a knockout but the fighter resisted, with his focus on Campas face. Lee's endurance was his saving grace as a boxer with heavier hands could potentially knock the fighter out early in the match. The fight was scored a unanimous decision of 99-91, 97-93 and 98-92, a victory for Lee. Lee remains undefeated  with (28-0, 23 KO)

“Not my best fight, not my best performance but definitely my toughest fight and biggest fight of my career. I feel like his punches, he was more of a volume puncher and mine weren’t precise but what I threw was more explosive and I landed the harder, more effective shots,” said Lee.

Other bouts

A ten round match in the featherweight division, Luis Nunez (19-0, 13 KO’s) and  Christian “Kiki” Olivo (20-0-2, 7 ko) quickly went to work. Olivio was quick to work over and under, Nunez using his jab to maintain his stance. Nunez tried to get closer but Olivo's retaliation seemed quicker and doubled the amount of damage.

It was in the third round that Nunez clocked Olvio with a hard left that generated a loud gasp from the crowd. Although he had fewer hits, Nunez was patient as Olivo continued to let combinations fly. Nunez began to let heavy hitters fly, dazing Olivo and knocking Olivo down before he rose to continue the fight. Olivo was knocked down once more in the ninth round before rising again to meet an impenetrable wall that was Nunez’s defense. By the tenth round, Olivo seemed to be falling over as he attacked, bleeding from what appeared to be his eyebrow and the fighter became noticeably weaker.

The bout was scored 98-92, 100-99, 97-93, a unanimous decision in favor of Nunez.

“My jab was working each round and he threw a lot of punches that couldn’t reach me,” said Nunez.

Nunez remains undefeated at (19-0, 13 KO’s).

A four-round bout in the heavyweight division between Federico Pacheco Jr (3-0, 2 KO’) Felipe Torres (0-2) was quickly brought to a halt. A left overhand thrown by Pacheco in the first round threw Torres completely back and through the ropes. It was at 1:40 that the match ended, a knockout victory for Pacheco. Pacheco remains undefeated with three victories, two by way of knockout.

A super welterweight match between Gabriel “El Capitan” Maestre (5-0-1, 4KO’S) and Devon Alexander  (27-7-1, 17 KO’s) quickly steamed up the ring. Alexander was quick and vicious, fighting on the inside. It was in the second round that power shifted as Maestre knocked his opponent with a left hand. Alexander quickly rolled the pain off as he jumped up before the count. Maestre picked up speed in the third round as Alexander appeared dazed, throwing short jabs. Maestres' power punches to the body seemed to take their toll on Alexander who seemed to be breathing heavily in his corner before he decided to call the fight. Maestre remains undefeated with five victories, four by way of knockout.

A fight in the super featherweight division between Adrian Corona (9-2-1, 2KO) and Jerry Perez (14-1-2, 11 ko) went the 8 round distance. The boxers were similar in height and stature, their actions often mirroring that of the other. The two threw combination after combination, the match becoming a matter of who would tire out first. The two kept their hands busy, going blow for blow with every available second.

It was in the fourth round that Perez began to suffer a bloody eyebrow, missing shots and aiming with less power. Perez began overextending his arms, opening himself up for damage. Although not unscathed, Corona mated to get inside his opponent before Perez amped up. Corona became hunched over, almost unable to retaliate as he circled around the ropes.

The bout was scored 78-74 and 76-76, a majority draw decision.

A heavyweight bout between Frank “Cuban” Sanchez (22-0, 15 KO’s) and Daniel Maritza (20-10-2, 17 KO) ended quicker than scheduled. The four round scheduled bout began with Sanchez swiftly cornering Martz before Martz fell to his knees. Rising again, combinations by Sanchez had Martz stumbling before falling to knees once more. Martz became hesitant to throw a punch. Martz fell once more, a result of a combination by Martz. The round was brought to an end at 1:41 of round one, a knockout victory for Sanchez. Sanchez remains undefeated with (22-0, 15 KO’s).

Gabriel Garcia (9-0, 6 KO) V. Marco Diaz (6-2, 5 KO)]

A six round match in the super featherweight division, the two speedy fighters fought to strike as many times as possible.  Diaz began strong but Garcia seemed to have the power shots that tired his opponent. Diaz attempted to move closer to his opponent only to end up tangled and with a bloody nose.

Diaz used his jab while keeping a busy Garcia at a distance. Garcia became tired in the sixth round, hugging Diaz as he tried to throw him off. The bout was scored 59-55, 58-56, 58-56, a split decision in favor of Garcia. Garcia remains undefeated with 9 victories, 7 by way of knockout.

In the super featherweight division, Justin Viloria made his professional debut against Sidarious Smith (0-2, 0 KO). Viloria had a whole section of fans cheering the young fighter from the stands. Viloria was quick to get in and get out, quickly damaging his opponent. Zedaria attempted to fight from the outside, circling the ring as he stumbled from Vilorias quick strikes. It was a shot to the body that suddenly knocked Zedarias over, clutching his stomach as he curled up on his knees. The match was over at 1:12 of the first round. A knockout victory for Vilorias first professional bout  who is now (1-0, KO).

In the heavyweight division, seasoned boxer Chris Arreola (39-7-1, 34 KO) faced off against Mathew McKinney (13-6-4, 9 KO). The two fighters matched heavy hitting blows both patiently exchanging combos. The fight seemed promising as the two took their time moving around the ring. The second round was soon over as McKinney fell down from what seemed to be pain after suffering shots to the rib cage. With McKinney unable to proceed, the fight ended at 1:01of the second round. Arreola improves to (39-7-1, 34 KO’s).

The only female bout of the night, a flyweight match between Gabriela Fundora (11-0, 4 KOs) and Maria Santizo (11-3, 6 KOs). Fighting on the same card as her brother, Fundora showcased similar fighting qualities. The 21 year old had a distinct height advantage over her opponent which she used to her advantage when reaching inside, making sure to quickly exit. Santizo didn’t make it easy for her lengthy opponent as she quickly bloodied her up early on in the match. The young female fighter Fundora has skill that is being further molded by one of boxing's best trainers in the Southern California area, Ben Lira. The bout was scored a unanimous decision in favor of Fundora. Fundora remains undefeated with 11 victories, 4 by way of knockout.

A lightweight fight  between Viktor Slavinskyi (14-2-1, 6 KO’s) and Juan Lopez (17-14-1, 7 KO’s) went the scheduled eight rounds. Slavinskyi fortunately won the first four rounds before Lopez amped up, hoping for redemption. The bout was scored 78-74, 77-75, 76-76, a victory for Slavinskyi who improves to (14-2-1, 6 KO’S).