Andy Abeyta / The Desert Sun
With a rabid Brian Mendoza pacing around in the background, Sebastian Fundora had a dumbfounded look as he temporarily locked eyes with referee Ray Corona who was giving him a countdown. Corona didn’t finish his count, instead electing to call the fight.
The victim never attempted to stand up. Afterall, he had just endured a malicious assault to the face, followed by an unwelcoming knock to the back of the head, delivered by none other than the canvas itself.
Dizzy with thoughtlessness
Fundora just sat there in a daze with cartoon birds circling his head. They must have been in perfect harmony, judging by the way his mouth eventually pried itself into a smile before his focus drifted again. He was seemingly dizzy with thoughtlessness. If he had thoughts, they may have very well been wondering who that man was shouting numbers at him.
In what was supposed to be little more than a bump in the road leading up to the much anticipated Jr. Middleweights Charlo vs Fundora showdown, the bump became a brick wall.
There was a considerable height advantage for Fundora, who stands at 6’5″ to Mendoza’s 5’10”. Still, Mendoza stood tall.
It’s awkward to see in a boxing match like that. They both weighed in at 140 lbs.
If you’ve seen enough fights it grabbed an immediate neural connection, linking this comparison with the classic Lennox Lewis vs David Tua, or the likes of Manute Bol squaring off against William Perry in celebrity boxing, etc.. In both of those cases the tall guy won.
Going into the seventh round, Fundora was leading on the judges scorecards. The 80″ reach seemed too formidable of a weapon against Mendoza’s mere 70″. And the consistent pecking had done a number on Mendoza’s face, though there were no major cuts.
Fundora recognized his mistake
In a moment where both fighters were attempting to strike the other, Fundora made the questionable decision to lean in and throw an uppercut from a mile away with his right hand at the exact moment Mendoza was throwing a looping left hook. Mendoza’s punch was the first to arrive. In the slow motion replay, you can see Fundora recognized his mistake just before the impact of Mendoza’s fist to his chin.
Fundora was stunned and dropped his guard. Mendoza immediately victimized his opponent in his moment of crisis and took full advantage, throwing haymakers in an attempt to finish him off. It just took two more punches in succession to send him flying.
