After another dominant stoppage victory and undisputed title defence, who should be next for Ring and flyweight queen Gabriela Fundora? Oscar De La Hoya, her promoter, believes the 23-year-old may have to move up in weight before facing the sort of cha...
Gabriela Fundora makes the flyweight limit quite comfortably. The undisputed champion came in at 110¼ pounds for her 112-pound title fight against Alexas Kubicki on Saturday night in Indio, California. The ease with which she makes weight has convinced Fundora she could compete as a junior flyweight if she put her mind to it. Oscar De La Hoya, whose company co-promotes Fundora (17-0, 9 KOs), suggested following her domination of Canada’s Kubicki (13-2, 2 KOs) that moving up in weight, rather than dropping down to the 108-pound division would actually help Sebastian Fundora’s younger sister find the type of competition she seeks. “Well look, I think for a fighter, it’s easier to go up obviously than to go down,” De La Hoya told DAZN’s Chris Mannix after Fundora stopped Kubicki in the seventh round. “But then again … if she goes up, she’s gonna face a lotta tough fighters who hit harder, who can take the punch, and who can give it. So, I don’t know. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CRfsTa-hBCM&t=3s “She might go down, depending on who wants to fight her because it’s very tough to get opponents for her. It’s very difficult because of how tall [5-foot-8] and lanky she is and how hard she hits. But I feel that if she goes up in weight, I think she can challenge herself and be a [two-division] world champion.” De La Hoya didn’t mention specific opponents for Fundora, who owns The Ring, IBF, WBA, WBC and WBO flyweight titles. Fundora, of Coachella, California, is ranked No. 6 on The Ring’s pound-for-pound list. Eighth-ranked Yokasta Valle (33-3, 10 KOs), who is primarily a strawweight, is the only other boxer on The Ring’s list who has fought at flyweight or junior flyweight. Fundora out-classed Kubicki in a fashion similar to how she handled most of her opponents. The sharp southpaw led 60-54 on each scorecard entering the seventh round, when referee Ray Corona stopped a one-sided fight DAZN streamed from Fantasy Springs Resort Casino. Kubicki, 22, had not lost by knockout as a pro prior to Saturday night. Fundora, 23, has won five of her past six bouts inside the distance. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0nk_ahnJG2A&t=4s “Another brilliant performance by Gabriela,” De La Hoya said. “You know, every time she comes out, anybody she fights, she’s either knocking them out, stopping them or [winning] a decisive decision. So, I really feel that she’s on her way. She’s young, learning, just growing. So, I strongly feel that give her a few more fights, and let me tell you, she will be No. 1, pound-for-pound, in the world.” Keith Idec is a senior writer and columnist for The Ring. He can be reached on X @idecboxing.
