The Mandatory Gets Its Date
Right then — Fundora vs Hadribeaj is official. PBC confirmed this week that Sebastian Fundora will defend his WBC super welterweight title against mandatory challenger Ermal Hadribeaj on October 17 at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, topping a TNT and DAZN bill. It is Fundora's first walk to the ring since he ran over Keith Thurman inside four rounds back in March.
Hadribeaj, 23-0-1 with 8 knockouts, earned this the hard way — upsetting the fancied Bakary Samake in a final eliminator in May when almost nobody outside his own changing room gave him a prayer. An unbeaten Albanian with a granite chin and a world of self-belief, getting his shot on the biggest stage in the sport. Fair play to him.
Let's Be Honest About This One
Let's not beat around the bush — this is not the fight anybody was screaming for. Jaron Ennis has been circling the winner of the 154lb shuffle all year, and the queue behind Fundora is getting louder by the month. But mandatories are mandatories, and the WBC was never letting the Towering Inferno stroll past this one.
And in fairness, Hadribeaj is precisely the kind of opponent who makes tall men look silly if they get bored. Eight knockouts in twenty-four fights tells you he cannot hurt Fundora — but a draw on his record and an unbeaten ledger tells you he does not go away either.
Luke's Prediction
Make no mistake, there are levels to this, and Fundora is comfortably above them. At 6ft 5in with that suffocating volume, he is a nightmare for a fighter whose game is durability rather than dynamite. I see Hadribeaj gamely eating punishment for eight or nine rounds before the corner or the referee has seen enough. Fundora by late stoppage — and then, please, give us Fundora vs Ennis in the spring. Keep an eye on the fight cards page for the full October 17 bill, and read how the mandatory blocked the Ennis fight in the first place.