Gabriela Fundora Embraces Opportunity To Make History In Las Vegas
Gabriela Fundora had the perfect Halloween envisioned if she wasn’t preparing for her biggest fight yet.
“Before, it would have been staying home to watch the Dodgers win the World Series,” Fundora told The Ring. “And then we would pass out candy. Also take out my little sister to get candy, maybe go to a haunted house. Try to scare her and also be a little scared myself but try not to show it.”
The role model in the 22-year-old—affectionately known as ‘Sweet Poison’—was able to celebrate in her own way during fight week.
Local kids were able to meet and trick-or-treat with Fundora earlier this week in Las Vegas. The session came days out from her undisputed flyweight championship versus Gabriela Alaniz. The RING championship and all four major belts will be at stake this Saturday on DAZN from Virgin Hotels Las Vegas.
Fundora-Alaniz serves in supporting capacity to the Floyd Schofield-Rene Tellez Giron main event.
A win will fulfill a boxing-lifetime goal for Fundora. The chance to give back outside the ring was that last piece of motivation needed to make history in the ring.
“These kids are the next generation,” stated the ever-humble and charming Fundora. “It’s always good to give back and provide them the time they deserve. You don’t have to be a certain way to get famous and popular.
“You can just be there to give out candy and have a big smile on your face. It’s always so important to give back.”
Of course, winning in the ring also helps.
Fundora (14-0, 6 knockouts) has been perfect to date in that regard. The 5’9” southpaw from Coachella, California has also been moved at a brisk pace to achieve excellence. She dethroned IBF flyweight titlist Arely Mucino via fifth-round knockout last Oct. 21 in Inglewood, California. The career-best feat at the time came in just her thirteenth pro contest.
Three fights and just 53 weeks later, Fundora now bids for all the flyweight chips. Alaniz (15-1, 6 KOs) holds The RING championship and the WBC, WBA and WBO belts.
Saturday’s winner will become the first woman in boxing history to fully unify the flyweight division. A win by Fundora will make her the sport’s youngest active undisputed champion.
Accomplishing it in a city that also saw her older brother, Sebastian Fundora (21-1-1, 13 KOs), become the WBC/WBO 154-pound king earlier this year, is the chef’s kiss.
“It didn’t matter to me [where the fight took place],” Fundora stated, but with clarification. “But, there is a but… this is the cherry on top to have it in Vegas. I said it when we first got this fight, Vegas has been the place for the Fundoras this year.
“I’m so excited for him. I won my belt last year and now he’s a unified champion. It’s my turn to join him again and win all these belts (on Saturday). My father [Freddy Fundora, Sebastian and Gabriela’s head trainer] needs to be Trainer of the Year.”
Of course, a win has to come on Saturday for that to be taken into consideration.
Fundora’s original target was Marlen Esparza, who was The RING/WBC/WBA/WBO champ at this time last year. Esparza ended Alaniz’s WBO reign in a majority decision win last July 8 in San Antonio, Texas.
The verdict was disputed enough for Alaniz to file a successful appeal for an immediate rematch. ‘La Chucky’ came through the second time around, edging an overweight Esparza on April 27 in Fresno, California.
It cleared a path towards undisputed.
Both fighters are co-promoted by Golden Boy Promotions. Alaniz is primarily guided by Georgina Rivero’s O.R. Promotions, while Fundora is signed to the legendary Sampson Lewkowicz.
Everyone involved understood the importance of this fight.
“Fighting for undisputed was always the goal,” noted Fundora. “It’s been in place for the past two years once we became a contender. It doesn’t matter who has the belts. As long as we fight for undisputed, in the end it’s gonna be money for us.”
A win on Saturday will make Fundora the bank at the lower weights.
That designation became open with the sudden retirement of Seniesa Estrada. The RING/undisputed strawweight queen called it a career in October, seven months after she fully unified the 105-pound division.
Estrada also won a title at junior flyweight and a secondary belt at flyweight. The diminutive pound-for-pound entrant once envisioned a move up to one day Fundora but has left the sport, and with it a big hole at the superstar level.
Fundora will gladly fill that void.
“Congratulations to Seniesa. She was one heck of a fighter,” acknowledged Fundora. “Now it’s about getting that establishment. This fight will give it more of that shine.”
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