Sebastian Fundora: The Skinniest Contender in Boxing's Ring

Standing at two meters, this American competes in the featherweight category. The upcoming March 30 event in Las Vegas marks the inaugural tournament by the promoter's company, Premier Boxing Champions. This event will be a collaboration with the new broadcasting platform, Amazon Prime. Highlighting the evening is a fight between Australian boxer Tim Tszyu and the American Sebastian Fundora, with the WBO and WBC world featherweight titles up for grabs. Initially, Keith Thurman was set to face Tszyu, but due to an injury, Fundora stepped in as the new challenger, bringing his unique stature to the ring.

Indeed, Fundora possesses unique anthropometric characteristics for a boxer in the super welterweight class (up to 69.85 kg). His measurements are on par with those of today's leading heavyweights.

His distinctive physique can be attributed to Cuban heritage and a fast metabolism

At 26, Fundora identifies as a U.S. Latino with a Cuban father and Mexican mother, though he considers himself American, having spent his entire life in the United States. Remarkably, Fundora stands at 197 cm with an arm span of 203 cm, yet comfortably meets the super welterweight limit of 69.85 kg.

Fundora's natural inability to gain weight is attributed to his fast metabolism. He asserts that he could compete in the welterweight division (up to 66.67 kg) if required, noting that his weight doesn't exceed 74 kilograms even off-season. His towering height traces back to his Cuban lineage, with all his paternal relatives notably tall. Fundora's growth spurt kicked in at 14; before that, he was of average height, indistinguishable from his peers.

Although Sebastian's physique suited him for basketball, he opted for boxing, a sport he started practicing at 8. His father, Freddy Fundora, a former professional boxer and Sebastian's chief coach, significantly influenced this decision.

Fundora participated in over 100 bouts in his amateur boxing career, securing most victories. This success paved his way to the professional circuit. In the professional arena, the American has competed in 22 matches, claiming 20 victories, with 13 wins coming via knockout. He has faced one loss and one draw. Fundora also captured the interim WBC champion title, marking a significant milestone in his career.

His sole professional setback was a dramatic knockout defeat by Brian Mendoza.

Despite this, Sebastian Fundora stands out as a veritable giant in his weight class, towering over even some of the elite super heavyweights

Born left-handed, Fundora showcases versatility in the ring. The long-haired boxer adopts an aggressive style, smoothly transitioning from mid to close range, yet he skillfully leverages his exceptional height (197 cm) and expansive reach (203 cm) to his advantage.

Given his remarkable anthropometric characteristics, it's unsurprising that Fundora is the tallest boxer in his category. But it doesn't stop there. Typically, Sebastian overshadows his adversaries by 15-20 cm in height and 20-25 cm in reach.

Take, for instance, his upcoming challenger, Tim Tszyu, who trails Fundora by 23 centimeters in height. Tszyu stands at 174 centimeters with an arm span of 183 centimeters.

Certainly, Tszyu isn't the most sizeable fighter in the super welterweight division, yet even the more physically imposing boxers can't match the American's dimensions. Originally, Fundora was set to face the Ukrainian boxer Serhii Bohachuk, who is not considered undersized for the super welterweight class. Sergiy stands at 183 centimeters with an arm span of 185 centimeters. However, even he appears diminutive when compared to Fundora:

The tallest opponent Fundora has faced so far in his career is Jamontay Clark, who stands at 188 cm with an arm span of 199 cm. Interestingly, their match concluded in a draw, suggesting that Fundora might find boxing against fighters with above-average dimensions challenging. However, such boxers are rare, particularly in the middleweight divisions.

Comparing his anthropometric data with current top super heavyweights is enlightening, as it helps one grasp the enormity of Fundora's stature. Sebastian is on par, height-wise, with boxers like Anthony Joshua (198 cm), Filip Hrgovic (198 cm), Zhilei Zhang (198 cm), Joe Joyce (198 cm), and Martin Bakole (198 cm). This comparison is underscored by a photo of Fundora standing next to the British boxer Joyce.

Moreover, Sebastian Fundora surpasses boxers like Oleksandr Usyk (191 cm), Joseph Parker (193 cm), and Daniel Dubois (196 cm) in terms of height. Additionally, Fundora holds an advantage in arm span.

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It's worth noting that on the same card, Fundora was initially slated to contend for the vacant WBC title against Ukrainian Serhii Bohachuk. However, due to unclear promoter arrangements, Fundora was granted the chance to compete for two titles simultaneously—the WBO and WBC—in the main event against Tim Tszyu. Consequently, Bogachuk was left to compete for the lesser title, the WBC interim champion belt, in a match against Brian Mendoza.