Seven inches. That is the genuine height gap when Sebastian Fundora (6’6”) steps in against Ermal Hadribeaj (5’11”) at The Chelsea at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas on Saturday. It is still a significant physical disparity — and it has not always saved the champion from himself. The fight on October 17 will reveal whether Fundora’s recent form represents genuine evolution — or whether an unbeaten mandatory challenger can drag him back into the kind of war that handed him his only career defeat.
| Date | Saturday, October 17, 2026 |
| Venue | The Chelsea at The Cosmopolitan, Las Vegas, NV |
| Main card | 8:00 pm ET / 5:00 pm PT / 1:00 am BST (Sun) |
| Ring walks | ~11:00 pm ET / 4:00 am BST (Sun) |
| Title | WBC World Super Welterweight Championship |
| Scheduled rounds | 12 |
| Promotion | PBC / TGB Promotions / Sampson Boxing |
| Broadcast | TNT, truTV & DAZN (US) — DAZN (UK/international) |
The card is the fourth installment of PBC’s monthly “The Fight” series on TNT and DAZN — and the co-main event between WBA featherweight champion Brandon Figueroa and former world champion Tomoki Kameda makes it among the strongest non-pay-per-view cards of the year.
Sebastian Fundora (24-1-1, 16 KOs) is a 27-year-old southpaw from Coachella, California, who has held the WBC super welterweight title since his split-decision win over Tim Tszyu in March 2024. The stats that define him are extremes: a 67% KO rate across 145 professional rounds, a 6-foot-6 frame, and an 80-inch reach that belongs in the heavyweight division.
None of those numbers matter if Fundora bends down to trade — which is precisely what he keeps doing. His KO loss to Brian Mendoza in April 2023 — stopped in seven rounds after walking into a right hand he should have seen coming — and his split decision win over Tim Tszyu in 2024 both stemmed from voluntarily abandoning his range advantage to mix it up at close quarters. The question hanging over his form since — two stoppages (Chordale Booker, Keith Thurman) bracketing a unanimous-decision win in the Tszyu rematch — is simple: is the new version of Fundora actually staying disciplined, or has he just been hitting softer targets harder?
His last outing tells some of the story. Fundora stopped the once-great Keith Thurman in round six on March 29, 2026, at MGM Grand — the champion’s WBC-mandated busy bout cleared before the Hadribeaj defense. Thurman’s chin has been fragile for years, but Fundora finished him cleanly and looked composed doing it. If the tactics that worked on Thurman’s faded chin hold up against a live, unbeaten southpaw who moves well and picks his shots, Saturday’s result will be exactly what the odds suggest.
Last five fights:
| Opponent | Result | Method | Rnd | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Keith Thurman | W | TKO | 6 | Mar 29, 2026 |
| Tim Tszyu II | W | UD | 12 | Jul 19, 2025 |
| Chordale Booker | W | TKO | 4 | Mar 22, 2025 |
| Tim Tszyu | W | SD | 12 | Mar 30, 2024 |
| Brian Mendoza | L | KO | 7 | Apr 8, 2023 |
Ermal Hadribeaj (23-0-1, 8 KOs) is a 32-year-old Albanian southpaw. He came to professional boxing after starting in MMA — a background he has referenced publicly as a reason for his movement and level-changing skills. His record sits at 23 wins, zero losses, one draw, with a KO rate built primarily in European fight scenes over seven years as a professional.
His route to the mandatory shot tells you what he can do: in May 2026, Hadribeaj beat Bakary Samake by unanimous decision over 12 rounds to secure the WBC mandatory position. Before that, he stopped Ilhami Aydemir in round eight in May 2025. The level of opposition he has faced remains well below the world title stage — the unbeaten record and the disciplined style are real, but this is a significant step up in class.
The Albanian arrives in Las Vegas with a concrete tactical plan. “I always ask myself why his opponents choose their strategies and run into his punches,” Hadribeaj said ahead of fight week, per Bad Left Hook. “They get too caught up in their ego and try to compete with his height. I’ve been working on specific things that will work.” He has reportedly used Mykal Fox — one of the elite movers at 140-147 — as sparring, which suggests the camp has done its homework on the jab-and-distance game Fundora needs to win with his reach.
Recent fights:
| Opponent | Result | Method | Rnd | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bakary Samake | W | UD | 12 | May 23, 2026 |
| Ilhami Aydemir | W | TKO | 8 | May 23, 2025 |
| Sebastian Fundora | Ermal Hadribeaj | |
|---|---|---|
| Record | 24-1-1 | 23-0-1 |
| KOs (KO %) | 16 (67%) | 8 (35%) |
| Age | 27 | 32 |
| Height | 6’6” (197 cm) | 5’11” (180 cm) |
| Reach | 80” (203 cm) | — |
| Stance | Southpaw | Southpaw |
| Nationality | USA | Albania |
| Debut | 2016 | 2019 |
Two southpaws of radically different dimensions mean the angles are immediate and unavoidable. Fundora’s jab travels well over 20 centimetres before Hadribeaj’s equivalent even enters the danger zone — but only if Fundora keeps his feet and resists the instinct to crowd his own range.
Hadribeaj’s camp has built the entire plan around that vulnerability. The challenger will look to slip Fundora’s long jab, work angles to the body, and use lateral movement to avoid being cornered by the champion’s 80-inch reach. His background moving between disciplines has left him with above-average head movement and the ability to change levels — skills that could frustrate a fighter who wants to plant his feet and load up on combinations.
The body attack is the key tactical thread. Fundora’s height means his torso is an enormous target when he bends forward to launch his southpaw left hand. His KO loss to Brian Mendoza in 2023 demonstrated that a shorter, precise counter-puncher can exploit exactly that habit — Fundora walked into Mendoza’s right hand in round seven having abandoned his reach advantage. Hadribeaj will have studied that footage. Whether he can execute the same plan without getting drawn into ego-driven exchanges at the wrong range is the defining question of the night.
Fundora wins if:
Hadribeaj wins if:
| Odds (UK) | Odds (US) | |
|---|---|---|
| Fundora to win | 2/17 | -830 |
| Hadribeaj to win | 9/2 | +450 |
The market has Fundora at roughly 83% implied probability, and that figure is defensible. Hadribeaj has never faced a punch that comes from six feet away, has never had to deal with a southpaw left hand with an 80-inch runway, and has never performed in front of a main-event Las Vegas crowd. The step up from European mandatory contender to WBC champion on TNT and DAZN is enormous.
The genuine risk is Fundora’s own habits. If he closes the distance and turns this into a 12-round inside fight, Hadribeaj has the conditioning and the movement to survive and potentially nick rounds. A repeat of the Mendoza scenario — where Fundora’s raw aggression opened doors for a precision counter-puncher — cannot be ruled out.
The prediction: Fundora by TKO, rounds 6-9. The champion’s power advantage is too significant at 154 pounds for a challenger of Hadribeaj’s KO pedigree to withstand once he starts landing the right shots. If Fundora keeps his head and throws from range in the early rounds, the size and KO rate differential will end the night before the cards are needed. His recent stoppage form is believable here.
United States: TNT, truTV and DAZN — main card 8:00 pm ET / 5:00 pm PT. Ring walks approximately 11:00 pm ET.
United Kingdom: DAZN — 1:00 am BST (Sunday morning). Ring walks approximately 4:00 am BST.
Tickets: Available at Ticketmaster. Doors open at 1:45 pm PT, first bout at 2:00 pm PT.
Also on the card is Brandon Figueroa vs Tomoki Kameda for the WBA World Featherweight Championship — read our Brandon Figueroa vs Tomoki Kameda fight preview for the full analysis on the co-main event.
When is Fundora vs Hadribeaj? The fight takes place on Saturday, October 17, 2026. The main card starts at 8:00 pm ET / 5:00 pm PT. Ring walks for the main event are expected at approximately 11:00 pm ET (4:00 am BST Sunday).
Where is Fundora vs Hadribeaj? The Chelsea at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, Las Vegas, Nevada.
What channel is Fundora vs Hadribeaj on? In the United States, the fight is broadcast on TNT, truTV and DAZN. In the UK and internationally, it airs on DAZN.
What title is on the line? The WBC World Super Welterweight Championship (154 pounds / junior middleweight). Fundora is the defending champion; Hadribeaj is the mandatory challenger.
What is Fundora’s record going into the fight? Sebastian Fundora enters at 24-1-1, with 16 KOs (a 67% knockout rate across 145 professional rounds).
Has Ermal Hadribeaj ever been stopped? Hadribeaj enters with a 23-0-1 record and has not been stopped in his professional career. This is his first world title fight and by far the biggest step up in class he has faced.
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