Terence Crawford has reassessed the threat of Sebastian Fundora following his tougher-than-expected battle with Ermal Hadribeaj over the weekend.
Most anticipated a comfortable night’s work for the ‘Towering Inferno’, whose 6ft 5½in frame and 80in reach makes him a rather unusual operator at 154lbs.
In recent performances, he has managed to use these advantages particularly effectively, keeping both Tim Tszyu and Keith Thurman on the end of his long levers before orchestrating mid-rounds stoppages.
Many therefore expected him to do the same against mandatory challenger Hadribeaj, who entered their contest with an unbeaten record but was largely unproven at world level.
To his credit, though, the ‘Albanian Sniper’ made for a plucky opponent who, surprisingly, would often get past Fundora’s jab and find ample success on the inside.
In the end, Fundora scored a 12th-round stoppage – in the final second of their contest, no less – but was hardly afforded a straightforward defence of his WBC title.
As a result, many have considered whether he would pose any genuine threat to Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis, who secured a seventh-round stoppage victory over Xander Zayas in June.
In doing so, the 29-year-old claimed the WBO and WBA super-welterweight titles and is now set to face Josh Kelly in a unification match early next year.
As for a potential clash with Fundora, Crawford previously favoured the 28-year-old but now, taking to social media, has suggested that Ennis’ speed would be too significant.
“Boots too fast for Fundora.”
Boots too fast for Fundora.
— Terence Crawford (@terencecrawford) October 18, 2026
If Ennis dethrones IBF champion Kelly in his next outing, then an undisputed showdown with Fundora could become realistic for later next year.
