Sebastian Fundora successfully defended his WBC super welterweight championship with a dramatic victory at The Chelsea inside The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, but the defining talking point of the night centered on a highly controversial refereeing decision. Fundora secured a stoppage win over challenger Ermal Hadribeaj at 2:59 of the twelfth and final round, delivering a sudden end to an otherwise competitive world title fight. However, referee Thomas Taylor’s decision to wave off the contest immediately sparked fierce debate among fighters, analysts, and fans alike, leaving the previously undefeated challenger with a stoppage defeat that many ringside observers felt he should never have received.
The controversy erupted in the waning seconds of the championship bout when Fundora landed a heavy left hand that dropped Hadribeaj to the canvas. As the referee began his count, the Albanian challenger managed to pull himself back to his feet before the final bell sounded. Despite Hadribeaj beating the count and returning to a vertical base, Taylor made the snap decision to wave the fight off with just one second remaining on the clock.
The abrupt ending immediately drew the ire of boxing royalty watching live. Multi-division world champion Terence Crawford, speaking directly from the Premier Boxing Champions broadcast desk, voiced his strong disagreement with the official’s ruling, asserting that the final bell had actually rung before Fundora’s decisive punch landed.
"Yeah, I didn’t agree with the stoppage at all. The bell rang before the punch landed," Crawford stated during the live broadcast. Highlighting the chaotic scenes inside the ring as the fight drew to a close, Crawford added, "His corner tried to get in the ring. The ref told his corner not to get in the ring. The man got up. He deserved to go to the final bell."
Another Nonsensical Stoppage in Major Boxing
The incident immediately drew comparisons to other recent refereeing controversies that have marred high-profile combat sports events. Boxing enthusiasts quickly pointed to a strikingly similar scenario when Oleksandr Usyk faced Rico Verhoeven at the historic Pyramids in Giza. On that occasion, referee Mark Lyson halted the contest in the eleventh round despite the bell sounding, denying Verhoeven the opportunity to answer the bell for the final stanza.
While the exact circumstances of the two bouts differed—with Verhoeven being stopped in the eleventh round and Hadribeaj in the twelfth—both controversial stoppages occurred precisely at the 2:59 mark, leaving fighters on the wrong end of questionable officiating. Incidents of this magnitude suggest that major boxing officials either require a comprehensive refresher on the rules or a sharper application of common sense under pressure. Such disputed endings ultimately serve neither the sport nor the athletes who subject themselves to the physical toll of a twelve-round world championship fight.
While Hadribeaj was widely believed to be heading for a definitive defeat on the judges’ scorecards regardless of the final round’s outcome, boxing purists emphasize that a wide gap exists between dropping a hard-fought unanimous decision and having a knockout loss permanently added to a fighter’s professional record.
Bradley Challenges Taylor Ringside
The fallout from the decision spilled over into an intense ringside confrontation between the referee and former multi-division world champion Tim Bradley. Seeking answers on behalf of the fighters, Bradley approached Taylor immediately after the bout to question why Hadribeaj was denied the opportunity to hear the final bell.
"He finished that fight. He should have finished that," Bradley told the referee in a direct exchange captured by cameras.
Taylor defended his ruling during the heated discussion, pointing to Hadribeaj’s physical state immediately following the knockdown. "He fell back in the ropes," Taylor explained.
Nevertheless, critics argued that once Hadribeaj successfully regained his footing, the protocol should have been straightforward: tap gloves, verify the fighter’s readiness to continue, and let him reach the final bell of a valiant championship effort. Instead, Taylor chose to wave off the contest, despite knowing that the final bell was just a fraction of a second away from sounding.
Despite the sharp disagreement, both Bradley and Taylor maintained a level of professional respect, making it clear there was no personal animosity behind the debate. Observers were quick to note that the champion bore no responsibility for the controversy. Fundora executed his game plan, fought aggressively through the final seconds, landed a legitimate punch, and capitalized on the opening presented to him. The fault lay entirely with the official’s intervention, not with the champion’s performance.
Given the circumstances, Hadribeaj has every right to formally challenge the knockout ruling on his professional record and petition the Nevada State Athletic Commission for a review. While overturning official bout results remains a rare occurrence, the challenger possesses a compelling argument regarding the precise timing of the knockdown, the subsequent count, and the premature intervention.
Fundora Retains WBC Title and Sets Sights on Undisputed Glory
With the victory, Sebastian Fundora improved his professional record to 25 wins, 1 loss, and 1 draw, which includes 17 coming by way of knockout. The bout marked the fourth successful defense of his world title.
Ermal Hadribeaj entered the squared circle carrying an unblemished 23-0-1 record, carrying the hopes of becoming Albania’s first-ever boxing world champion. The challenger mounted a competitive and spirited start to the bout, showcasing technical skill and determination. However, referee Thomas Taylor complicated Hadribeaj’s night by deducting points for holding during the third and eleventh rounds. As the championship rounds progressed, Fundora’s relentless work rate, combined with steady uppercuts and punishing body blows, gradually wore down the challenger, paving the way for the dramatic late-round finish.
"It was dramatic to knock him out at the last second. But we’ll go back to the gym and fix some things," Fundora reflected after the bout.
Looking beyond his latest defense, the towering champion reiterated his ultimate ambition to clean out the 154-pound division and become the undisputed king of the weight class. Fundora immediately turned his attention toward the potential unification landscape, calling out the winner of a prospective matchup featuring elite contenders Jaron Ennis and Josh Kelly.
"We’ll break either Jaron Ennis or Josh Kelly down. Just like the last guy and the guy before that. We’ll keep breaking them down," Fundora declared.
Las Vegas Undercard Results
Earlier in the evening at the Las Vegas venue, the undercard featured several notable performances. Armando Reséndiz secured a victory over Koen Mazoudier via a ten-round unanimous decision in their super middleweight clash. The ringside judges turned in scorecards of 98-92 and 97-93 twice, reflecting Reséndiz’s sustained control over the course of the ten rounds.
In another standout undercard performance, the unbeaten Marco Romero delivered a swift and decisive knockout against Matias Ferreira. Romero ended the contest at 1:54 of the opening round, pushing his professional record to 16 wins without a defeat, with 14 of those victories coming inside the distance. The impressive performance marked Romero’s third consecutive first-round stoppage.
