In a battle of former world champions, Jesus Ramirez won a 12-round unanimous decision over Jose Pedraza in a junior welterweight bout at The Save Mart Center in Fresno, California.

It was a tactical fight with Ramirez looking to push forward, while Pedraza was getting in good work while working off the back foot and countering. In round, nine, the right eye of Pedraza began to swell.

Ramirez landed 133 of 554 punches; Pedraza was 110 of 586.

Ramirez, 139.8 lbs of Avenal, CA won by scores of 116-112 on all cards and is now 27-1. Pedraza140 lbs of Cidra, PR is 29-4.

Ramirez said, “Jose Pedraza is a smart, experienced fighter. He was going to find a way to survive and put up a fight. He was there boxing towards the end of the fight.  My hat’s off to him and his team. He was well-prepared. It was a great fight. I got to see where I am right now.

“I’m going to go back, work and stay focused and stay active. That’s one thing that’s affected me these last couple of years. I’ve trained so many times for a little bit of fights. My inactivity, my discouragement throughout training camps, it really took a big toll on me. I’m ready to stay active and stay motivated. There’s a lot of really great fighters coming up to 140. There’s a lot of really good fighters at 140 right now.”

Torrez Jr. stops Melson in 2

2021 U.S. Olympic Silver Medal winner, Richard Torrez Jr. made a successful pro debut as he stopped Allen Melson in round two of their six-round heavyweight bout

In round one, Torrez dropped Melson in the corner with a little combination. Melson’s nose began to bleed. Torrez began to bleed badly over his left eye from a clash of heads. In round two, Torrez dropped Melson with a straight left. the fight ended when Torrez dropped Melson with a left after a furious exchange, and the fight was stopped at 1:23.

Torrez, 228.2 lbs of Tulure, CA is 1-0 with one knockout. Melson, 201.8 lbs of Alabama is 6-4.

Torrez said, “After the cut, I knew I had to get back to basics, and that’s what I did. I made sure to avoid additional head clashes, and I got the job done in the second.
 
“Sure, the cut is frustrating, but I’m not going to let it ruin the celebration. What a night. It was everything I’d hoped it would be.
 
“I didn’t know what to expect. I wanted to make a good first impression, especially in front of my home fans. They brought the energy, and I fed off the energy they gave me. The Central Valley is home, and I am proud to represent my people.”

Gonzalez stops Santisima in 9

Joet Gonzalez stopped Jeo Santisima in round nine of a scheduled 10-round featherweight bout of former world title challengers.

In round eight, Samtisima started to swell under his right eye. In round nine, Gonzalez landed a couple of right hands and the fight was stopped at 2:05.

Gonzalez, 125.8 lbs of Glendora, CA is now 25-2 with 15 knockouts. Santisima, 125.2 lbs of the Philippines is 21-4.

Gabriel Flores Jr. gutted out a 10-round majority decision over Abraham Montoya in a junior lightweight bout.

Flores looked good early, but seemed to tire in the middle rounds and started eating flush punches. Flores was better in the final frame.

Flores landed 177 of 503 punches; Montoya was 174 of 597.

Flores, 131.6 lbs of Stockton, CA won by scores of 96-94 twice and 95-95 and is now 21-1. Montoya, 131.8 lbs of Mexicali, MEX is 20-3-1.

Hector Tanajara and Miguel Contreras fought to an eight-round split draw in a lightweight bout.

Tanajara won a card 78-84, Contreras took a card 77-75 and a third card was even at 76-76.

Tanajara, 135 lbs of San Antonio, TX is 19-1-1. Contreras, 134.2 lbs of Bakersfield, CA is 11-1-1.

Karlos Balderas stopped Aelio Medquita in round two of a scheduled six-round lightweight bout.

Seconds into the bout, Balderas landed a big right hand that sent Mesquita down for a knockdown. Towards the end of the round, it was another right that sent Mesquita to the deck for a 2nd time. In round two, Balderas landed another right sent Mesquita down and the fight was over at 38 seconds.

Balderas, 134.2 lbs of Santa Maria, CA is 12-1 with 11 knockouts. Mesquita, 131.2 lbs of Guajua, BRA is 20-7-1.

Javier Martinez remained undefeated with a six-round unanimous decision over Donte Stubbs in a middleweight bout.

In round two, Stubbs began to bleed from his nose. In round three, Stubbs dropped Martinez with a straight right.

Martinez, 161.8 lbs of Milwaukee, WI won by scores of 59-56 and 58-55 twice and is now 6-0. Stubbs, 163 lbs of Riverside, CA is 6-4.

Charlie Sheehy remained undefeated with an opening round stoppage over previously undefeated Johnny Bernal in a scheduled four-round lightweight bout.

In round one, Sheehy rocked Bernal with a hard right and followed up with another hard right that sent Bernal into the ropes for a knockdown. Sheehy hurt Bernal again with a left hook. Sheehy then landed a vicious combination that forced a referee stoppage at 2:33.

Sheehy, 134.2 lbs of Brisbane, CA is 2-0 with two knockouts. Bernal, 135 lbs of Denver, CO is 2-1.

6’9″ Antonio Mireles remained perfect as he stopped previously undefeated Brandon Hughes in round two of their scheduled four-round heavyweight bout.

In round one, Mireles landed a perfect jab-straight left that sent Hughes down on his face. Moments later it was another straight left that put Hughes down just before the end of the round. In round two, Mireles landed a big left hand that hurt Hughes and the fight was stopped just as Hughes hit the canvas at 1:04.

Mireles, 259.4 lbs of Des Moines, IA is 3-0 with three knockouts. Hughes, 282.4 lbs of Phoenix, AZ is 2-1

FRESNO, Calif. (Jan. 3, 2022) — Joet Gonzalez, the Southern California featherweight contender who has twice challenged for a world title, is primed for another run at the brass ring. Gonzalez signed a multi-year promotional contract with Top Rank and will return in a 10-round bout against Filipino former world title challenger Jeo Santisima on Saturday, Feb. 5 at Save Mart Center in Fresno, California.

Gonzalez-Santisima will serve as the co-feature to the 12-round junior welterweight showdown between former unified champion Jose Ramirez and Puerto Rican two-weight world champion Jose “Sniper” Pedraza.

Ramirez-Pedraza, Gonzalez-Santisima, the heavyweight professional debut of U.S. Olympic silver medalist Richard Torrez Jr., and undercard bouts will stream live and exclusively in the United States on ESPN+. 

Promoted by Top Rank, tickets starting at $36 are on sale now and can be purchased at Ticketmaster.com.

“Joet Gonzalez is a fighter of tremendous character and one of the best featherweights in the world. When he became available, it was a no-brainer,” said Top Rank chairman Bob Arum. 

“My last three fights have been on Top Rank cards, and they’ve always treated me with respect. I can’t wait for my official debut under the Top Rank banner,” Gonzalez said. “Jeo is a tough Filipino warrior, and this is a great opportunity to prove I belong in the featherweight title conversation. I want another title shot, and it all starts with an impressive showing in Fresno.”

Gonzalez (24-2, 14 KOs), from Glendora, California, is ranked in the top 10 at featherweight by two sanctioning organizations. He received his first world title shot in October 2019, dropping a unanimous decision to Shakur Stevenson for the vacant WBO featherweight title. Nearly two years later, he challenged Emanuel Navarrete for the same belt, and the two combined for a Fight of the Year contender. While Gonzalez lost a unanimous decision, he proved his mettle as one of the division’s most formidable contenders. He bested Miguel Marriaga over 10 rounds on a Top Rank on ESPN card in between the Stevenson and Navarrete fights.

Santisima (21-3, 18 KOs), from Aroroy, Philippines, lost two of his first four pro bouts before a 17-fight winning streak earned him a shot at Navarrete in February 2020 for the WBO junior featherweight world title. In a high-profile setting on the Tyson Fury-Deontay Wilder II undercard, Santisima acquitted himself well, ultimately falling via 11th-round TKO. He has won two straight by knockout in his home country since the Navarrete defeat.

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(April 20, 2020) — WBO junior featherweight king Emanuel Navarrete is the world’s busiest world champion, a 25-year-old pressure fighter who is proud to represent his Mexican heritage at the sport’s highest level. From May 2019 to February 2020, when he knocked out Jeo Santisima on the Deontay Wilder-Tyson Fury II card, he defended his world title five times.

The activity kept him sharp and in the spotlight, but with the COVID-19 pandemic and the recovery process from an injured right had, Navarrete is taking a breather.

From his home in Mexico, the “Mexican Iron Man” recently spoke with Lupe Contreras. This is what he had to say.

On dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic

“This is really complicated for me. Like you just mentioned, I’m constantly working and fighting, and all of a sudden, the pandemic arrives, and we had to put the brakes on because I was used to fighting every two months. Right now, I would’ve been in the hardest stage of my preparation for my next bout, but we are dealing with the pandemic. I haven’t let it affect me that much because I fought like 15 to 20 days before the pandemic started, but the way I was fighting, it was going to be complicated to stay as active. Like I said, at this moment I would’ve been in the final stage of my preparation, and it’s just not that way. Right now, everything is very calm. I’ve installed a few machines just to have a gym at home. I’m maintaining my conditioning, so I can be ready whenever we get back to the ring. I’ll be ready to face any fighter.”

On fighting underneath the Wilder-Fury II main event

“It was a dream come true for me. It was always one of my goals to fight in an event that big. I still think that I could be the co-main event to an event like that, but taking into consideration that I only have been champion for a year, and I’ve already been part of such a big event as Wilder vs. Fury II, I think it puts me in a great position in boxing. I feel happy because, like I said, one of my goals was to fight in an event like that, and I did after just a year as champion. That was iconic. I feel happy because that was my fifth title defense, and I did it on a PPV. That was personally a special moment in my journey as champion. We feel very proud, happy and satisfied of what we have represented in my time as a champion.”

On the status of his injured right hand

“Look, the truth is I couldn’t perform at 100 percent like I’m used to. I couldn’t perform as well, but thanks to God, everything came out well. We did the work. We won the fight. I believe that chasing the knockout, even in that condition, it personally gave me the confidence. Maybe I thought that I couldn’t do it, but I did it. The recovery was a little bit complicated because going to therapy and being in recovery, I don’t like it that much. It’s tough because I rarely get injured, but this time I got injured, and it was a little bit more severe because I had to go to therapy. It was complicated.

“Look, I really didn’t have anything scheduled, but even if I had something, I would’ve declined any event after the fight because of the injury. This is something that is a priority because I depend on my hands to keep on boxing and to perform well the way I’ve been doing it. There is no point in going into a fight while I’m injured. That’s why I would’ve declined to fight in any event after my last fight.”

On proving people wrong when he defeated Isaac Dogboe to win the title

“The only ones that have always really believed in me and motivated me were my team. That is my head coach, his son who is my second trainer, my mom, and my dad. All the others thought that it was great that I was going to be fighting for a title, but I felt that they didn’t believe in me 100 percent. The key was that I always trained for a victory. I never thought that I was going to lose or that it was good that I was going for a title. A lot of them told me that I was going to the United States but that I was going there to lose. ‘You are going for the world title. You are going to enjoy it, but you are going to lose.’ The answer or the comment always was that, ‘You are going to lose, they are going to rob you, or whatever, but you are going to lose,’ and I told them that I was going to win. My team always thought that we were coming for a victory. We never thought that I was going to lose. My preparation gave us a lot of confidence. I prepared in Tijuana, and the time I was there, I was focused and always thinking about a victory. We never thought negatively. We were always positive. I enjoyed winning that way because I showed a lot of people that were saying that I couldn’t do it, that I did do it, and I brought the world title to Mexico.”

On his confidence as a world champion

“I knew that obviously we work hard for certain things and certain goals. The moment that Bob Arum mentioned I felt like one of the stars in boxing or one of the most important champs in boxing… because representing my country on such an iconic date and in Las Vegas, it’s something a lot of people can’t say that they have done. When they gave me the opportunity to do it, it helped me a lot with my confidence because I knew that they were trusting me, that they wanted to see me for a reason. It gave me confidence because I have always thought that I must put on a good show for the people. They are the ones that choose who are the stars.”

On his rapid rise through the boxing ranks

“I believe that we have done a lot of good things in a short amount of time. I see it that way. The fans are used to watching me fight because I’ve been fighting constantly. I did five title defenses in nine months. That’s fighting every month and a half or every two months at the most. Seeing me fight constantly created that connection and love with the fans. That’s what I think. Also, I have said it, and I keep saying it because it takes me a lot. There are times that I have the fight figured out, and it becomes easy for me to get the victory. I could cruise like we say in boxing, but I’m always going for the knockout. Always! It doesn’t matter if my hands are hurt. It hasn’t happened yet, but even if I suffer a cut, or talking negatively, having my worst moment in a fight, I would still be looking to drop my opponent and go for the knockout. I believe the fans appreciate that even if I could cruise to get a victory, I always try to knock out my opponents.”

On the support from the fans and his promoters

“I’ve always wanted to unify titles, and you have seen that I’ve never declined any fight. I have always tried to make the unification fights happen. They haven’t happened, but it’s not because I don’t want them, or that I don’t have the interest, or that I couldn’t do them. It really is because there are a lot of things in between. And I’m OK with that because I have looked for those fights. If the unification fights haven’t happened, it’s because the other parties don’t want them. The other sides have never reached out to me, and there has never being any interest on their part.”

On the future

“If we get through this {pandemic} quickly, and there is interest from the Japanese fighter (Naoya Inoue), I believe it will be easier to make a fight with him than with any other fighter at 122. But it’s like I just mentioned. There is no interest from their part. He really did what he wanted at 118 and then he sent out a release saying that he was going to move up to 122, my division. When he did it, I saw the possibility of fighting him because he signed with Top Rank, but after that, he said he was going to face Johnriel Casimero. They were supposed to face each other in April. I don’t know if it will happen, but if it happens, it will have to be right after we get through the pandemic. It would have to happen right away because the truth is that I’m seriously thinking of moving up to 126, and the only thing that could keep me at 122 would be a big fight against Inoue or a possible unification against one of the champions. That is the reality of why I would stay around at 122. If it’s not that way, I will move up to 126.”

LAS VEGAS–Tyson Fury was spectacular in wearing down, beating down and eventually stopping Deontay Wilder to win the WBC Heavyweight title at the MGM Grand.

Fury was the aggressor and used his 42 pound size advantage to dictate the entire bout that had Wilder showing little resistance.

Fury sent Wilder to the canvas in round three when he landed a cuffing right to the ear. After that, Wilder seemed to lose his energy as the Fury continued to wear Wilder down. The punch the that sent Wilder down also caused bleeding out the right ear of Wilder. In round five, Fury dropped Wilder again, this time it was a body shot. Fury continued to land thudding shots and Wilder kept looking worse with each landed Fury punch.

After looking bad in the corner in between round’s six and seven, Fury came and landed two booming right hand that had referee Kenny Bayless and the corner of Wilder throwing in the towel simultaneously at 1:39.

Fury, 273 lbs of Winslow, UK is now 30-0-1 with 21 knockouts. Wilder, 231 lbs of Tuscaloosa, AL is 42-1-1.

TYSON FURY:

“A big shout out to Deontay Wilder. He came here tonight and he manned up and he really did show the heart of a champion.

“I hit him with a clean right that dropped him and he got back up. He is a warrior. He will be back. He will be champion again.

“But I will say, the king has returned to the top of the throne!”

DEONTAY WILDER:

“I’m doing good. Things like this happen. The best man won tonight, but my corner threw in the towel and I was ready to go out on my shield. I had a lot of things going on heading into this fight. It is what it is, but I make no excuses tonight. I just wish my corner would have let me go out on my shield. I’m a warrior. He had a great performance and we will be back stronger.”

“Even the greatest have lost and came back, that is just part of it. You just take it for what it is. I can make no excuses tonight. I had a lot of complications. But we’ll come back stronger next time around. This is what big-time boxing is all about, the best must fight the best. I appreciate all the fans that came out and supported the show, and I hope that everyone gets home safely.”

Former Heavyweight champion Charles Martin scored a one-punch knockout over former world title challenger challenger in round six of their scheduled 12-round elimination bout.

The bout was void of action until Martin landed a booming left that sent Washington to the canvas. Washington got to his feet, but the fight was stopped at 1:57.

Martin, 254 lbs of Carson, CA is 28-2-1 with 25 knockouts. Washington, 236 1/2 lbs of Vallejo, CA is 20-4-1.

CHARLES MARTIN

“I knew that I had him hurt a few times in the fight. Every round I think I hurt him, but I just couldn’t finish him. I knew that I had to take my time in there. It took me some rounds to catch up with him, because he’s very quick on the retreat.

“This win means a lot. It shows that I’ve been working hard. The people can see it. I was never hurt at any point. This has just given me more confidence in myself. I can take the punches and give the punches.”

GERALD WASHINGTON

“The referee did what he thought was right. He’s a top notch ref so I won’t complain about the stoppage. He put me down and I got up, so I definitely wanted to get back to it.”

Emanuel Navarrete stopped Jeo Santisima in round 11 to retain the WBO Super Bantamweight title.

Navarrete dominated the action and finally was able to get Santisima out there with a brutal 11 punch flurry at 2:20 of round 11.

Navarrete, 122 lbs of Mexico City is 31-1 with 27 knockouts. Santisima, 122 lbs of the Philippines is 19-3.

Sebastian Fundora won a 10-round unanimous decision over Daniel Lewis in a junior middleweight bout.

In round two, Fundora began to bleed from the nose

Fundora, 153 1/2 lbs of Cochella, CA won by scores of 99-91, 98-92 and 97-94 and is now 14-0-1. Lewis, 153 lbs of Sydney, AUS is 6-1.

SEBASTIAN FUNDORA

“I think it was a fair decision and a good fight. There were a lot of hard punches. I knew he would be tough. When they told me I was fighting an Olympian, I knew it would be a tough fight. He probably had more experience than me, but we prepared the right way and got the win.

“I always want to use my height and my physical gifts, but it just depends on the fight. If the situation changes, we have to be ready to adapt.

“Whether we’re fighting on the inside or the outside, I always want to be the busier fighter. The more punches you throw, the more you’re going to land. It’s the way I like to fight.

“I’ll have to talk to my team, but I want to keep facing the best competition possible and continue to grow in the sport.”

Javier Molina won an eight-round unanimous decision over Amir Imam in a junior welterweight bout.

Molina, 141 1/2 lbs of Norwalk, CA won by scores of 79-73 and 78-74 twice and is now 22-2. Imam, 141 1/2 lbs of Albany, NY is 21-3.

Petros Ananyan won an upset 10-round unanimous decision over previosuly undefeated knockout artist Subriel Matias in a junior welterweight bout.

In round seven, Ananyan landed some booming shots that hurt Matias and drove him back to the ropes. Matias seemed out on his feet and for some reason referee Robert Byrd administered an eight-count.

That was the difference in the fight as Matias won by scores of 96-93 and 95-94 twice for Ananyan, 142 lbs of Brooklyn, NY and is now 15-2-2. Matias, 142, Fajardo, PR is 15-1.

Gabriel Flores Jr. remained undefeated with an eight-round unanimous over Matt Conway in a junior lightweight bout.

In round one, Flores dropped Conway with an overhand right. In round two, Conway started to swell around his right eye.

Flores, 132 1/2 lbs of Stockton, CA won by scores of 80-71 twice and 79-72, and is now 16-0. Conway, 132 1/2 lbs of Pittsburgh, PA is 17-2.

Vito Mielnicki Jr. remained undefeated with a four-round unanimous decision over Corey Champion in a welterweight bout.

In round one, Mielnicki dropped Champion with a flush counter right. In round four, Champion was bleeding from his nose.

Mielnicki, 147 lbs of Roseland, NJ won by scores of 40-35 on all cards and is now 5-0. Champion, 147 lbs of Louisa, VA is 1-3.

In a foul fest 10 featherweight fight, Isaac Lowe won a unanimous decision over Alberto Guevara.

In round four, Guevara was deducted a point for hitting on the break. Low was deducted apoint for hitting on the break and then another one for throwing Guevara down.

In round five, Lowe was deducted a point for hitting behind the head. In round six, Guevara was deducted for hitting on the break. Lowe was deducted another point in the round for hitting on the break. In round eight, Lowe dropped Guevara with a left hook.

Lowe, 125 1/2 lbs of Morecambe, UK won by scores of 96-87 twice and 95-88 and is now 20-0-3. Guevara, 126 lbs of Mazatlan, MEX is 27-6.

Rolando Romero stopped Arturs Ahmetovs in round two of a scheduled eight-round lightweight bout.

Romero dropped Ahmetovs twice and the fight was stopped at 1:22 of round two.

Romero, 137 lbs of Las Vegas is 11-0 with 10 knockouts. Ahmetovs, 136 lbs of Delray Beach, FL is 5-1

LAS VEGAS (Jan. 30, 2020) — Three exciting, high-stakes showdowns have been added to the PPV undercard for the historic, mega PPV event headlined by the highly anticipated rematch between unbeaten WBC Heavyweight World Champion Deontay “The Bronze Bomber” Wilder and undefeated lineal champion Tyson “The Gypsy King” Fury taking place Saturday, February 22 from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
 
In the co-main event, former heavyweight world champion Charles Martin will square off against former title challenger Gerald “El Gallo Negro” Washington in a 12-round IBF Heavyweight Title eliminator. The PPV begins at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT and includes the PPV featured bout as WBO Junior Featherweight World Champion Emanuel “Vaquero” Navarrete, a.k.a “The Mexican Iron Man” defends his title against Filipino contender Jeo Santisima. In the PPV opener, super welterweight sensation Sebastian “The Towering Inferno” Fundora will face 2016 Australian Olympian Daniel Lewis in a 10-round battle of unbeatens.
 
Tickets for the event are on sale now and can be purchased at www.mgmgrand.com or www.axs.com. The event is promoted by BombZquad Promotions, TGB Promotions, Top Rank and Frank Warren’s Queensberry Promotions. A Premier Boxing Champions presentation.
 
The 33-year-old Martin (27-2-1, 24 KOs) became heavyweight champion in January 2016 when he won by TKO against then unbeaten Vyacheslav Glazkov. After losing his title to Anthony Joshua, Martin has won four of his last five fights, with all of his wins coming inside the distance. Originally from St. Louis, now living in Las Vegas and currently training in Southern California with Manny Robles, Martin bounced back from a narrow decision defeat to Adam Kownacki in 2018 to earn victories in 2019 against Gregory Corbin in March and Daniel Martz in July.
 
“It is great to be back on the big stage,” said Martin. “Wilder vs. Fury II is the biggest heavyweight fight in a long time and it’s great to be on the PPV.  February 22 will get me one step closer to my goal of becoming two-time heavyweight champion. Gerald Washington is standing in my way, so it’s my job to go right through him toward my ultimate goal.”
 
Washington (20-3-1, 13 KOs) is a six-foot-six heavyweight contender who was a former college football standout at the University of Southern California and a U.S. Navy veteran. Born in San Jose, California, Washington scored an impressive victory in his last outing, knocking out veteran contender Robert Helenius in July. Washington was unbeaten in his first 19 pro fights, before dropping his world title challenge against Deontay Wilder in February 2017.
 
“This title eliminator is a very big opportunity for me and I’m going to do everything in my power to win on February 22,” said Washington. “I have the right team behind me and the right mindset. I’ve known Martin my whole career and we even spent some time working together in the ring. I’m going to be at my best and I expect the same from him. It’s an honor to be a part of an event like this. Deontay and Tyson are both characters and I’m glad I can be a part of what’s going to be a great night of boxing on February 22.”
 
Representing San Juan Zitlaltepec, Distrito Federal, México, Navarrete (30-1, 26 KOs) captured his 122-pound title by defeating Isaac Dogboe in December 2018, and emphatically retained the title by stopping Dogboe in the final round of their rematch in May 2019. The 25-year-old stayed busy after securing the title, scoring stoppage victories in successful title defenses in August, September and most recently in December, when he knocked out Francisco Horta in Mexico. He is boxing’s most active world champion, as the Santisima bout will be his fifth title defense in nine months.
 
“I am motivated to make my fifth defense in less than a year and especially because I’m proud to be part of a historic card headlined by Wilder vs. Fury II,” said Navarrete. “This is a great opportunity to put on an exhibition for the fans and showcase my talent once again. I’m very grateful to my promoters, Bob Arum and Fernando Beltran, for giving me these opportunities.”
 
The 23-year-old Santisima (19-2, 16 KOs) turned pro in 2013 as a 16-year-old and has not lost a fight since his fourth career contest in 2014. A native of Masbate City, Philippines, Santisima will ride a 17-fight winning streak into his U.S. debut and his first world title opportunity on February 22. His 2019 campaign saw him deliver victories over Alvius Maufani in August and Rene Dacquel in December.
 
“I really appreciate this opportunity, as this has been my dream since I was a kid,” said Santisima. “For this fight, I will train and prepare to become the new champion. I don’t feel any pressure. I will just do my best on fight night to show the world who I am. I heard and read the news that this fight is a mismatch, but I will do my best to give a great fight.”
 
Towering at nearly six-feet six-inches, Fundora (13-0-1, 9 KOs) has used his height and length, combined with power and aggressiveness, to rack up an unbeaten record since turning pro in 2016. Fighting out of Coachella, California, Fundora fought three times in 2019, including TKO victories over then unbeaten fighters Donnie Marshall and Hector Manuel Zepeda. The 22-year-old most recently fought to an exciting split-draw against fellow contender Jamontay Clark in August.
 
A 2016 Olympian representing his native Sydney, Australia, Lewis (6-0, 4 KOs) was unbeaten in 2019, his first year as a professional. The 26-year-old picked up his first five wins between his debut in March and his U.S. debut in November where he defeated Alexis Gaytan. Most recently, Lewis knocked out then-unbeaten Rivo Kundimang in December.
 

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