Top junior middleweight contender Sebastian Fundora will return to action on October 8, facing Carlos Ocampo in a Showtime main event from Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California, a venue that has a reputation for exciting fights.
Fundora (19-0-1, 13 KOs) is coming off a stoppage win over Erickson Lubin in April, where both fighters were knocked down and had to prove their worth.
“I showed the fans what I was made of in my last fight. It wasn’t really what I learned (from the fight), she said at a virtual news conference. “My goal was to show myself and what I am capable of for the fans. I really wanted to show who I am in this division. I’m serious about becoming a world champion.”
He also won’t look past Ocampo (34-1, 22 KOs), a big underdog and a relative unknown apart from a first-round knockout loss to Errol Spence Jr in a mandatory welterweight title fight in 2018.
“I think Ocampo is a strong Mexican boxer like me, so of course he’s going to come for it,” Fundora said. “We have been watching Ocampo and we have noticed that he has had a long winning streak. Of course we are not going to let it continue. We know that he will bring it and we hope that we can give the fans another great fight.”
“We are both fighters who like to get inside and we are not afraid to trade and fight. We give the fans what they want and I know they are going to be happy with what they see,” Ocampo said.
“I want to show people that I am hungrier than ever. I am here to win the title and I am going after it with all my might. I want to take that title and bring it back to Mexico, where it belongs.”
Ocampo also didn’t shy away from addressing the Spence fight from four years ago, saying, “I made a rookie mistake. I got careless at the end of the first round and I promise it won’t happen again. I’m making progress, but I’ve become a better fighter because of it. The biggest lesson I’ve learned is that I need to be more cerebral and that I have to think things through more. I learned that being careless for a second can cost me. It was a hard lesson to learn, but I won’t make the same mistake again.”
Ocampo added that he “definitely feels underrated” and that he feels “stronger and faster” fighting at 154 pounds.
As for Fundora, he says what you would expect, that his real target is the undisputed champion Jermell Charlo.
“I am the WBC mandatory and of course I have to get past Ocampo first. But our goal is to fight for the title”, he stated. “I have been ready for the title, but we have to keep busy. I have to put up with tough fights like this to keep growing. Ocampo is a ranked fighter and he will help me get to where I want to be.”
