Gabriela Fundora and Marilyn Badillo squared off on Saturday, April 19 at the Frontwave Arena in Oceanside, CA. The contest featured the unbeaten undisputed flyweight champion of Coachella Valley up against the unbeaten contender from Mexico.
The scheduled 10-round world championship clash didn’t go the full distance. The representative of the host country outboxed, hurt, and stopped the challenger, who fought for the first time outside of her homeland.
The 23-year-old southpaw was in control throughout the fight, setting up her left hand and delivering combinations. Fundora’s height and reach advantages – 5’8″ vs 5’3″ and 67″ vs 59.5″ – were evident throughout the fight.
The bout ended at 1:44 into the seventh round after 25-year-old Badillo got hit with another series of punches, took a knee, and told the referee – who opened an eight count – she didn’t want to continue.
With the victory, Gabriela Fundora made the first successful defense of her undisputed 112-pound title and improved to 16-0, 8 KOs. Post-fight, the native of West Palm Beach, Florida said she wanted to claim more belts, and was looking to move up or down in weight.
Marilyn Badillo didn’t succeed in her first attempt to become champion, dropped to 19-1-1, 3 KOs, suffering her first defeat.