Photos: Gabriela Fundora stops Marilyn Badillo in seventh round to retain title

Gabriela Fundora claimed a dominant win over Marilyn Badillo on Saturday, April 19 at the Frontwave Arena in Oceanside, CA. Battling it out in the main event, the Coachella Valley-based unbeaten champion forced her opponent from Mexico to take a knee with a series of big punches.

As the latter got back up on her feet, referee Rudy Barragan opened an eight-count. However, he waved the fight off, as the challenger no longer wanted to continue. The official time of stoppage was 1:44 into the seventh round.

With the victory by TKO, 23-year-old southpaw Fundora of West Palm Beach, Florida, improved to 16-0, 8 KOs and made the first successful defense of her undisputed flyweight title. 25-year-old Badillo, who challenged for the major title in her first fight outside her home country, suffered her first career defeat and dropped to 19-1-1, 3 KOs.

“I knew the stoppage was going to come – it was just about how I wanted to set it up,” Gabriela Fundora said. “We train really hard, and I’m more mature now; with age comes maturity. In the first round, I was able to adjust to her style and get used to her ducking her head. In the final round, I was like a train – I stayed on her and stayed consistent”

“I wasn’t surprised that she didn’t want any more after the knockdown. This is why I trained so hard. I’m going to go back to the team, and we’ll see what’s next – whether I go down or up in weight – but I’m ready to collect more belts in other divisions!”

In Fundora vs Badillo undercard bouts

In the co-main event, Mexico’s Jorge Garcia Perez defeated Charles Conwell by split decision. The judges scored the fight 115-113, 115-113, and 115-113. Perez recorded his eighth straight victory and improved to 33-4, 26 KOs. Conwell of Cleveland Heights, Ohio picked up his first defeat and dropped to 22-1, 16 KOs.

Among other Fundora vs Badillo results, Tristan Kalkreuth (15-1, 10 KOs) of Carrollton, TX defeated former interim WBA light heavyweight champion Felix Valera (23-8, 20 KOs) of the Dominican Republic by unanimous decision. After 10 rounds at heavyweight, the scores were 99-91, 99-91, and 97-93.

Uzbekistan-born Kazakh Ruslan Abdullaev (2-0, 1 KO) defeated Jino Rodrigo (13-5-2, 11 KOs) of the Philippines by unanimous decision, securing a knockdown in the fourth round along the way. After eight rounds at super lightweight, the scores were 80-71 across the board.

In the main card opener, Joel Iriarte (7-0, 7 KOs) of Bakersfield, CA dropped Marcos Leonardo Jimenez (25-12, 17 KOs) with a big left hook and took the victory by TKO at 1:44 into the opening round. While the referee was giving an eight-count, the latter’s corner called it a day to save their fighter from further punishment.

In Fundora vs Badillo prelims

Atop the Fundora vs Badillo prelims, San Diego’s Jorge Chavez (14-0, 8 KOs) defeated Brandon Douglas (13-2, 11 KOs) of Salt Lake City by unanimous decision at super bantamweight. The eight-round bout ended with three scores of 80-71.

Among other matchups, Joshua Edwards (1-0, 1 KO) of Houston, TX made his successful pro boxing debut, stopping Larry Gonzalez (0-1-1) of Fresno, CA in the second round at heavyweight. The time was 1:51 into the round.

Samuel Castellanos (2-0, 1 KO) of Hollister, CA eliminated Marc Misiura (3-8-1, 1 KO) of Scranton, PA in one round at super lightweight. The fight was stopped before the start of the second round by the latter’s corner.

Former light heavyweight champion Oleksandr Gvozdyk (21-2, 17 KOs) of Ukraine returned to winning ways, defeating Anthony Hollaway (9-8-3, 7 KOs) of Peoria, IL by TKO. The time was 1:37 into the third round. On his way to victory, Gvozdyk dropped Hollaway twice.

Kicking off the action, Hawaii’s Dalis Kaleiopu (7-0, 5 KOs) knocked out Mexico’s Jesus Ramon Perez (14-21-1, 8 KOs) with a big right hand in the first round. The time was 2:23 into the round.