Fundora Promoter Backs Referee Over Final-Second Stoppage

The ending of Sebastian Fundora's latest title defence has become the main talking point of his win over Ermal Hadribeaj. Referee Thomas Taylor waved the fight off with the official Nevada State Athletic Commission time recorded as 2:59 of the 12th round, after Hadribeaj had already climbed back to his feet. Fundora's promoter, Sampson Lewkowicz, has now come out firmly in support of the official.

Fundora, making the fourth defence of his WBC super welterweight title, dropped his mandatory challenger with a series of left hands late in the final round. Hadribeaj rose at the count of nine, but Taylor stopped the contest with only the closing bell left. In reality the bell had already sounded before the punch landed, but commission rules require the time to be recorded one second short of the full round.

A stoppage that changed only the method

The call sparked a wave of criticism, with many feeling that Hadribeaj deserved to hear the final bell after surviving almost the whole fight. Fundora had recovered from a slow start and was comfortably ahead on all three cards, at 107-100, 109-98 and 108-99, so the stoppage affected only the way he won, not the result.

Lewkowicz argued that the rules on being saved by the bell apply in every round, including the 12th, regardless of how much time remains. In his view, if the referee judged Hadribeaj unfit to continue, letting the fight run out would have handed the challenger a reprieve he had not earned. "It goes both ways," he said, insisting that refusing to stop it would have robbed Fundora of a legitimate knockout.

Safety argument

The promoter also pointed to Hadribeaj's condition after the fight. The challenger was taken to hospital on a stretcher and released the following morning, which Lewkowicz cited as proof that he was badly hurt and that safety had to come first. Critics counter that when a fight is effectively over there is no realistic danger of another punch landing, and that the time left on the clock should be part of a referee's judgement. Taylor himself is widely regarded as a respected official with a strong record at the top level.