Champion siblings Gabriela, Sebastian hell-bent on making 2025 the year of the Fundoras

Sebastian Fundora was only a few minutes into his post-fight celebration last month when he was met with a request from his next potential foe.

A fourth-round knockout of Chordale Booker on March 22 marked the first successful defense of the unified WBC and WBO junior middleweight titles for the towering southpaw. The victory was also Fundora’s first in-ring appearance in 51 weeks.

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Xander Zayas, Fundora’s WBO mandatory challenger, was on hand and eager to immediately begin the promotion for their forthcoming ordered title fight. The two met, shook hands and even posed for pictures for the media on hand. Zayas (21-0, 13 KOs) — a 22-year-old Puerto Rican contender based in South Florida — then requested a faceoff with Fundora (22-1-1, 14 KOs).

That idea was rejected in an instant, though not by the defending champ.

Gabriela Fundora — the reigning undisputed flyweight champion, Uncrowned’s 2024 Women’s Fighter of the Year and No. 5 pound-for-pound women’s fighter in boxing — is Sebastian’s younger sister by more than four years. Whether in boxing or real life, however, the 23-year-old southpaw is forever — and was specifically in that moment — also a protective sibling.

“I’m the one that said no to the faceoff,” the younger Fundora told Uncrowned. “Right now, the contract’s not signed. There’s no fight right now, and not at that moment, so there’s no need for that.

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“This way builds drama, anyway, right?”

Moments like that are second nature for the tight-knit Fundoras, as their entire boxing journey is a family affair.

The siblings are both trained by their father, Freddy, and literally in each other’s corner on fight night. There have only been two fights for Sebastian since an April 2023 loss to Brian Mendoza — his win over Tim Tszyu to win the WBC and WBO 145-pound titles in March 2024, and his aforementioned knockout of Booker.

His defeat to Mendoza came hours after Gabriela (15-0, 7 KOs; 1 NC) won her 10th professional bout on the undercard. It was a bittersweet evening for the family, though the aftermath was indicative of their incredible bond.

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Gabriela has fought and won four times since that night, to make it an even half-dozen for the family when combined with Sebastian’s two victories. All have come with major titles at stake, beginning with her October 2023 five-round annihilation of Arely Mucino to win the IBF flyweight strap.

The past year that began with Sebastian’s unified title haul over Tszyu, who was unbeaten and regarded as the best active junior middleweight at the time? It ended with Gabriela collecting every major flyweight title in her possession and industry-wide recognition as the year’s best female fighter after a three-win campaign. In doing so, she became the youngest-ever undisputed world champion of boxing’s four-belt era, man or woman. A memorable year for the family indeed.

“My fight with Tim Tszyu, that was a great win for us. It was even better to watch my sister dominate the flyweight division,” Sebastian told Uncrowned. “The year she had and all that she has achieved, it’s such a blessing. We both work at the same time. We train, we put in the hard work.

“Just seeing Gabriela do all that was a dream come true — through her actions. I saw it through my eyes as well, but now it’s our time to shine together.”

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The sentiment was shared, though with a slightly different spin from the youngest in charge.

“The last name Fundora was mentioned throughout the year,” Gabriela noted. “Sebastian had his big win and became the best [junior middleweight] in the world. The rest of the stuff that happened was way beyond his control.

“Still, he got his shine as I got mine. We celebrated my year together, and with that incredible [Ring Magazine] awards show. Stuff like that drives me. … I want this year to be even better, for me and my brother.”

With Sebastian officially on the 2025 scoreboard, it is now Gabriela’s turn to enter the ring this year.

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Her first defense as the fully unified flyweight queen — and fourth overall of at least one title — comes against unbeaten mandatory challenger Marilyn Badillo (19-0-1, 3 KOs). The two meet this Saturday atop a DAZN show from Frontwave Arena in Oceanside, California.

The 7,500-seat multi-purpose venue is roughly two-and-a-half hours from the Fundora compound in Coachella, California. Saturday’s show also marks a watershed moment, as Gabriela is the first woman to headline a Golden Boy Promotions event.

“Last year, what I was able to achieve was historic,” noted Gabriela, who celebrated her 23rd birthday in March. “This year adds even more history, being the first female to headline a Golden Boy show. It really is amazing.”

The expectation of the enthusiastic flyweight queen is for “all of California to show up this weekend.” No matter the turnout, the most important people will be in her corner.

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Sebastian will be on the scene this weekend, though not just as the leading junior middleweight. The 27-year-old will lead the charge in support of his sister, as the same is true in reverse on his fight nights. It’s the most natural pairing as far as the other is concerned, given their year-round joint training sessions.

“She sees everything we do,” noted Sebastian. “My sister is almost like my dad’s second hand, just like I’m my dad’s second hand for her fights.

“We both know what the other does in the ring, we see everything we do. It’s just to go out and prove to the rest of the world what we’ve been doing.”

That level of learning has been well reflected in Gabriela’s rapid rise to the top. She turned pro just seven weeks after her 19th birthday. Aggressive matchmaking from the jump properly prepared Fundora for her first major title challenge by her 13th pro fight — just 28 months into her pro career.

The other side of that moment saw Gabriela tear through Mexico’s Mucino, a four-time titleholder. It was her first of three knockout victories among her four title fights. The most recent was her signature moment to date, a seventh-round stoppage of Argentina’s Gabriela Alaniz to become the first women’s undisputed flyweight queen.

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Sebastian was immediately on hand to celebrate the moment, and to also hand the belts to the sanctioning body official for his sister to properly display.

“We’re always with each other,” Gabriela said of her brother. “There’s no better person to do it — me being my dad’s right-hand man [for] my brother’s fight. Then when it’s my time to fight, him being my dad’s right-hand man. I wouldn’t have it any other way. That’s the best corner — that’s the best my corner will get.”

Both are already poised for a big year.

Talks continue between the elder Fundora and Zayas for a title fight targeted to take place this summer. A win, coupled with the timing of the fight, could leave room for Sebastian’s first three-fight campaign since 2020, when he blitzed through the prospect phase and raced straight to the contender stage.

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It’s hard — almost scary — to envision the type of run for Gabriela that would outdo her 2024 Fight of the Year campaign. But not impossible, considering her support system.

“Last year, two of my three fights ended in knockout,” she stated. “This year, however many fights Golden Boy can give me, I plan to knock out everyone. This is why Golden Boy has given us this platform. The sky’s the limit.”

For the first time in at least two years, the towering siblings have a seemingly limitless ceiling.

“It’s amazing. He’s a champion — a unified champion at that,” Fundora said of her brother. “He said that my wins are his wins. The same goes with me — his wins are my wins. It’s exciting that we get to do this together as a family.

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“We built this thing from the ground up. We’re going to continue reaching for the stars.”

The best part is that they will continue to do it all on their terms. That is the lesson to be learned for anyone in their way, including their next opponents — official or otherwise.

Assuming all goes well this weekend, Fundora will begin to plan her next move. She will also monitor the progress in Sebastian’s ordered title defense against Zayas — and will even allow a staredown only when the moment calls for it.

“Look, once everything is signed and finished, yes, they can face off,” she joked. “There will be plenty of faceoffs during fight week.”