Gabriela Fundora’s quick rise in boxing is something to marvel at.
The 22-year-old can quickly cement her legacy by becoming the youngest undisputed champion in the sport’s history when she faces Gabriela Alaniz for all the gold at flyweight on November 2.
The fight and undercard action, emanating from the Virgin Hotels in Las Vegas, airs on DAZN and is a special attraction under a Floyd Schofield vs. Rene Tellez Giron lightweight contest.
Fundora (14-0) is a multi-time USA Junior Olympics champion. She won the IBF flyweight belt in 2023 and has defended it twice.
Moving up the ladder with Golden Boy, SN’s ninth-ranked 25 Under 25 fighter has showcased her power early on, with six wins via the power punch.
Trained by her father, Freddy Fundora, boxing is a real family affair for Gabriela. Her brother, Sebastian, is also a world champion.
“The Towering Inferno” beat Tim Tszyu in March to win the WBO and WBC super welterweight titles following a bloody affair.
Siblings holding gold is something they have talked about, and the past year+ has been special for the Fundora family.
WATCH: Gabriela Fundora vs. Gabriela Alaniz, live on DAZN
“This was our dream since we were little kids,” Gabriela told The Sporting News. “Having it become a reality, words can’t even speak of how exciting it is.”
Gabriela and Sebastian have been in each other’s corners for almost every fight, cheering the other on and giving advice. Though siblings, they don’t have your typical “anything you can do, I can do better” relationship.
“It’s always something we’ve talked about: When I’m undisputed, you’re going to be undisputed, too,” Gabriela said.
“We motivate each other. It’s like, I become a champion, boom, he becomes a unified champion. We got undisputed, boom, pretty soon he’ll do the same.”
Alaniz (15-1) won the WBO flyweight title in 2022. After losing the WBO belt in a unification fight against Marlen Esparza, she beat her in a rematch in April to recapture the WBO title and win the WBA, WBC, and Ring belts.
Beating someone like Esparza elevated Alaniz to the next level, and a win against her can push Fundora to new heights.
Fundora has come up during a time when women’s boxing has entered a Golden Age. That is thanks to fighters like Katie Taylor, Amanda Serrano, and Claressa Shields.
Taylor and Serrano competed in the 2022 Fight of the Year, while rivals Sandy Ryan and Mikaela Mayer recently put on a fun scrap.
MORE: The case for two vs. three-minute rounds in women’s boxing
Heading into fight night, The Sporting News has Fundora ranked twelfth in the women’s pound-for-pound rankings. A win could move her up the list, where she could eventually take over in the next few years.
Confident, Fundora has an idea of who the best in women’s boxing is.
“You know who’s the very best? This one lady called Gabriela ‘Sweet Poison’ Fundora,” she said. “I heard she’s amazing.
“But we’ll see. It’s going to be talked about Saturday. We’ll see after Saturday.”
There have been plenty of (ad nauseam) debates regarding pound-for-pound rankings, especially on the men’s side.
For Fundora, as long as she’s winning, knocking people out, and holding gold, that’s all that matters.
And the prospect of being undisputed means the world to Fundora. It’s “what we’ve been working on since we were little.” A dream could become a reality.
After that? Fundora is ready for the next big challenge.
“Well see, maybe I’ll go down a weight, get some belts over there,” Fundora said.
“We’ll go back to the drawing board, talk with our team, and see what’s next.”
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