Sebastian Fundora Set To Defend WBC Title Against Ermal Hadribeaj Next

Promoter Sampson Lewkowicz says Fundora will honor his WBC mandatory before pursuing a potential unification fight with Jaron “Boots” Ennis

Sebastian Fundora is expected to make his next WBC junior middleweight title defense against mandatory challenger Ermal Hadribeaj. Promoter Sampson Lewkowicz said the champion will fulfill his WBC obligation before pursuing a potential unification fight with Jaron “Boots” Ennis.

“Sebastian Fundora will comply with the WBC and face his No. 1 mandatory next,” Lewkowicz told BoxingScene. “A fight with Ennis could happen, but some time next year.”

The proposed matchup would give Hadribeaj (23-0-1, 8 KOs) his first opportunity to fight for a world title. The unbeaten contender earned the mandatory position in May by defeating Bakary Samake via unanimous decision to claim the WBC Silver junior middleweight belt.

Fundora (24-1-1, 16 KOs) enters the bout riding a four-fight winning streak. Since his lone professional loss to Brian Mendoza in 2023, the towering southpaw has captured the WBC championship against Tim Tszyu before defending it against Chordale Booker, Tszyu in a rematch, and former unified welterweight champion Keith Thurman, whom he stopped in six rounds in March.

While Hadribeaj lacks the profile of some of the division’s biggest names, the Albanian-born contender has steadily climbed the WBC rankings by remaining unbeaten and taking advantage of every opportunity put in front of him. A victory over Fundora would represent one of the biggest upsets in the division and instantly reshape the title picture at 154 pounds.

Hadribeaj has quietly worked his way up the WBC rankings through a steady run of regional title fights across Europe. His breakthrough came in May, when the unbeaten Albanian handed highly regarded French prospect Bakary Samake the first defeat of his career in a 12-round final eliminator to earn a mandatory shot at Fundora’s title. Outside of that victory, however, Hadribeaj’s résumé lacks the elite names typically associated with a world title challenger.

Lewkowicz also addressed speculation surrounding a three-belt unification with Jaron “Boots” Ennis. Although discussions have been reported in recent days, the promoter indicated that any meeting between Fundora and the newly unified WBA and WBO champion would have to wait until 2027, with the mandatory defense against Hadribeaj taking priority.

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