Can Carlos Ocampo Find an Edge Over Sebastian Fundora?
On October 8, former world title challenger Carlos “Chema” Ocampo (34-1, 22KOs) will take on interim WBC 154-pound champion Sebastian “The Towering Inferno” Fundora (19-0-1-1, 13KOs). Back in 2018, Ocampo challenged for the IBF 147-pound title against Errol Spence. Unfortunately for Chema, Spence would win a stoppage victory in one round.
Since that loss, Chema has migrated to the junior middleweight division and has reeled off twelve consecutive victories. Sitting at #13 in the WBC rankings, this will be his second opportunity against an upper echelon fighter.
CAN HE DEFEAT THE TOWERING INFERNO?
Ocampo, who fell back into obscurity after his first round knockout loss to Spence, has seemingly made significant improvements. Spence took out Ocampo with a memorable, brutal body punch. To pull off an upset over Fundora, Chema will need to endure body punches better in a higher weight class. Standing at 6’6″, The Towering Inferno is an offensive juggernaut who throws punches in bunches.
However, this is boxing and anything can happen. Ocampo has the power to hurt Fundora, who’s been hurt and dropped before. On top of that, Fundora is coming off an absolute war in his last bout against talented, hard-hitting former world title challenger Erickson Lubin, whom he stopped in nine rounds. The victory came after he was forced to rise from the canvas after a seventh round knockdown. So, while Ocampo is a significant underdog, he has the power, confidence, and an opponent that’ll be more than willing to stand in front of him and trade big shots.
It will be interesting to see how this fight plays out considering the power and fighting styles both fighters possess.
By: Jerrell Fletcher
