Edwards broke down why fighters continue to look uncomfortable against the 6’5″ junior middleweight, pointing to a simple issue inside training camps. There is no version of Fundora available to spar.
“Who you going to spar this that mimics this guy?” Edwards said to Brian Custer. “Who you going to call, NBA players in?”
Opponents enter fights having never seen anything close to what they’re dealing with against Fundora. Just trying to get near enough to hit him entails taking shots on the way in.
The volume is what actually weaponizes that height. Being both tall and a volume-puncher puts Fundora’s opponents at a disadvantage.
Most tall fighters use their reach to reset and keep the pace slow. Fundora does the opposite. He uses his reach to keep a constant stream of traffic in his opponent’s face.
That played out again in his stoppage win over Keith Thurman. Thurman spent much of the fight trying to read distance and timing, but never found a consistent way inside. By the time he began taking risks, he had already absorbed too much.
Edwards also mentioned how Fundora uses his jab as the foundation of everything he does, keeping opponents at a range they can’t solve.
“You can’t even get on the inside against that guy,” he said.
The combination of length, activity, and control turns Fundora into a moving target that can’t be recreated in camp. Fighters are forced to figure him out in real time, under pressure. That is usually too late.
Fundora often throws between 70 to 80 punches per round. For context, the average junior middleweight usually sits closer to 55 or 60.
In the Thurman fight, he completely shut down Thurman’s offense. Fundora held a 96 to 26 edge in total shots landed, and he only allowed a veteran like Thurman to land three jabs the entire night.
Even if you found a tall guy to mimic the height, he likely wouldn’t have the engine to throw 80 punches a round for 12 rounds.
Opponents are so busy trying to dodge the constant volume that they can’t focus on the “puzzle” of his height.
