Nearly a year after the bloodbath at T Mobile Arena, ‘The Towering Inferno’ is all set to return. At Las Vegas’ Michelob Ultra Arena, he will defend his title from Chordale Booker. Featuring a string of exciting fights, Fundora and Booker headline the PBC-Amazon Prime card.
With the likes of Terence Crawford, Vergil Ortiz Jr., and Bakhram Murtazaliev hogging the limelight in what is perhaps boxing’s most complete and talented division, it’s a tough landscape to carve out a name for oneself. But with a win over Booker, Sebastian Fundora has a chance to prove why he deserves the top slot in 154 pounds. The latest development followed as the much-anticipated matchup between Fundora and Errol Spence Jr. fell through. For Booker, who stands 5th in WBO and 13th in WBC rankings, it’s an opportunity where an upset could change his career forever.
Predicting Sebastian Fundora vs. Chordale Booker: Who has better stats and record?
Now this is quite interesting. When it comes to records, the champion and the challenger stand on equal footing. Against Fundora’s 23, Booker boasts 24 professional fights. The number of career defeats matches. Fundora suffered his first setback two years ago, when rival Brian Mendoza knocked him out cold in the seventh round. Roughly a year before, on April 30, 2022, Austin ‘Ammo’ Williams stopped Booker in the first round.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – DECEMBER 04: Sebastian Fundora poses for media during a weigh in prior to his super welterweight bout against Sergio Garcia at the JW Marriott Los Angeles L.A. Live on December 04, 2021 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images)
The records diverge, but not so drastically either. Sebastian Fundora’s record features a draw. This occurred when he fought Jamontay Clark back in 2019. Then in terms of the knockout-to-win rate, he enjoys a clear lead. Against his nearly 62% KO rate, Booker has thus far managed to stop only 48% of his opponents.
Fundora vs. Booker height, weight, reach comparison, and more
In this area, Sebastian Fundora has the upper hand. Perhaps over everyone else in the division. Standing 6 feet and five and a half inches tall, there’s no better reason to explain why the Florida-born Southpaw is often referred to as ‘The Towering Inferno.’ Now add the massive 80-inch reach.
Roughly eight and a half inches shorter than Fundora, Chordale Booker boasts a height of 5 feet and 9 inches. The Stamford, Connecticut-born fighter has a 70-inch reach. During their last fights, while Fundora weighed around 152.8 pounds, Booker recorded 160.5 pounds.
Match Prediction
With nearly -1400 odds favoring him, Sebastian Fundora has nearly an 88.2% chance of winning the title defense against Chordale Booker, who steps in as a +700 underdog. Much of the reason why Fundora remains a crowd favorite stems from his recent fights. Fighting some of the prominent light middleweights, his reputation took a hit following the loss to Mendoza. But the gruesome slugfest with Tim Tszyu, when he replaced Keith Thurman, reminded everyone that the 27-year-old is not someone to be taken lightly.
What makes Fundora’s fighting style so unique? Standing at par with the likes of Tyson Fury or Deontay Wilder, he towers over most of his divisional colleagues. So the natural stream of thought envisions him fighting on the outside. But no. Fundora prefers to fight in pockets. He knows that most of his opponents find it hard to reach his head. So he can let his guards down and lunge forward with those endless hands at the opponent’s body.
Booker boasts an impressive amateur record. But professionally he has thus far fought in the shadows. Now the 33-year-old Connecticuter faces an uphill task. He is fighting a well-reputed unified champion. But he remains unfazed. To get himself acclimatized to Fundora’s height, he sparred with fighters who matched the champion’s height. “Everybody, I’m sure everybody here thinks I’m going to lose. Everybody’s saying I’m going to get knocked out. Everybody’s saying things. I’m like, “Alright,” he said during the public workout.
If Fundora wins, then he could be in line to face either Crawford or IBF champion Bakhram Murtazaliev. But first he has to deal with ‘The Gift,’ looking forward to staging one of the year’s biggest upsets.
Our prediction: Sebastian Fundora winning with an early stoppage.
What about you? Between Fundora and Booker, who’s your pick for the win tomorrow night?
The post Sebastian Fundora vs. Chordale Booker Comparison and Prediction: Record, Age, Height, Reach, Weight, and Knockout Ratio appeared first on EssentiallySports.
