Fundora stops Hadribeaj in final second, keeps undisputed title hopes alive

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Sebastian Fundora kept his pursuit of an undisputed championship on track with a second to spare.

Fundora stopped Ermal Hadribeaj with a left hand at 2:59 of the 12th round Saturday night at The Chelsea at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas to retain his WBC super welterweight title.

Fundora (25-1-1, 17 KOs) had his fourth successful title defense and handed Hadribeaj (23-1-1) his first professional loss.

“It was an interesting fight,” Fundora said. “I had to go back and fight on the inside and show everyone again that I can still do that. It was dramatic to knock him out at the last second. But we’ll go back to the gym and fix some things.”

Fundora entered the bout looking toward a chance to unify the 154-pound division, but first had to get past a stubborn mandatory challenger.

Hadribeaj attacked the body early, crouching beneath Fundora’s punches and landing looping shots over the top. Fundora caught him in the second round, and Hadribeaj increasingly turned to holding to disrupt the champion’s offense.

Hadribeaj lost points for holding in the third and 11th rounds. Fundora found room for uppercuts inside and applied pressure through the middle rounds before delivering the decisive left in the final second.

“I told the ref in the fourth round that I was hurting him,” Fundora said. “I kept landing body shots and was looking for that special shot to get him out of there.

“I was hitting him in the rib cage the whole time with the left hand and when I went up the middle, I heard the noise that he made. So I just kept touching that and knew it would break him.”

Fundora, 28, has won five straight since Brian Mendoza knocked him out in April 2023. The 6-foot-5 southpaw from Coachella, California, captured the WBC and WBO titles against Tim Tszyu in March 2024, then stopped Chordale Booker, Tszyu and Keith Thurman in successive defenses.

“I want to go for undisputed in this division,” Fundora said. “We’ll break either Jaron Ennis or Josh Kelly down. Just like the last guy and the guy before that. We’ll keep breaking them down.”

Hadribeaj, an Albanian fighter based in Miami, earned his title opportunity with a victory over previously unbeaten Bakary Samake earlier this year.

In the co-main event, Armando Resendiz (17-3) outlasted Australia’s Koen Mazoudier (16-5-1) by unanimous decision in a 10-round super middleweight bout. The judges scored it 98-92, 97-93 and 97-93.

Resendiz landed punishing left hands through the middle rounds, but Mazoudier kept trading inside and rallied late. Resendiz finished strongly, sending Mazoudier stumbling backward in the final minute.

“We pulled this off because we had great preparation,” Resendiz said. “This was the kind of fight that I expected. I had to change my game plan and box and move a little bit because this was a very tough fight.”

Marco Romero (16-0, 14 KOs) stopped Matias Ferreira (8-4) with a crushing right hand at 1:54 of the first round in their scheduled eight-round super middleweight bout.

“He was too slow,” Romero said. “His speed and experience didn’t matter.”

Jaime Osuna (12-0) remained unbeaten with a majority decision over Cristian Cangelosi (13-1-1) in an eight-round middleweight bout.

“It was a fight that took everything I had from beginning to end,” Osuna said.

AP boxing: https://apnews.com/boxing

Marco Romero, right, fights Matias Ferreira during a super middleweight boxing match Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Koen Mazoudier, left, takes a punch from Armando Resendiz during a super middleweight boxing match Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Sebastian Fundora, right, takes a punch from Ermal Hadribeaj during a super welterweight championship boxing match Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Sebastian Fundora, left, fights Ermal Hadribeaj during a super welterweight championship boxing match Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Sebastian Fundora, center rear, celebrates after knocking out Ermal Hadribeaj during a super welterweight championship boxing match Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)

EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) — Canada’s defense minister said Saturday that people were killed and injured in an incident at a military base in Alberta that caused a major fire, while reports said that large numbers of injured people were being transported to hospitals.

Fire crews scrambled late into the night as fierce winds whipped flames beyond Canadian Forces Base Wainwright and into the surrounding rural area.

It was not immediately clear how many people were killed or injured, but a doctor at a hospital in the city of Edmonton, 180 km (120 miles) northwest, told Canada’s national broadcaster that patients were being brought to hospitals across the city as health-care facilities around the base became “completely overwhelmed” by the number of people needing care.

“This number of patients would overwhelm the city of Edmonton,” Dr. Warren Thirsk, an emergency department physician at the Royal Alexandra Hospital, told CBC News. “It is more patients than any of us want to count right now. It’s a disaster. It’s a one in every 15 to 25-year disaster.”

The town of Wainwright, near the base, has about 7,000 residents.

Defense Minister David McGuinty said the Royal Canadian Mounted Police were involved in investigating the incident and described the situation as “very, very active and delicate.” He said authorities were still working to determine what happened and expected to provide further information.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police said officers were called shortly after 4 p.m. Saturday following reports of a fire in a training area at the base.

Firefighters faced a volatile situation. Large areas of the province were hit during the day by a windstorm with gusts up to 100 kilometres an hour. The wind toppled some trees and sent signs flying and garbage cans rolling down streets.

By 11 p.m., the Municipal District of Wainwright said on social media the fire was being held and that property and critical infrastructure were protected. There was no evacuation order for residents.

Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe said his province was sending assistance to Alberta but did not specify what resources were being deployed.

“Our thoughts are with all the brave women and men affected,” Prime Minister Mark Carney said earlier in a social media post.

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith described the fire as “significant and tragic” and said it was affecting many military personnel.

CFB Wainwright is one of Canada’s busiest military training bases, where soldiers prepare for combat operations. It is home to the Canadian Manoeuvre Training Centre, which conducts realistic battlefield exercises, and the 3rd Canadian Division Training Centre, which provides military training.

Canadian Conservative opposition leader Pierre Poilievre said he had spoken with Carney and the defense minister to offer support to those affected by the fire.

“Pray for Wainwright, everyone,” Poilievre said in a social media post. He urged people in the area to follow emergency instructions and keep roads clear for first responders.

The fire also disrupted advance voting ahead of Monday’s referendum on whether Alberta should begin a process that could lead to independence from Canada. Elections Alberta said two polling locations, in Lloydminster and Vermilion, closed early Saturday and the ballots were transported securely.

Emergency crews and military personnel are seen at the Wainwright Health Centre as injured military members are treated after a fire at Canadian Forces Base Wainwright, outside of Wainwright, Alberta Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026. (John Ulan/The Canadian Press via AP)

Paramedics work at the Wainwright Health Centre as injured military members are treated after a fire at Canadian Forces Base Wainwright, outside of Wainwright, Alberta Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026. (John Ulan/The Canadian Press via AP)

Emergency crews and military personnel gather at the Wainwright Health Centre as injured military members are treated after a fire at Canadian Forces Base Wainwright, outside of Wainwright, Alberta Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026. (John Ulan/The Canadian Press via AP)

Paramedics load an injured person into an ambulance at the Wainwright Health center after a fire at Canadian Forces Base Wainwright, outside of Wainwright, Alberta Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026. (John Ulan/The Canadian Press via AP)