Following an electric round that saw both men land huge punches, Tszyu’s corner waived off the fight between rounds.
"I dropped him in round one and I remembered that my dad said all week that he thinks we could get him out of there and that's what we did,” said Fundora.
"He's one tough guy,” said Tszyu. “I tried to give it everything. But I just couldn't do it. He's the best 154-pounder in the world right now.”
After their first fight saw Tszyu fight through one of the grizzliest cuts in recent boxing history before losing a close decision, the rematch saw Fundora establish his dominance early with a clean left hook that dropped Tszyu in round one.
"I was not surprised I dropped him,” said Fundora. “I was coming off a loss last time, so my mentality wasn't there. Coming into this fight, I was the champion and mentally I was better.”
Fundora continued to press forward and used his exceptional reach to give Tszyu fits as he tried to close down the distance. The fight took on a back-and-forth nature after the knockdown, with Tszyu searching for and occasionally landing big shots, while Fundora kept up the consistent pressure.
"I'm the bigger guy,” said Fundora. “Everyone says I'm a bully in the ring, so I thought I should start really bullying these guys.”
"He was just the better man,” said Tszyu. “It's very hard to land. He's so tall. I feel like I was shadowboxing with myself sometimes. It is what it is. Congratulations to Fundora."
In round seven, Tszyu appeared to have his best moments of the fight, snapping Fundora’s head back several times. However, he was unable to deter Fundora’s forward momentum, as the champion out landed Tszyu 27 to 16 in power punches across the frame. One final flurry before the bell left Tszyu worse for wear heading into his corner and eventually led to the decision from his corner to halt the fight.
"I just kept working on aggression my whole career and we've just been adding,” said Fundora. “I'm here at 154 to stay and ready to get more belts."
Esther Lin / Premier Boxing Champions