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(October 19, 2026) Promoter Sampson Lewkowicz says he disagrees with critics of referee Thomas Taylor’s decision to award WBC junior middleweight champion Sebastian Fundora a last-round knockout over Ermal Hadribeaj on Saturday night.
After a gritty and physical war of attrition, broadcast live on TNT and DAZN from the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, Fundora, 25-1-1 (17 KOs), overcame a slow start to successfully defend his title for the fourth time by knocking out mandatory challenger Hadribeaj, 23-1-1 (8 KOs), with a series of left hands capped by a “buzzer beater” punch that dropped his foe just as the final bell sounded to end the 12-round fight.
Albania’s Hadribeaj rose at the count of nine, but Taylor assessed his condition as spent and waved the fight over immediately, making the official result a KO 12 at 2:59.
While many voiced post-fight they feel Hadribeaj should have been allowed to go the distance, given he was able to get back to his feet after the knockdown, Lewkowicz says Taylor reacted correctly to the unusual circumstances.
“The rules say a fighter cannot be saved by the bell in any round including the 12th. If the referee ruled the fighter was not fit to continue, and if he would have stopped it immediately if it happened at any other point in the fight, he would be letting Hadribeaj be saved by the bell if he didn’t stop it, regardless of the clock.
“That was the right thing to do for a fighter who is not in shape to keep fighting. People are saying Hadribeaj was robbed of going the distance. If Thomas Taylor hadn’t waved it off, he would have been robbing Sebastian Fundora of a knockout he earned in the ring. It goes both ways.”
The scorecards later revealed Fundora was on his way to winning a clear unanimous decision, as he was up 107-100, 109-98 and 108-99 at the time of the KO.
“Not everyone in boxing will ever agree on everything,” Lewkowicz added, but Hadribeaj was so badly hurt he was taken to the hospital on a stretcher after the fight. Safety must come before all else in boxing. Thankfully he was released the next morning and will fight another day.”
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ABOUT SAMPSON BOXING
Sampson Boxing has promotional partners all over North and South America, Africa, Asia, New Zealand, Australia, Europe and Central America. Sampson Boxing events have been televised on such premiere networks as HBO, Showtime, ESPN, ESPN+, DAZN, VS., FOX, Fox Sports, ProBoxTV and several international networks. Sampson Boxing has guided the careers of over 40 world champions, specializing in developing relatively unknown prospects into champions and superstars, including discovering alll-time-great Manny Pacquiao, Hall of Famer Sergio Martinez, World Light Heavyweight, Super Middleweight and Cruiserweight Champion David Benavidez, former two-time champion Javier Fortuna, former world Unified WBA and IBF Super Welterweight Champion Jeison Rosario, former WBA Interim World Featherweight Champion Eduardo “Zurdito” Ramirez, and sibling world champions WBC World Super Welterweight Champion Sebastian Fundora and his sister, WBC, IBF and WBO World Flyweight Champion Gabriela Fundora. Sampson Lewkowicz was inducted into the Atlantic City Boxing Hall of Fame in 2023. For more information, visit sampsonboxing.com.
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CONTACT
Andre Courtemanche
Director of Public Relations: ProBoxTV/Sampson Boxing
(519) 329-4290
bigmediabuzz@msn.com
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