Jaron Ennis laughed off Sebastian Fundora’s knockout claims, calling the towering champion “too small” to back up his words. Ennis is eyeing Fundora down the line, but he’s making sure business with Josh Kelly gets handled first.
That comment flips the script on Fundora. Opponents usually spend training camp obsessing over his massive reach, but Ennis seems far more eager to exploit openings than worry about incoming fire.
“He too small. He not big enough,” Ennis said to YSM Sports Media when told about Fundora’s knockout comments. “But we focused on Josh Kelly, and that’s the main focus, main target right now. We’ll talk about him later on.”
Ennis kept a close eye on Fundora’s clash with Ermal Hadribeaj, scouting for future business rather than just watching for fun.
“Definitely watching to pick him apart,” Ennis said. “Just to see what he got, and it’s what I’ve been knew.”
Fundora didn’t dial back his confidence at the post-fight presser either. When reporters brought up potential bouts with Ennis or Vergil Ortiz Jr., he insisted he’d halt both.
“If it was those guys, I’d still knock them out,” Fundora said. “These guys can’t hurt me.”
That confidence would face a different examination against Ennis. Choosing to fight inside is one thing against Hadribeaj; giving Ennis opportunities at close range would require Fundora to account for his speed and combinations.
Ennis even took a jab at the Hadribeaj stoppage, arguing the challenger beat the count right as the bell sounded. Regardless, he made it clear he wanted Fundora looking sharp so there are zero asterisks later.
“I don’t want nobody to say nothing,” Ennis said. “No excuses.”
Kelly is the obstacle between that talk and a possible Fundora fight. Ennis described him as a “sharp” and “smart” fighter. Beating him must come before Ennis can turn his confidence against Fundora into something more substantial.
Ennis is spotting the exact same tactical flaw everyone else saw against Hadribeaj: Fundora simply cannot resist fighting like a phone booth brawler. Calling a 6’6″ fighter with an 86-inch reach “too small” sounds bizarre on the surface, but Ennis is talking about physical density and ring presence, not height.
