Sebastian Fundora gave Ermal Hadribeaj an icy glare during Thursday’s final presser at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas. Tension spiked when Hadribeaj aimed an imaginary sniper rifle directly at the champion’s chin.

Fundora kept his cool. The towering titlist didn’t swat the hand away. He didn’t shove the challenger. He simply stared him down, leaving the theatrics entirely to the Albanian contender.

Many boxing fans dismiss Saturday’s DAZN broadcast as a total mismatch. They might be forgetting history. Brian Mendoza knocked Fundora out cold in 2023. Erickson Lubin battered him. Tim Tszyu landed heavy leather on him. Those past fights prove the champion absorbs massive punishment when his defense gets sloppy.

The height gap between the two southpaws is ridiculous. DAZN’s faceoff clip showed the eight-inch difference clearly. Hadribeaj stands five feet ten inches tall, forcing him to point his fake rifle skyward toward Fundora’s 6’6″ stature.

Landing real leather will prove vastly tougher than gesturing on stage. Hadribeaj has to slip past huge reaching punches. He must escape clean counters. Closing distance against the champion is tricky because Fundora actually loves trading in tight phone booths.

That exact habit offers Hadribeaj his clearest path toward an upset. Fundora constantly surrenders his height by planting his feet inside. Shorter opponents suddenly find themselves in prime position to connect clean shots.

Mendoza exploited that flaw with a brutal left hook. Hadribeaj hasn’t demonstrated that kind of world class power against elite fighters yet. Still, writing off the challenger ignores the defensive gaps Fundora regularly presents.

The champion stayed composed on stage. Bringing that same discipline into Saturday night keeps the challenger outside, preventing Hadribeaj from getting the messy close-quarters brawl he desperately craves.

Hadribeaj’s taunting is unlikely to get Fundora to fight with reckless anger. Fundora has been through heated build-ups before, taken real damage in wars with Lubin and Tszyu, and generally keeps an even temper outside the ring. At the presser, he watched the sniper pantomime without flinching or retaliating.

The interesting part is that Hadribeaj probably does not even need to make Fundora angry to get the fight he wants. Fundora naturally surrenders his eight-inch height advantage without any emotional prompting. His default setting is to march forward, plant his feet, and throw uppercuts and hooks in a phone booth.

He gives up range as a matter of style, not because his temper got the better of him. That was how Mendoza caught him, and that was how Tszyu landed punishing overhand rights before the cut changed the dynamic.

Hadribeaj’s hurdle is what happens when he actually gets inside. Fundora is lethal in close quarters, throwing sharp uppercuts that chew fighters up as they try to stay under his reach. If Hadribeaj spends energy looking for one theatrical, loaded-up counter shot against a guy who throws heavy volume in the pocket, he risks getting overwhelmed by the sheer number of punches coming back at him.

Keith Thurman has questioned the gumption of one man as he considers who would emerge triumphant between Shakur Stevenson and Devin Haney.

The two pound-for-pound stars are in deep negotiations, with November 28 and Atlanta having been proposed as the respective date and location for their showdown.

Or at least, this was according to Devin’s father and trainer, Bill Haney, who expressed confidence that their all-American fight would become a reality.

Since those details were suggested, however, it has been reported that a money-related hurdle could cause their contest to take place at a later date.

As for the matchup itself, many would give the edge to Stevenson based on his wide unanimous decision victory over Teofimo Lopez in January.

Back then, the 29-year-old became a four-division world champion and could soon compete at a higher weight, with Haney having seemingly agreed to meet at 145lbs.

As the naturally bigger man, ‘The Dream’ comes off a unanimous decision victory over Brian Norman Jr, who he dethroned for the WBO world welterweight title in November.

But despite Haney’s size advantage, former world champion Thurman has told FightHype that he is not convinced by the 27-year-old’s ability to dog it out in the trenches.

“[It’s] not even just the defence [of Stevenson, but also] the speed. Speed kills.

“I favour Shakur in that matchup, because I’ve never seen one ounce of dog [in Haney]and I don’t know if a non-dog will be able to beat a Shakur.”

Given that he survived three knockdowns against Ryan Garcia, and overcame a late scare in his 2021 encounter with Jorge Linares, you could argue that there is, in fact, sufficient evidence to reflect Haney’s resolve.

Fabio Wardley looked like a fighter who could use some quiet time before facing Daniel Dubois again on Saturday. The lines beneath his eyes and weary appearance at Thursday’s final press conference offered an uneasy contrast to the relaxed, cheerful champion.

Appearances can mislead, but Wardley looked tired with two days remaining before their WBO heavyweight title rematch at London’s O2 Arena. Whether that reflects a hard camp, a busy promotional schedule, or simply an unflattering afternoon is unclear. It could be a toxic mixture of all three, but the media burden combined with Dubois offering zero promotional support is the real silent killer here.

Dubois is notorious for giving the press nothing. He sits there with a vacant stare, muttering three-word clichés about being focused and letting his fists do the talking. That leaves Wardley stuck playing the role of promoter, entertainer, and salesman all by himself.

When a headline fighter has to drag a pay-per-view across the finish line alone, it means endless media scrums, radio hits, digital sitdowns, and relentless sponsor obligations. That kind of talking tour drains nervous energy just as fast as hard sparring, especially during fight week when a fighter ought to be lying in bed with his feet up.

Dubois gets to coast into the arena fresh because he does not care about trying to pump up the fight, does not waste a single calorie trying to be charismatic, and holds the belt. Wardley took on the workload of two men outside the ropes while grinding himself down inside the gym, and his face on Thursday showed the exact toll of burning the candle at both ends.

“Yeah, surprisingly I feel great,” Wardley said, mouthing words that didn’t match his worn physical appearance.

He also described losing his unbeaten record as lifting some pressure, explaining that returning as the underdog felt like familiar territory. His words suggested comfort. His appearance invited questions about how much energy he has left after preparing to face the man who stopped him.

Dubois’s representative, Riz Khan, added to those questions by suggesting Wardley had returned too quickly.

“We know Fabio is not fully healed from his injuries,” Khan claimed, before qualifying that statement: “That’s my personal opinion.”

Khan offered no medical evidence. Still, his comments put recovery into the discussion at a time when Wardley needs to arrive fresh enough to make his proposed tactical changes work.

Wardley acknowledged becoming overconfident in his right hand during their first meeting. He wants better pacing and a more controlled approach rather than expecting one punch to finish Dubois.

That requires discipline when the punches start landing. If Wardley is carrying fatigue into Saturday, maintaining that control could become harder once Dubois makes him work.

Dubois, meanwhile, described himself as “feeling stronger” and “just grounded.” He appeared comfortable with the task ahead.

Wardley’s closing promise suggested his instinct to chase a finish remains strong.

“Once I sniff blood, he’s gone.”

He hurt Dubois before and failed to finish him. This time, Wardley must recognize his opening without spending everything trying to force it. Looking fresher on Saturday would help.