Last night in Oceanside, California, unified women’s flyweight champion Gabriela Fundora retained her belts with a commanding stoppage win over Marilyn Badillo. The end came in round seven, as “the best female fighter on the planet,” according to promoter Oscar De La Hoya, dropped Badillo with a powerful straight left. Referee Rudy Barragan waved the action over at the 1:44 mark.

(Credit: Golden Boy / Cris Esqueda)

Now 16-0(8), Fundora kicks off what she hopes will be another dominant year in the sport. Last year, the 23-year-old southpaw from Palm Beach made history by becoming the youngest ever undisputed world champion in the sport, regardless of weight class or gender. Fundora said after last night’s win, which marked her third title retention (WBA, WBC, WBO, and Ring Magazine) that she feels she is “maturing” as a fighter.

Fundora had a good look at her challenger in the opening round, before finding her groove and basically beating up the game, but outclassed Badillo. It’s quite rare for such a small fighter, you could even say rare for a female fighter, to pack as much power as Fundora does. At this point in time, it really does look like there is nobody out there to beat Fundora.

It’s a shame Fundora is not fighting at a heavier weight class – imagine, for instance, if Fundora were the same weight as Claressa Shields or Katie Taylor.

As it is, as an article over at The Ring points out, the folks at Golden Boy are now left searching for notable opponents for Fundora. There seems to be nothing left for Fundora at flyweight, and as such, a move up in weight does seem likely. At a listed 5’9,” “Sweet Poison,” as Fundora is known, could conceivably go up a couple of divisions over the coming months.

Fundora says she trains “every round for the knockout,” and she has now scored a KO in three of her last four fights. De La Hoya may not be guilty of hyperbole when he says Fundora is the best women’s boxer in the world right now.