Sebastian Fundora stopped Ermal Hadribeaj with one second remaining in the 12th round, finishing a physically taxing fight with a left hand after gradually wearing down the challenger with body punches and a higher work rate.

The victory gave Fundora (25-1-1, 17 KOs) his fourth successful defense of the WBC junior middleweight title on Saturday night at The Chelsea at the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas. Hadribeaj (23-1-1, 8 KOs) suffered his first defeat after making the champion work considerably harder than his heavy favorite status suggested.

Hadribeaj had little interest in remaining at the end of Fundora’s punches. The challenger stayed low, moved inside and landed hard shots, forcing the taller champion into a fight where his height and reach offered fewer benefits.

A long left hand buzzed Hadribeaj in the second round, but he recovered quickly and returned to pressing the action. Referee Thomas Taylor deducted a point for holding in the third, adding an early cost to the challenger’s attempts to crowd and smother Fundora.

The inside fighting remained competitive through the middle rounds. Hadribeaj landed some of the heavier individual punches, while Fundora answered with more frequent short shots and uppercuts.

Fundora’s body attack became increasingly effective as the fight progressed. Rather than consistently creating distance, he found room to punch where Hadribeaj wanted to fight, digging downstairs and keeping his hands moving.

That made the challenger’s approach harder to sustain. Getting close no longer prevented Fundora from scoring, and Hadribeaj increasingly held as the champion continued working.

Taylor took another point from Hadribeaj in the 11th. By then, Fundora was producing the cleaner, more consistent offense, leaving the challenger needing a dramatic finish.

The decisive punch came from the champion instead. Fundora maintained his pressure in the final round before a left hand dropped Hadribeaj and ended the fight at 2:59.