Gabriela Fundora has no plans to sit on her lead.

The Ring has confirmed that talks are underway for the reigning 2024 Fighter of the Year to next face Mexico’s Marilyn Badillo. Fundora would defend The Ring/undisputed flyweight championship against Badillo (19-0-1, 3 KOs).

Legendary boxing figure Sampson Lewkowicz, who co-promotes Fundora (15-0, 7 KOs) with Golden Boy Promotions, confirmed that talks are underway during a recent interview with Brunch Boxing.

The Ring has learned that the targeted timeframe for the championship fight is April at an unspecified location in San Antonio, Texas. The fight is not quite there yet, however, as there remains plenty of work ahead to firm up what would be an IBF mandatory title defense.

Fundora—a Coachella, California native—dethroned The Ring champion Gabriela ‘La Chucky’ Alaniz (15-2, 6 KOs) and fully unified the flyweight division in a stirring seventh-round knockout last Nov. 2 in Las Vegas. The win marked Fundora’s third overall defense of the IBF title she won in an Oct. 2023 fifth-round knockout of Arely Mucino (32-5-2, 11 KOs).

Three defenses in 2024, capped by the emphatic knockout victory over Alaniz, made the 5’9” Fundora—who turns 23 in March— a slam-dunk choice for The Ring’s Female Fighter of the Year. Her rise came in the same year that older brother Sebastian Fundora (21-1-1, 13 KOs), The Ring’s No. 4 junior middleweight contender, became the unified WBC/WBO 154-pound titlist.

Badillo became the IBF No. 1 contender after a ten-round, unanimous decision win over Alma Meraz (10-4-1, 2 KOs) last July 27 in Tlaxcala, Mexico. The 24-year-old contender from Cuautitlan Izcalli added an eight-round, unanimous decision over Graciela Cortes last Dec. 13 in Mexico City.

Fundora previously told The Ring that she plans to remain at flyweight and defend her championship unless a blockbuster opportunity comes along that would prompt a move in weight.

The decision could lead to at least two mandatory title defenses on the year. Also lurking is interim WBC titlist Kenia Enriquez (28-1, 11 KOs), The Ring’s No. 3 flyweight and Fundora’s likely next opponent with a win in April.

Jake Donovan is part of the U.S. team for The Ring. Follow Jake on X and Instagram.