He made the most of it.

The WBC junior middleweight champion delivered a dramatic knockout of Ermal Hadribeaj in the final second of the 12th round Saturday night at The Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas, retaining his world title and moving one step closer to the biggest fights of his career.

For nearly every round, Fundora had been forced to deal with an awkward, determined challenger who refused to make things easy. Hadribeaj repeatedly crowded the champion, worked on the inside and attempted to prevent the towering southpaw from establishing his preferred rhythm.

There was plenty of holding, enough to cost Hadribeaj two points, and long stretches where the fight became more of a physical struggle than a boxing match. But Fundora continued to work. He attacked the body, found openings for his uppercuts and gradually wore down the previously unbeaten challenger.

Then, with the final bell approaching, Fundora connected with a left hand that sent an exhausted Hadribeaj crashing to the canvas. The official stoppage came at 2:59 of the final round. Fundora improved to 25-1-1 with 17 knockouts, successfully defending his title for the fourth time.

He was comfortably ahead on all three scorecards before the stoppage, but the dramatic finish provided an exclamation point to a performance that had required patience and persistence.

There was some debate surrounding the referee's decision to stop the contest after Hadribeaj rose before the completion of the count, with virtually no time remaining. That controversy aside, Fundora had clearly done enough to win the fight. And now he wants something much bigger.

The 28-year-old has made no secret of his desire to become the undisputed junior middleweight champion. The most attractive path to that goal leads directly to Jaron "Boots" Ennis.

Ennis holds the WBA and WBO championships at 154 pounds and has established himself as one of the most talented fighters in boxing. His destructive victory over Xander Zayas earlier this year demonstrated that his speed, power and offensive creativity have carried over from the welterweight division.

But Ennis has business to handle before a potential meeting with Fundora. He is expected to face IBF champion Josh Kelly in a unification bout, with the winner potentially emerging with three of the four major world titles. That would leave Fundora holding the remaining piece of the undisputed championship puzzle.

Fundora against Ennis would be fascinating for several reasons. At 6-foot-6, Fundora possesses physical dimensions that are almost unheard of in the division. But unlike many unusually tall fighters, he doesn't always use his height and reach to maintain distance. He frequently chooses to fight on the inside, exchanging punches and overwhelming opponents with his tremendous work rate.

Against Ennis, that approach could be both an advantage and a serious liability. Ennis is exceptionally fast, can switch stances and has the ability to create openings from difficult angles. He is also a devastating combination puncher. If Fundora allows him to operate at close range without controlling the exchanges, he could find himself absorbing the type of clean punches that have troubled him in the past.

Fundora's lone professional defeat came against Brian Mendoza in April 2023, when he was knocked out in the seventh round after appearing to control much of the contest. That result demonstrated that his aggressive approach carries risks. However, Fundora has improved since that defeat.

He captured world titles against Tim Tszyu in March 2024 and has continued to develop into a more experienced and confident champion. His recent victories over Tszyu in their rematch, Keith Thurman and Hadribeaj have strengthened his position in the division.

Against Ennis, he would need to use his physical advantages intelligently, maintain a consistent work rate and avoid allowing the Philadelphia fighter to dictate the pace. It would be a difficult assignment. But it would also provide Fundora with the opportunity to prove that he is the best junior middleweight in the world.

Of course, Ennis isn't the only possibility. Should Kelly defeat Ennis, the British fighter would become an equally important target. Kelly's quick hands, movement and technical approach would provide Fundora with a different challenge. The British champion would likely attempt to control the distance, while Fundora would look to apply pressure and turn the fight into a physical battle. With all four major titles potentially at stake, the winner would become undisputed champion.

There is also Vergil Ortiz, another dangerous fighter who has been linked to Fundora. Ortiz is an aggressive puncher who thrives on applying pressure and forcing exchanges. A meeting between Ortiz and Fundora would almost certainly produce fireworks.

Both are comfortable fighting at a high pace, both possess legitimate punching power and neither has demonstrated much interest in avoiding dangerous opponents. However, whether Ortiz can still comfortably make 154 is another question. In recent weeks, there has been talk of Ortiz heading up to middleweight and Thurman has been mentioned as a potential opponent.

From an entertainment standpoint, Fundora against Ortiz would be difficult to beat. But from a career standpoint, an undisputed championship bout against the Ennis-Kelly winner carries greater significance.

Another possible opponent is Jesus Ramos, a talented contender who has expressed interest in facing Fundora. Both are promoted under the Premier Boxing Champions banner.

Ramos is young, powerful and physically strong for the division. He would provide a legitimate challenge and could be an attractive option if the championship unification plans encounter delays.

Fundora has reached the stage of his career where ordinary title defenses shouldn't be the priority. He's already established himself as a world champion, recovered from a devastating knockout defeat and strengthened his standing with victories over some of the division's biggest names.

The undisputed championship against the Ennis-Kelly winner should be the goal. Ennis would provide the bigger attraction, but Kelly would offer the same championship stakes. Ennis still has to get past Kelly, and mandatory obligations could complicate negotiations.

For now, Fundora has done his part. He handled his mandatory challenger, retained his championship and made his intentions clear.

He can afford to wait.

And if everything falls into place, Fundora could enter 2027 with the undisputed title in reach.