# Leonard Bundu

Leonard Bundu (born 21 November 1974) is a Sierra Leone-born Italian former professional boxer who competed from 2005 to 2016. He held multiple regional welterweight championships, including the European title twice between 2011 and 2016; the European Union title from 2009 to 2010; the Commonwealth title in 2014; and challenged once for the WBA interim welterweight title in 2014. As an amateur, Bundu won a gold medal in the light-welterweight division at the 1997 Mediterranean Games; welterweight bronze at the 1999 World Championships; and represented Italy at the 2000 Olympics, where he reached the second round of the welterweight bracket.

## Amateur career

Bundu won his first major amateur medal at the 1997 Mediterranean Games in Bari, winning gold in the light-welterweight division. This was followed up with bronze at the 1999 World Championships in Houston. At the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Bundu fought in the welterweight division, losing to Daniyar Munaytbasov in the second round. Bundu also represented his native Sierra Leone at the 2nd AIBA African 2004 Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Gaborone, where he won bronze in welterweight division.

## Professional career

On 1 April 2005, Bundu won in his professional debut with a first-round knockout against Peter Gaspar. He would spend the next nine years fighting almost exclusively in his adoptive Italy, save for one outing in Germany. During this time Bundu would pick up many regional championships, including the vacant European Union welterweight title on 13 March 2009, in a unanimous decision (UD) over Frank Haroche Horta.

### Bundu vs. Petrucci

This was bettered on 4 November 2011, when Bundu won the full European welterweight title in a rematch against Daniele Petrucci; their first fight for the vacant title, on 25 June 2011, ended in an eighth-round majority technical draw.

### Bundu vs. Gavin

Bundu defended his European title six times, as well as winning the Commonwealth title against undefeated contender and decorated amateur Frankie Gavin. In their fight, on 1 August 2014, Bundu scored a surprise sixth-round knockdown with a hard body shot, and would go on to win by split decision.

### Bundu vs. Thurman

Later in the year, on 13 December, Bundu challenged unsuccessfully for his first major world championship in his first visit to the United States. Defending WBA interim titlist Keith Thurman, also an undefeated prospect at the time, knocked Bundu down in the first round, but Bundu showed his durability by going the full twelve-round distance with the feared puncher. In doing so, Bundu suffered his first professional loss via UD.

### Bundu vs. Koivula

On 22 April 2016, Bundu won the vacant European welterweight title for a second time by stopping Jussi Koivula in nine rounds.

### Bundu vs. Spence Jr

Later that year, on 21 August, Bundu travelled to the US for a third time to face Errol Spence Jr., another undefeated prospect, in what was an eliminator for the IBF welterweight title. The first three rounds were fast-paced and competitive, with Bundu utilising his pressure fighting style and feints, although his punch output would slow in the fourth as Spence began using consistent combinations and lateral movement. In round six, Bundu was floored by a hard uppercut, but this was incorrectly deemed a push by the referee. Seconds later, Spence landed an uppercut–hook combination which left Bundu slumped on the canvas unconscious, in his first knockout loss. He was also stripped of his European welterweight title.

## Professional boxing record

| 37 fights | 33 wins | 2 losses |
| By knockout | 12 | 1 |
| By decision | 21 | 1 |
| Draws | 2 | 2 |
| No. | Result | Record | Opponent | Type | Round, time | Date | Location | Notes |
| 37 | Loss | 33–2–2 | Errol Spence Jr. | KO | 6 (12), 2:06 | 21 Aug 2016 | Ford Amphitheater at Coney Island, New York City, New York, US | |
| 36 | Win | 33–1–2 | Jussi Koivula | TKO | 9 (12), 2:40 | 22 Apr 2016 | Nelson Mandela Forum, Florence, Italy | Won vacant European welterweight title |
| 35 | Win | 32–1–2 | Pablo Munguia | UD | 8 | 26 Jun 2015 | Little Creek Casino Resort, Shelton, Washington, US | |
| 34 | Loss | 31–1–2 | Keith Thurman | UD | 12 | 13 Dec 2014 | MGM Grand Garden Arena, Paradise, Nevada, US | For WBA interim welterweight title |
| 33 | Win | 31–0–2 | Frankie Gavin | SD | 12 | 1 Aug 2014 | Civic Hall, Wolverhampton, England | Retained European welterweight title; Won Commonwealth welterweight title |
| 32 | Win | 30–0–2 | Lee Purdy | TKO | 12 (12), 2:53 | 14 Dec 2013 | ExCeL, London, England | Retained European welterweight title |
| 31 | Win | 29–0–2 | Rafał Jackiewicz | KO | 11 (12) | 6 Apr 2013 | Teatro Tendastrisce, Rome, Italy | Retained European welterweight title |
| 30 | Win | 28–0–2 | Ismael El Massoudi | KO | 1 (12), 2:40 | 1 Dec 2012 | Palazzetto dello Sport, Rezzato, Italy | Retained European welterweight title |
| 29 | Win | 27–0–2 | Stefano Castellucci | TD | 5 (12), 2:55 | 14 Jul 2012 | Palasport Primo Carnera, Udine, Italy | Retained European welterweight title; Unanimous TD: Bundu cut from an accidental head clash |
| 28 | Win | 26–0–2 | Antonio Moscatiello | KO | 5 (12), 2:05 | 23 Mar 2012 | Palasport EIB Fiera, Brescia, Italy | Retained European welterweight title |
| 27 | Win | 25–0–2 | Daniele Petrucci | UD | 12 | 4 Nov 2011 | Nelson Mandela Forum, Florence, Italy | Won vacant European welterweight title |
| 26 | Draw | 24–0–2 | Daniele Petrucci | TD | 8 (12) | 25 Jun 2011 | Foro Italico, Rome, Italy | For vacant European welterweight title; Majority TD: Bundu sustained eye swelling from an accidental head clash |
| 25 | Win | 24–0–1 | Zoran Cvek | PTS | 6 | 25 Feb 2011 | Palazzetto dello Sport "Mario Mattioli", Florence, Italy | |
| 24 | Win | 23–0–1 | Moises Castro | KO | 1 (6) | 26 Nov 2010 | Palazzetto dello Sport, Rezzato, Italy | |
| 23 | Win | 22–0–1 | Ronny McField | TD | 6 (6) | 21 May 2010 | Centro Sportivo San Filippo, Brescia, Italy | Unanimous TD: Bundu cut from an accidental head clash |
| 22 | Win | 21–0–1 | Carlos Adán Jerez | TD | 5 (12) | 19 Mar 2010 | Nelson Mandela Forum, Florence, Italy | Won vacant WBA Inter-Continental welterweight title; Unanimous TD: Jerez cut from an accidental head clash |
| 21 | Win | 20–0–1 | Ronny McField | TD | 7 (8) | 18 Dec 2009 | PalaBianchini, Latina, Italy | Unanimous TD: Bundu cut from an accidental head clash |
| 20 | Win | 19–0–1 | Frank Shabani | UD | 12 | 27 Jun 2009 | Max-Schmeling-Halle, Berlin, Germany | Retained European Union welterweight title |
| 19 | Win | 18–0–1 | Frank Haroche Horta | UD | 12 | 13 Mar 2009 | Nelson Mandela Forum, Florence, Italy | Won vacant European Union welterweight title |
| 18 | Win | 17–0–1 | Johannes Fabrizius | PTS | 6 | 21 Nov 2008 | Palazzetto dello Sport, Nuvolera, Italy | |
| 17 | Win | 16–0–1 | Laszlo Komjathi | TKO | 5 (6) | 24 Oct 2008 | Podenzano, Italy | |
| 16 | Win | 15–0–1 | Patrik Hruska | PTS | 6 | 28 Aug 2008 | Lungolago Zanardelli, Toscolano-Maderno, Italy | |
| 15 | Win | 14–0–1 | Giammario Grassellini | TKO | 1 (10) | 4 Mar 2008 | Nelson Mandela Forum, Florence, Italy | |
| 14 | Win | 13–0–1 | Gheorghe Danut | PTS | 8 | 12 Dec 2007 | Rezzato, Italy | |
| 13 | Win | 12–0–1 | Vincenzo Finzi | TKO | 1 (12), 2:40 | 24 Aug 2007 | Lungolago Zanardelli, Toscolano-Maderno, Italy | Retained IBF Mediterranean welterweight title |
| 12 | Draw | 11–0–1 | Luciano Abis | TD | 3 (10), 0:37 | 15 Jun 2007 | PalaLido, Milan, Italy | For vacant Italy welterweight title; Bundu cut from an accidental head clash |
| 11 | Win | 11–0 | Karim Netchaoui | TKO | 11 (12) | 2 Mar 2007 | Nelson Mandela Forum, Florence, Italy | Won vacant IBF Mediterranean welterweight title |
| 10 | Win | 10–0 | Volodymyr Borovskyy | PTS | 8 | 21 Oct 2006 | Palazzetto dello Sport, Rome, Italy | |
| 9 | Win | 9–0 | Virgil Meleg | PTS | 6 | 22 Sep 2006 | Cortemaggiore, Italy | |
| 8 | Win | 8–0 | Attila Kiss | PTS | 6 | 11 Aug 2006 | Toscolano-Maderno, Italy | |
| 7 | Win | 7–0 | Vincenzo Finzi | PTS | 6 | 12 May 2006 | Rezzato, Italy | |
| 6 | Win | 6–0 | Mugurel Sebe | UD | 8 | 3 Apr 2006 | Rivarolo Canavese, Italy | |
| 5 | Win | 5–0 | Mārtiņš Kukulis | PTS | 6 | 10 Feb 2006 | Palazzetto dello Sport, Chiarbola, Trieste, Italy | |
| 4 | Win | 4–0 | Brett James | PTS | 6 | 7 Aug 2005 | Palasport Flaminio, Rimini, Italy | |
| 3 | Win | 3–0 | Antonio Taglialatela | TD | 3 (6) | 5 Jun 2005 | Piazza della Loggia, Brescia, Italy | |
| 2 | Win | 2–0 | Ferenc Olah | KO | 1 (6) | 16 Apr 2005 | PalaNorda, Bergamo, Italy | |
| 1 | Win | 1–0 | Peter Gaspar | KO | 1 (6), 2:08 | 1 Apr 2005 | Florence, Italy | |