When Tim Tszyu began his training for a fight scheduled on March 30 in Las Vegas, he envisioned his opponent as a orthodox puncher standing at five-foot nine. Many believed that this fighter’s prime had already passed and his lack of recent activity had hindered his progress. Tim Tszyu specifically trained for this opponent, visualizing the strategies he would employ and eagerly anticipating the chance to be the first to defeat him decisively.
However, a setback occurred when Keith Thurman injured his arm during training, leaving Tszyu with an emptiness. The face he once envisioned punching and the scalp he aimed to conquer belonged to Thurman no more. Instead of the anticipated matchup, the WBO super-welterweight champion was left with a sense of disappointment and betrayal.
Luckily for Tszyu, his disappointment was short-lived. Almost immediately after it was announced that Thurman couldn’t fight, a replacement emerged to lessen the blow. Tszyu would still be the main event, but now he would face Sebastian Fundora, who couldn’t be more different from Keith Thurman. Fundora, standing at an impressive six foot five and being a southpaw, is truly unique among super-welterweights. While he may not have the same level of fame or experience as Thurman, he did recently suffer a loss. However, some argue that Fundora is more motivated and ambitious than Thurman. Plus, since he was originally scheduled to fight on the undercard, he will be in shape and prepared for the bout.
Considering everything, this replacement is as good as anyone could have hoped for. In fact, some may argue that it is even better or more captivating than the original main event. Tszyu will now face new challenges and be asked questions he has never encountered before. Fundora is an unusual opponent, for whom Tszyu has had limited time to prepare, and whose style demands extensive preparation. Tszyu will have to overcome a height and reach disadvantage and completely discard any plans he had prepared for Keith Thurman in order to devise a fresh and unique strategy.
The challenge facing Tszyu in this fight is what makes it intriguing for us. The appeal lies in witnessing an undefeated champion having to adapt on the spot, think quickly, and showcase his skills when things don’t go exactly as planned.
There is a high probability that someone like Tszyu, a meticulous 29-year-old, will approach this situation with enthusiasm and effortlessly make the pre-fight disaster seem nonexistent. However, until we witness his performance, there is still an air of mystery and intrigue surrounding this headline fight that may not have existed when Thurman was originally scheduled to be his opponent.
Fundora, 26, is not necessarily superior to Thurman at this point in their careers. It’s simply unknown. However, Fundora is undeniably unique and his distinctiveness implies that he will present a challenge for Tszyu as long as he remains upright and towering over him.
The main concern when analyzing Fundora is the impact of his first professional loss. His defeat against Brian Mendoza, a seventh-round stoppage, in his previous fight raises concerns for both Fundora and those anticipating a competitive match against Tszyu, who has an impressive record of 24-0 (17). Although it happened almost a year ago, the fact that Fundora crumbled against Mendoza while he was leading on the scorecards is not easy to forget or shake off, especially considering there have been no fights since then. Essentially, the defeat, its manner, and the emotions attached to it could still affect Fundora. It was somewhat surprising that Fundora planned to return in a WBC title fight against Serhii Bohachuk, his original opponent for Saturday, instead of gradually easing his way back. That fight alone seemed dangerous enough, given Bohachuk’s record of finishing all 23 of his pro wins before the final bell, but Tszyu as an opponent represents another level of challenge.
Perhaps Fundora, with a record of 20-1-1 (13), believes that challenging opponents like these are necessary to ignite his motivation and rid himself of the haunting memories from last April. Alternatively, as an entertaining and crowd-pleasing fighter, he may feel compelled to accept high-risk fights due to the expectations placed upon him. Regardless, it seems that Tszyu, considering the high stakes involved, will possess enough calmness and control to navigate through challenging initial rounds before wearing down Fundora and dominating the later rounds.
Serhii Bohachuk, originally scheduled to fight Fundora for the vacant WBC belt, will now be facing Brian Mendoza in a 12-round bout for the WBC interim super-welterweight title. Due to Thurman’s injury, the vacant belt will be used in the main event. Bohachuk, with a record of 23-1 (23), will have to defeat Mendoza, who has a record of 22-3 (16), in order to maintain his chance of a future shot at the real WBC belt.
At the same time, Erislandy Lara from Cuba, holding a record of 29 wins, 3 losses, and 3 draws, with 17 knockouts, will be defending his WBA “regular” middleweight championship against Australian boxer Michael Zerafa, who has a record of 31 wins and 4 losses with 19 knockouts. Additionally, Rolando Romero, with a record of 15 wins and 1 loss, along with 13 knockouts, will be facing Isaac Cruz, who holds a record of 25 wins, 2 losses, and 1 draw, with 17 knockouts, in a battle for Romero’s WBA “regular” super-lightweight championship.
