Less than two weeks out from fight day, Tim Tszyu (24-0) has got a new opponent.
The Australian was due to face Keith Thurman in the main event of Prime Video’s maiden pay-per-view in Las Vegas on March 30.
An injury to Thurman has unfortunately seen him pulled from the card, with Sebastian Fundora to take on Tszyu instead.
MORE: Everything you need to know about Tim Tszyu vs. Sebastian Fundora
Who is Sebastian Fundora?
Sebastian Fundora is tall. Really tall. That’s the first thing you need to know.
Standing just shy of six feet and six inches (197cm), super welterweights simply don’t come any taller.
If that doesn’t make him tricky enough to deal with, he’s also a southpaw, giving opponents yet more to think about when facing “The Towering Inferno”.
In the blink of an eye, Tszyu has gone from preparing to fight a 177cm orthodox boxer in Thurman, to something else entirely.
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Born in Florida, the 26-year-old isn’t just novelty act – he can fight.
Fundora has amassed a 20-1-1 professional record, picking up 13 knockouts along the way.
While his frame might not suggest it, the long lefty can dish out plenty of pain, and he doesn’t mind taking a bit of punishment as well.
All that’s to say, Sebastian Fundora fights are generally action-packed fights and you can say exactly the same about Tim Tszyu. Buckle up.
Fundora fought his way to the interim WBC super welterweight world title by stopping Erickson Lubin, before defending it with a unanimous points decision over Carlos Ocampo, both in 2022.
He then lost that belt in brutal fashion at the hands of Brian Mendoza, who, when down on the cards, clipped him with a left hook before closing the show with two more heavy shots.
Fundora hasn’t fought since that loss to Mendoza but was set to battle Serhii Bohachuk for the vacant WBC title at 154-pounds on the Tszyu-Thurman undercard.
Which titles are Tim Tszyu and Sebastian Fundora fighting for?
Initially, despite Tszyu holding the WBO super welterweight world title, that belt wasn’t going to be on the line against Thurman.
The WBO confirmed they wouldn’t be sanctioning it as a world title bout as Thurman, primarily a welterweight, wasn’t in their rankings at 154-lbs.
However, the sanctioning body had announced that Tszyu would be stripped of the title if Thurman was victorious.
Now, Tszyu vs. Fundora has become a title unification bout.
The Australian’s WBO strap will be on the line, as will the vacant WBC belt.
Thurman’s injury has given both Tszyu and Fundora the chance to stake their claim as the division’s main man.
On the undercard, Bohachuk will now face Mendoza, with the interim WBC title up for grabs.
Tim Tszyu vs. Sebastian Fundora fight card
Tim Tszyu (c) vs. Sebastian Fundora for the WBO and WBC super welterweight titleRolando Romero (c) vs. Isaac Cruz for the WBA super lightweight titleErislandy Lara (c) vs. Michael Zerafa for the WBA middleweight titleJulio Cesar Martínez vs. Angelino Cordova for the WBC flyweight titleElijah García vs. Kyrone Davis; middleweightSerhii Bohachuk vs. Brian Mendoza for the interim WBC super welterweight title
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