Tim Tszyu will now face Sebastian Fundora on March 30, with Keith Thurman reportedly out of the planned bout with Tszyu, according to ESPN.com’s Mike Coppinger.
It was reported earlier today that Thurman had come down with a biceps injury, and it was easy to guess that Fundora would be the most likely replacement if the card was to go on.
Fundora (20-1-1, 13 KO) was set to face Serhii Bohachuk on the Prime Video pay-per-view undercard for the vacant WBC super welterweight title. Tszyu (24-0, 17 KO) will now defend his WBO title against Fundora; originally, Tszyu was to face Thurman in a non-title, 155 lb contract weight bout.
The event is to be PBC’s first with Prime Video, and their first at all since Showtime Boxing went under this past December.
Tszyu, 29, won the interim WBO title in 2023 by beating Tony Harrison, and was elevated to full titlist status last fall, ahead of a defense against Brian Mendoza. Fundora, 26, has not fought since a seventh round knockout loss to Mendoza for the WBC interim title last April.
The show will still feature Rolando “Rolly” Romero defend his WBA 140 lb title against Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz, plus Erislandy Lara defending the WBA middleweight title against Michael Zerafa. No word yet if Bohachuk will be able to face someone else for the vacant WBC title at 154 on the show, or if that opportunity will be held for a later date.
In theory, there’s really nothing stopping PBC and Prime from selling a three-fight PPV instead of the more standard four-fight event, but you can probably expect a fourth fight, whether it be Bohachuk facing someone else, or something else entirely.
For serious boxing fans, Tszyu vs Fundora is really a better matchup than Tszyu facing Thurman, who is in his mid-30s and has basically been retired, fighting once in the last five years and last in the ring over two years ago. It’s not as marketable — Thurman is not exactly Canelo Alvarez as a draw, but he’s got more name value than Fundora — but purely as a fight, this is better on paper in 2024.