Tim Tszyu isn’t rattled about the tall Sebastian Fundora being brought in as his next opponent on March 30th on Prime PPV after Keith Thurman pulled out of the card due to injury.
Tszyu (24-0, 17 KOs) says his goal is to be great, and if that means taking on the 6’5 1/2″ ‘Towering Inferno’ Fundora (20-1-1, 13 KOs), he’s ready for the test at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
The WBC and WBO junior middleweight belts will be on the line for the Tszyu-Fundora fight, and that makes Tszyu glad. He’d wanted the chance to fight in a unification but couldn’t get the former WBC 154-lb champion Jermell Charlo to fight him.
Adapting to Change
“The focus shifts, and the show goes on. You got to be able to take on all comers. He’s tricky, he’s tall, but I’m confident of victory,” said Tim Tszyu to the media, reacting to Sebastian Fundora being chosen as his replacement opponent for March 30th after Keith Thurman pulled out with a bicep injury.
Fundora isn’t a tricky fighter. He’s more of a guy who throws an enormous amount of shots, and he’s blessed with excellent conditioning. He stopped Erickson Lubin in nine rounds in 2022 in an impressive performance. However, in Fundora’s last fight, he was stopped by Brian Mendoza in the seventh round in April 2023.
“We’re fighting for the WBC and WBO belt at the same arena at the same platform. It’s a big shift, I understand. I was preparing for Keith Thurman. This is what it takes to be great,” said Tszyu.
Surprise Announcement
“No, I found out last night,” said Tszyu when asked if he was told last week that there would be a change of opponent. “It’s beautiful. That’s every fighter’s dream to be fighting on the biggest stage of them all,” said Tszyu, reacting to being told that Terence Crawford has petitioned to be his WBO mandatory.
There had been rumors that Thurman had his bicep injury weeks ago, and it was only a matter of time before he was forced to pull out of the fight.
“I’m happy to be fighting for the WBC and the WBO belt. It’s fuel for fire for me. It’s a more awkward fight, but we’ll see on the night,” said Tszyu about fighting the much taller 6’5 1/2″ Fundora.
