Tim Tszyu’s blockbuster fight with Keith Thurman is called off due to freak training injury – here’s why it’s GOOD for the Australian champion
- Thurman withdrew from the fight due to a training injury
- Tszyu will now take on the towering Sebastian Fundora
- Pair will compete for two super welterweight belts
The stakes have been raised for Tim Tszyu’s Las Vegas debut after American Keith Thurman was forced to leave the pay-per-view blockbuster due to a training injury.
Team Tszyu has found a replacement for Thurman in towering American left-hander Sebastian Fundora, headlining March 30 at T-Mobile Arena.
The original fight between Tszyu and Thurman was a non-title bout, but now the Australian will put his WBO super welterweight title on the line, while also challenging Fundora for the WBC belt.
Thurman (pictured left with Tszyu when their fight was announced in February) reportedly tore his biceps muscle during training
The towering 197cm left-hander Sebastian Fundora has replaced Thurman on the card
Thurman, a former welterweight champion, has fought just once since losing to Manny Pacquiao in July 2019.
He scored a unanimous points victory over Mario Barrios in February 2022.
But the 35-year-old is believed to have torn a biceps muscle, ruling him out against Tszyu.
Nicknamed the ‘Towering Inferno’, Fundora (20-1-1, 13 KOs) was previously scheduled to fight Serhii Bohachuk for the vacant WBC super middleweight title on the same March 30 card.
Fundora – who stands a whopping 197cm tall – defeated 2016 Australian Olympian Daniel Lewis in Las Vegas by unanimous points decision in 2020.
The Aussie junior middleweight world champion (pictured right, en route to victory over Brian Mendoza) is now desperately trying to find a replacement, so the March 30 fight will go ahead
In Fundora’s last fight, he suffered a seventh-round knockout loss to Brian Mendoza last April.
In contrast, Tszyu won a clear unanimous points decision over Mendoza when they clashed on the Gold Coast last October.
Many boxing experts are predicting that Fundora could be a tough match for the Australian, despite his recent loss.