The WBO has officially ordered Sebastian Fundora to defend his WBO junior middleweight title against his mandatory Xander Zayas. The fighters have 20 days to negotiate a deal before a purse bid.
The promoters for the inexperienced 22-year-old Zayas (21-0, 13 KOs) at Top Rank need the WBO to strip Fundora (22-1-1, 14 KOs). That’s the only chance the light-hitting Zayas has of capturing the belt. Zayas would be elevated to full championship status if the WBO belt is stripped from Fundora.
Fundora’s promoter, Sampson Lewkowicz, said last Saturday night that they’re interested in a unification fight against IBF 154-lb champion Bakhram Murtazaliev next. He wants to see if that’s possible. Lewkowicz says they’re going to decide which direction to go with Fundora. They’re not worried about Zayas.
They want to pursue unification next because Fundora’s goal is to become undisputed at 154 as quickly as possible. Getting stuck making mandatory defenses will slow them down.
What they wouldn’t want, obviously, is for the WBO to order Zayas to fight #2 Charles Conwell for the belt because that’s a bad match-up for Xander. Conwell has power and talent. Top Rank has got to know that Zayas is nowhere near ready for Fundora or Conwell.
If they can get him elevated if the title is stripped from Sebastian, their problems are solved. Zayas can make a lot of money as the WBO champion in a short period before he’s forced to fight someone good who will dethrone him. This is all business-level stuff. Zayas is like another Edgar Berlanga but smaller and less powerful.
Casual boxing fans who are NOT in tune with the sport have been impressed with Zayas, not realizing that Top Rank has matched him carefully against tomato cans his entire career to ‘develop him.” They don’t realize that Zayas hasn’t come close to fighting a top-tier fighter and would likely crumble against Fundora or one of the contenders in the division.
Zayas earned his mandatory spot, beating an obscure fighter named Slawa Spomer last February. Few fans had ever heard of Spomer, and it’s not surprising. He looked bang average.
