Sebastian Fundora is obsessed with defeating WBO junior middleweight champion Tim Tszyu when he faces the undefeated Aussie in a clash on Saturday night in a unification match.
Fundora, 6’5″, has the power to potentially give Tszyu huge headaches if he can do a better job of using it to his advantage in this fight and not giving in to his usual habit of brawling on the inside.
A victory will allow Fundora, 27, to redeem himself for his seventh-round knockout loss in his previous fight against Brian Mendoza in 2023, a fight that he made a big mistake by failing to keep his hands up against the big puncher.
Tszyu (24-0, 17 KOs) has plans of his own, waiting to defeat the replacement opponent Fundora (20-1-1, 13 KOs) to capture the vacant WBC 154-lb title to use the belt fo help build momentum for a fight in the fall against WBO mandatory Terence Crawford, who is waiting to fight the winner of Saturday’s contest.
The Tszyu vs. Fundora event will be shown on Prime Video PPV at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The event begins at 8:00 p.m. ET, and costs $70.
The Height Advantage
“He hasn’t fought anyone my height. It’s definitely different. I’m not focused on using my height for this fight. Of course, I have to, but I’m just focused on my strategy and what I want to do to win and be successful on Saturday night,” said Sebastian Fundora to Jai McAllister, discussing his plans for Saturday night against Tim Tszyu.
Fundora failed to use his height in his fight against Brian Mendoza, and he didn’t do a great job before that against Carlos Ocampo. You have to assume that Fundora can’t utilize his height for some reason, perhaps due to his slow hand speed.
Lessons from Defeat
“I know exactly what I did wrong in my last fight. I put my hands down and leaned forward. That’s a big no-no in boxing,” said Fundora about his seventh-round knockout loss to Mendoza in April 2023. “It’s such a big mistake that it’ll cost you a fight.
Fundora made the same mistake repeatedly in his fight against Erickson Lubin in 2022, and came close to being knocked out by him. It’ll be interesting to see if Fundora has finally learned his lesson or if he continues to fight with his hands down, and lets his opponents crowd him.
“I felt comfortable. I felt I was winning the fight the whole time. Of course, I made that mistake, and I paid for it. But other than that, I know what I have, and I know what I can do in the ring. I know on Saturday night I can become world champion,” said Fundora.
