Tim Tszyu has an exceptional opportunity to follow in his father’s footsteps and become a unified world boxing champion as circumstances have dramatically altered for his highly anticipated Las Vegas debut.
Following the unexpected withdrawal of his scheduled opponent, Keith Thurman, from the March 30 pay-per-view event, Australian Tszyu now finds himself facing American Sebastian Fundora as a replacement. Originally set as a non-title bout, Tszyu will now defend his WBO super-welterweight title while simultaneously challenging Fundora for the WBC strap at the renowned T-Mobile Arena.
This remarkable chance echoes the achievements of Tszyu’s father, Kostya Tszyu, who secured the vacant WBC super-lightweight title with a technical knockout victory over Miguel Angel Gonzalez in Miami 25 years ago, having previously captured the IBF version in 1997.
Earlier on Tuesday, Team Tszyu encountered a setback when Thurman withdrew from the headline bout due to a bicep injury sustained during training. Meanwhile, Thurman’s future in the sport appears uncertain, having fought only once since his defeat to Manny Pacquiao in July 2019, scoring a victory over Mario Barrios in February 2022.
In contrast, Tszyu’s prospects seem promising as No Limit Boxing boss George Ross successfully arranged the matchup against Fundora. Dubbed the ‘Towering Inferno’, Fundora was originally set to face Serhii Bohachuk for the vacant WBC super-middleweight belt on the same Vegas card.
Fundora, who holds a record of 20-1-1 with 13 knockouts, claimed the interim WBC super-welterweight belt after his opponent, Erickson Lubin, retired during their bout in Sin City in April 2022. Despite losing the belt to Brian Mendoza in Carson, Arizona, last April, Fundora remains a formidable opponent.
Tszyu, with a flawless record of 24-0 and 17 knockouts, demonstrated his prowess with a convincing unanimous points decision over Mendoza last October, marking a significant highlight in his professional career.
