Fundora Doesn’t Want Rematch Against Tim Tszyu to Be Another Bloody War

WBC junior middleweight champion Sebastian Fundora says he doesn’t want his rematch against Tim Tszyu on July 19th to be another bloodbath like their previous one last year on March 30th. That one left  Fundora (22-1-1, 14 KOs) with blood leaking from his nose and mouth from the heavy shots he’d taken from Tszyu.

Tim suffered a nasty cut on his forehead in the second round from a clash of heads, which left him struggling to see through the blood for the remainder of the fight. Fundora ultimately won by a 12-round split decision. The cut that Tszyu sustained allowed him to avoid the backlash from the loss.

Fans Dislike Tszyu Rematch

Tszyu (25-2, 18 KOs) has lost two out of his last three fights, and arguably doesn’t rate a title shot against Fundora. U.S fans are not excited about seeing Fundora fight Tszyu right now, especially watching Tim get destroyed in three rounds by IBF 154-lb champion Bakhram Murtazaliev on July 19th in Orlando, Florida.

Tszyu should be trying to avenge his loss to Bakhram because that was a much worse defeat for him. It appears weak on Tim’s part that he has chosen not even to try to even the score from that blowout loss. U.S fans prefer that Fundora defend his WBC title against interim champion Vergil Ortiz Jr.

Fundora vs. Tszyu will fight on the undercard of Manny Pacquiao vs. Mario Barrios on July 19th at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The event will be shown live on PBC on Prime Video PPV. The price hasn’t been revealed yet, but it’s expected to be between $69.95 and $79.99.

Zayas Fights for WBO

“That’s boxing. People are entitled to their own opinions. They can say whatever they want. We’re right here. We’re still a champion. If he wants the WBC, he’s going to have to fight for it,” said Sebastian Fundora to the media, responding to being told that Xander Zayas noted that he didn’t want to fight him.

The WBO had ordered Fundora to defend his title against mandatory Xander (21-0, 13 KOs). Instead, Fundora vacated his WBO belt and will fight a rematch with Tszyu. Zayas will now fight #2 Jorge Garcia Perez (33-4, 26 KOs) for the vacant WBO junior middleweight title on July 26th at The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York.

“It’s very nice, very honorable,” said Fundora about fighting on the undercard of Manny Pacquiao vs. Mario Barrios on July 19th. “We’ve been doing a couple of main events ourselves. I headlined my own pay-per-view last year for the first time, but now we’ve got a guy like Pacquiao coming in. So, to fight on a card with Pacquiao, it’s pretty good. We’re doing the right thing.”

Fundora fighting on the Pacquiao-Barrios undercard still isn’t a great look, given that he’s an elite fighter. Pacquiao is 46, way past his prime, and hasn’t fought in four years since 2021. WBC welterweight champion Barrios is seen as a paper champion at 147.

Fundora: No Rematch Bloodbath

“I don’t want that. Not my type,” said Fundora when asked if he wanted another bloody war in his rematch with Tszyu, like their clash last year on March 30th, which left both fighters bleeding.