Unified two-belt junior middleweight champion Sebastian Fundora will reportedly not take part in this Friday’s purse bid for his mandated title defense against WBO mandatory Xander Zayas.
Rather than doing that, Fundora (21-1-1, 14 KOs) will face Tim Tszyu in a rematch, possibly on July 19th at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The Top Rank-promoted #1 Zayas (21-0, 13 KOs) will fight #2-ranked Jorge Garcia Perez for the WBO junior middleweight belt.
This move gives Zayas his best opportunity to become a world champion. Top Rank is trying to turn Zayas into an East Coast star despite his dull fighting style and lack of power. He fights more like a bigger version of Shakur Stevenson with the step-back move and hit-and-not-get-hit style. He’s nothing like former Puerto Rican stars, Felix Trinidad and Miguel Cotto.
Sidestepping Zayas
Lance Pugmire broke the news of Fundora opting not to take part in Friday’s purse bid for the Zayas fight. The move by Fundora, 27, makes sense because there’s more money in a fight with the popular former WBO 154-lb champion Tszyu (25-2, 18 KOs) in a rematch from Australian PPV than there would be against the 22-year-old Zayas, who isn’t a pay-per-view fighter.
Fundora dethroned Tszyu last year, beating him by a 12-round split decision on March 30th in Las Vegas. Tim was cut on his forehead from an accidental elbow from Fundora in the second round, and fought with blood obscuring his vision for the remainder of the fight.
Before the cut occurred, Tszyu had been lighting Fundora up with power shots. After the injury, Tim’s effectiveness dropped off. A rematch will give Sebastian a chance to prove that his victory wasn’t a fluke.
Zayas’s fight with Perez (33-4, 26 KOs) won’t be an easy one for him, as the Mexican puncher has power and punches in combination. Perez recently upset previously unbeaten Charles Conwell by a 12-round split decision on April 19th in Oceanside, California.
Perez’s Threat
Zayas lacks the offensive power or ability to stand and fight Perez in the way that Conwell attempted to do. What the Puerto Rican fighter Zayas will likely choose to do is box and move, as he has in many of his fights.
Top Rank has maneuvered Xander into the #1 position with the WBO with careful matchmaking, keeping him away from the dangerous contenders. They’ve got Zayas in this position, but it’s impossible to know if he’s ready or even a good fighter.
His opposition has been so lackluster, as he’s been matched similarly to the way former Top Rank fighter Edgar Berlanga was when he was with the company. All we can say is Zayas has no power, he moves a lot, and he’s fought no one noteworthy to create his 21-0 record.
Last Updated on 04/29/2025
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