WBC junior middleweight champion Sebastian Fundora reportedly has suffered a left-hand injury, resulting in his title defense against Keith ‘One Time’ Thurman on October 25 needing to be postponed.
Injury Strikes the “Towering Inferno”
‘The Towering Inferno’ Fundora (23-1-1, 15 KOs) is a southpaw, so suffering a left-hand injury would affect him a lot more than if it were his right.
Entire PPV Card Knocked Off Schedule
The entire card, which includes a world title fight between WBC super featherweight champion O’Shaquie Foster and Stephen Fulton, will be rescheduled along with the Fundora-Thurman fight.
Mike Coppinger broke the disappointing news on X today. It is a bit of a surprise that it was the 27-year-old Fundora who suffered the injury rather than Thurman, who has a long history of injury problems dating back to 2016.
Last year, Keith broke down while training for a world title shot against then WBO 154-lb champion Tim Tszyu that had been scheduled for March 30, 2024. Fundora stepped in as a late replacement and defeated Tszyu by a 12-round split decision.
$74.99 PPV: Too Pricey for a Substitute
Wood’s Take: With the event selling for $74.99 on Amazon Prime Video pay-per-view, it makes sense for it to be moved. For that kind of money, it wouldn’t have worked for a last-minute replacement to have been dug up and carted in as the replacement opponent for the soon-to-be 37-year-old Thurman (31-1, 23 KOs).
Moreover, the risk of Thurman losing would have been high. He was hurt in the first round of his last fight against second-tier Brock Jarvis earlier this year on March 12. That performance showed that it’s not a good idea to take any chances with the aging, ring-rusty ‘One Time.’
Matching Thurman against almost any top 15 contender at junior middleweight would be highly risky. It’s better to save him for Fundora. It would be a disaster if Keith were destroyed by one of the bottom-tier contenders brought in as a replacement to save the October 25 fight date.
Fan Reaction: Shrugs and Frustration
Interestingly, the reaction from fans on social media is mixed, with some showing disappointment and much indifference. The Fundora-Thurman fight hasn’t created the spark that some had thought it would.
It’s understandable, as Thurman has been too inactive since 2017 to keep his popularity up. Younger fans have never seen him before and aren’t excited about this matchup.
Many of them see Thurman as an old fossil from the dinosaur age, not as someone from a different era. A lot of them don’t know who Keith is and see him as a guy who talks a lot about the old days in his YouTube interviews. He does a lot of reminiscing, and younger fans can’t connect.
It’s still too early to know if the event will be rescheduled for the same venue at the MGM Grand, Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas.
Written by Ken Woods, Ringside Boxing Analyst covering world title fights since 2018.
Last Updated on 10/10/2025
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