Unbeaten WBO junior middleweight champion Tim Tszyu and all-action Sebastian “The Towering Inferno” Fundora went face to face for the first time on Thursday, at a media workout before they meet for Tszyu’s WBO and the vacant WBC 154-pound world titles headlining a Prime Video PPV on March 30 from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
The media workout also featured WBA super lightweight champion Rolando “Rolly” Romero, who takes on Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz in the co-main event, plus WBA middleweight champion Erislandy “The American Dream” Lara and #1 rated mandatory challenger Michael Zerafa.
Here is what the fighters had to say Thursday from Split T Boxing Club in Las Vegas:
Tim Tszyu: “This is a unification now, so I’m very grateful for that. It’s a legacy-defining type of fight. I just have to keep doing what I’m doing and one day they’ll say that the Tszyu family is the best to ever step into this boxing world…my message to the fans is definitely don’t blink during this one.”
Sebastian Fundora: “I’m just going to keep focusing on what I need to do. My original opponent Serhii Bohachuk has a lot of similarities to Tim Tszyu, so it’s no difference for me. If I stick to my plan, I’ll be successful…I want to win this fight, become unified champion and keep going from there. We want to keep moving up.”
Rolly Romero: “Cruz takes punches because he has to, it’s because he has no other option in his game. This fight is gonna be an explosion and a Mexican slugfest. I’m gonna beat him at his own game.”
Erislandy Lara: “I’ve stayed focused on everything that’s in my control and I’ve used my training camp to make sure there won’t be any rust when that bell rings…I don’t need to send a message to Michael Zerafa, he knows he has to be ready on March 30. We’ll be ready for him.”
Michael Zerafa: “I’m ready to shock the world and make a statement…I have a lot of respect for Lara, but I truly believe this fight is not going the distance. Everyone I’ve fought has said I have ridiculous power and I will show it on March 30.”
Many of you are going to HATE me for saying this.
If Sebastian Fundora can bring his A+ concentration game & his A+ game into this fight, and BOX the perfect fight, we all might witness the 2024 Upset of The Year.
I am making a prediction in this fight. Fundora TKO 9 Tszyu.
Tim’s sister might need a 72 hour hold after this. And, she might get arrested for going nuts.
Tim is way to smart and will end him in less then 9 rounds with body shots.
Prepare for a lot of tie ups.
But don’t forget, Tim is one of the best body punchers in boxing.
Nope. Tszyu is on a mission and won’t be denied by the likes of Fundora who may not have the mental capacity after he got his spark put out in the last fight.
More like they arrest fundora’s sister going nuts if Tszyu beats Fundora especially Tszyu stops him.
Lekaren thanks for the you on some strong drugs if u think that’s about to happen
I am LeKaren James. Not Latrisha James. That James takes drugs & is about to get disbarred, lose her job, and go to prison. I go to church. I go the gym. I eat right. I think you need to go to church, BigMoose. You need Jesus in your life.
My bad. Letitia James. That piece of garbage.
I am LeKaren James. Not Letitia James. That James takes drugs & is about to get disbarred, lose her job, and go to prison. I go to church. I go the gym. I eat right. I think you need to go to church, BigMoose. You need Jesus in your life.
Lekaren, at least you are asking now, before you wrote it and didn’t care.
Nobody should hate you for expressing your opinion….I happen to agree with you!
Tszyu is a hyped up grade B level fighter, Fundora in 8!
He is much better than that but Fundora should give him a good fight.
This won’t be an upset of the year! Fundora is a problem period. Fundora belongs in there. If Tim wins this fight he is amazing. I believe Tim is the underdog this fight.
He isn’t.
Fundora has to fight smart use his sizes advantage use that jab, in his previous fights he likes to go in and bang it out if he does that it’ll be a early night for him with a loss
Probably not happening but not completely impossible-should be a very good fight.
That’s a whole lot of “IFs”. I think the magic bullet theory is a more plausible situation.
Tiimmbeerrrr!
Very hard fight for Tszyu especially if Fundora wear his trunk up the armpits
That height difference is crazy. Bigger they are, the harder they fall.
True. We seen Fendora fall in his last fight.
Fundora only seems to have one plan and that is to fight on the inside. He better hope it is a TKO or a corner stoppage before he gets head bounced in there. Maybe he can get a fight vs Spence or Crawford in the future.
Inside favors Tim, you don’t know boxing!!! Or maybe you mistakenly put Fundora
– Fundora needs that mop of hair cut off……
All I can say is body, body, body and the head will fall. Tsyzu by TKO (10).
Idk if Fundora is going to win, but at +430 he’s definitely worth a shot.
Tzuyu by decicion
Can Fundora fight going backwards
Tszyu can but it will be who relents because these two throw volume
I dont think Fundora has a backup plan
Tszyu does and hes too smart in there
The first thing Tszyu is gonna need is a ladder…
Rocky Balboa
I just want to take time to say how much I look forward to these fight.
1.Tszyu vs Fendora (I’m glad Thurman off)
Given this is last minute this is going to be a banger. If Fendora loses that’s going to be back to back and set him way back. I don’t think Tszyu is going to be denied.
2. Rolly vs Cruz
Both technically unsound and only know how to fight one way. I hope Toney Weeks is no where near this fight. I’m truly rooting for Cruz. I hope he fixed his errors from his last outing.
Bonus Rumor: Deontay Wilder vs Zhilei Zhang reported for June 1 in Saudi Arabia. If True I’m can’t wait to see this one.
When people are gona learn that you can’t change people???
Is like I ask you to walk different… you don’t be able to change it because you born like that
Is the same with a boxer he can modified few things in the amateur or very begging of his professional career but try to change him later on it can be worst
Cruz did not do nothing wrong against Cabrera it was Cabrera who made look Dan cruz and I knew it that’s why I gamble on Cabrera but I Iost
His style
His height
Etc
If cruz fights 3 times against tank Davis he will look good
If cruz fights 3 times Cabrera he will look bad
Thats why style makes fights
And is not only what you want to do is what your opponent let you do
INCORRECT. Floyd Mayweather began his career as an offensive knockout artist. He developed brittle hands and changed his style to a more defensive style to preserve his boxing career. How many boxers do you know who lost one of their best attributes and retired undefeated? Manny Pacquiao had limited footwork earlier in his career and learned to use angles that gave his opponents nightmares. People can change perhaps it’s you who can’t change. Styles do make fights but what is it about a hand injury are you not understanding? Tank acquired an injury so it’s unreasonable to believe he can perform as he normally does.
The best can change and adapt. Most can’t.
More like a brittle heart. Taking on people well past their prime.
Go Tsyzu and Zerafa will do Australia proud
Given the height advantage Fundora has over Tszyu it will be an interesting fight to watch. Tszyu’s training staff have their work cut out for them. Punching at an extreme high target takes a lot of power out of the impact effect. Fundora’s elbows are shields that hurt opponents hands. Tall sparing partners can demand a good price for this training camp.
Everybody had a height advantage over Mike Tyson , but he stopped them all early .
Fundora looked like he had no chin against Mendoza. Expect another highlight reel knockout!
Got to give fundora credit for taking such a tough fight! I see tim knocking fundora in the 8th.
He had to
So no credit for that
I agree and I don’t wish Fundora bad luck, but Tim is just better than him and he’s got better defense. Fundora gets hit too much. Doesn’t he know that?
Has anyone considered that Fundora has not fought in almost a year? Not a good thing for Fundora. Yes, he has height over Tszyu, but he really needed at least one fight to:
A) shake off the rust.
B) See if he is ok after being ko’ed.
Some fighters are never the same after being knocked out or suffering a bad loss. Others recover faster. How many prospects have we seen out there over the years that are on a fast paced track to the top, are doing great, then get derailed in a match where they are expected to win. Many never returned the same, never get to the top again or fade into obscurity. I applaud both on taking this fight, but the odds are heavily stacked against Fundora for above stated reasons.
Fundora is taking on better fighters too fast. He needed to take other fights. He needs to do what Canelo does, NOT fight the best fighters first. Fundora is not under the pressure to do this, Canelo is though because he pays “step-aside” money not to fight the #1 ranked.
I’m more hyped for this fight than Tszyu – Thurman.
Not an easy fight for Tim, Fundora has massive height and range and can box. Will be challenge for sure.
Fundora is about a foot taller than Tzsyu. He’s looking down at him like “what did I tell you about leaving your toys everywhere?”
Fundurá will become target of vicious body shots, especially because of height advantage . I suspect he will go down from a liver shot . Tzsyu is a vicious body puncher .
Punching a guy in the knees or ankles is illegal, huh?
It would be great for boxing fights like this