Tim Tszyu faces Sebastian Fundora in the main event live on pay-per-view from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday, March 30. The pair squares off in the 12-round bout with Tszyu’s WBO super welterweight title and the vacant WBC 154-pound belt on the line. Ahead of the event, the fighters hosted an open workout, previewed their bout and went face to face for the first time.
Australian world champion Tszyu (24-0, 17 KOs) was originally scheduled to take on former welterweight champion Keith Thurman. The latter got injured and was replaced by Fundora (20-1-1, 13 KOs).
Tszyu won his previous bout by unanimous decision against Brian Mendoza last October. Making his second ring appearance in the U.S., Sydney’s 29-year-old is confident in victory over a new opponent.
“I had sparring for the new opponent come in on Monday and I was grateful for the great work they gave me,” Tim Tszyu said. “This fight is all about awkwardness when you have someone that tall. But nothing fazes me. It is what it is and the show goes on.”
“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.”
“I’ve met Fundora before and I respect him and how he fights. I just have to find the right shots. Every great boxer finds the way to win and we’ll find those keys on March 30.”
“I talked to Brian Mendoza and he talked about how Fundora is awkward with his style and that he uses his height to his advantage in different ways.”
“My message to the fans is definitely don’t blink during this one.”
Sebastian Fundora: Win against Tim Tszyu puts me back at number one in the division
Former interim WBC super welterweight champion Fundora suffered his first career defeat last April, when he was dropped by Mendoza in the seventh round. Coachella’s 26-year-old was originally scheduled to meet Ukraine’s Serhii Bohachuk (23-1, 23 KOs) for the vacant WBC strap on the prelims. The latter now faces Mendoza for the interim title.
“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 was in control of the Mendoza fight, so I don’t want to change too much because of the result, and it doesn’t really matter to me what he did against Tszyu. I’m just going to keep focusing on my game.”
“I’ve been training hard all camp. We only had a little bit to fix after our last fight, but my dad and my sister keep my mind straight. My sister Gabriela just became world champion, and now it’s my turn to go do the same.”
“A win puts me back at number one in the division. That’s where I want to be. I have my eyes on all of the big names. This is the first stone in the Fundora legacy.”
“Having the right preparation is very important of course. But I don’t think it’s really an advantage that I was preparing for someone similar to Tszyu already. It’s about what happens when you step into the ring. Of course I believe I’m going to win this fight, but not because of an advantage like that.”
“I want to win this fight, become unified champion and keep going from there. We want to keep moving up.”
In the co-feature to Tszyu vs Fundora, Las Vegas native Rolando Romero defends his WBA super lightweight title against Isaac Cruz of Mexico. Also on the card, WBA middleweight champion Erislandy Lara of Cuba defends his title against Michael Zerafa of Australia. In the PPV opener, Mexico’s Julio Cesar Martinez defends his WBC flyweight title against Angelino Cordova of Venezuela.