- Thurman withdrew from fight due to training injury
- Tszyu will now face the imposing Sebastian Fundora
- The duo will compete for two super welterweight belts
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The stakes have been raised for Tim Tszyu’s Las Vegas debut after American Keith Thurman was forced out of the pay-per-view blockbuster due to a training injury.
Team Tszyu found a replacement for Thurman in towering American southpaw Sebastian Fundora, with the match taking place on March 30 at T-Mobile Arena.
The original Tszyu-Thurman fight was a non-title fight, but now the Australian will put his WBO super welterweight belt on the line while also challenging Fundora for the WBC strap.
Thurman (pictured left with Tszyu when their fight was announced in February) reportedly tore his bicep in training.
Towering 197cm southpaw Sebastian Fundora replaced Thurman on the card
Thurman, a former unified welterweight champion, has fought just once since losing to Manny Pacquiao in July 2019.
He won a unanimous points victory against Mario Barrios in February 2022.
But the 35-year-old reportedly tore a muscle in his biceps, which would rule him out of the match against Tszyu.
Nicknamed the “Towering Inferno,” Fundora (20-1-1, 13 KOs) was previously scheduled to fight Serhii Bohachuk for the vacant WBC super middleweight belt on the same March 30 card.
Fundora – who stands 197cm tall – beat 2016 Australian Olympian Daniel Lewis in Las Vegas on a unanimous points decision in 2020.
The Australian junior middleweight world champion (pictured right, en route to victory over Brian Mendoza) is now desperately trying to find a replacement for the March 30 fight to take place.
Fundora’s last fight saw him suffer a seventh-round knockout loss to Brian Mendoza last April.
In contrast, Tszyu won a clear unanimous decision over Mendoza in their clash on the Gold Coast last October.
Many boxing experts are predicting that Fundora could prove to be a tough style matchup for the Australian, despite his recent defeat.