At last month’s Absolute War, former WBO junior middleweight champion Tim Tzu suffered a serious head injury and lost a split decision to substitute Sebastian Fundora. The loss also cost Tszyu his first career WBO title and the vacant WBC title.
There was a rematch clause in the contract, but the WBO has now canceled that contract and announced that fans will face the interim champion, who will be the winner of the Terrence Crawford-Israel Madrimov bout on August 3 in Los Angeles. Dora obliged. Additionally, they have requested that Fandora defend his title by December 31st at the latest, and Fandora will be suspended until at least September, so the period in which he can compete is extremely short.
Tim Tszyu VS Virgil Ortiz 🔥 🔥 🔥
The fight is planned to potentially take place on the Aug. 3 undercard of Crawford vs. Madrimov. What a banger! ! ! ! #boxing pic.twitter.com/gdZx7kv4Hl
— FightHubTV (@FightHubTV) April 23, 2024
This is a real blow to Tszyu and highlights everything that is rotten in the way boxing is conducted. Tszyu, who agreed to fight Fundora on just 12 days’ notice when Keith Thurman withdrew from the fight due to an injury in camp, will understandably feel he was in trouble. Tszyu was trained by Thurman, a serious fighter who stands 5 feet 9 inches tall. Fundora is a 6-foot-5 southpaw.
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Tszyu’s camp appears unfazed by the WBO’s decision and is reportedly scheduled to face Vergil Ortiz on the undercard of a fight in Los Angeles on August 3, the same day that his future mandatory status will be determined.
If Tszyu has a chance to regain his title, it will likely not be against Fundora, but against Terrence Crawford, who has a huge advantage in the fight against Madrimov.
