Doric SamMarch 18, 2024
Joe Buglewicz/Getty Images
Previous combined welterweight champ Keith Thurman was preparing for his very first battle considering that 2022, however it appears his return will be postponed.
Sports Illustrated‘s Chris Mannix reported that Thurman is anticipated to withdraw from his March 30 battle versus Tim Tszyu due to injury. The PBC looked for a replacement challenger for Tszyu, and ESPN’s Mike Coppinger reported that Sebastian Fundora will take Thurman’s location and obstacle Tszyu for his WBO junior middleweight title.
Boxing expert Dan Rafael reported previously that Thurman sustained “some sort of injury” that put his battle with Tszyu “in doubt.”
“How numerous times have you seen a fighter go to the medical professional 12 days before a defend an injury and the battle go through? It does not look excellent,” a source informed Rafael.
It was revealed in January that Thurman and Tszyu would fulfill in the primary occasion of PBC’s very first pay-per-view as part of its brand-new offer with Amazon’s Prime Video. Tszyu holds the WBO junior middleweight title, however the WBO decreased to sanction the battle and it was set to occur at a catchweight of 155 pounds without the title on the line.
Thurman (30-1, 22 KOs) suffered the very first loss of his profession in July 2019 by a split choice versus the famous Manny Pacquiao. He’s just battled when in the four-and-a-half years because that bout, beating Mario Barrios by consentaneous choice in February 2022.
Tszyu (24-0, 17 KOs) is coming off an excellent 2023 in which he declared the WBO interim junior middleweight title in March by beating previous titleholder Tony Harrison by ninth-round TKO and following that up with a first-round knockout of Carlos Ocampo in June and a consentaneous choice win over Brian Mendoza October. He rose to promote when indisputable champ Jermell Charlo was removed of his WBO title.
Fundora (20-1, 13 KOs) last battled in April in a losing effort to Mendoza, which cost him his WBC interim junior middleweight title.