\nThe 154-pound division had a pair of titles change hands last weekend when Josh Kelly upset Bakhram Murtazaliev for the IBF belt and Xander Zayas beat Abass Baraou<\/a> in a title unification fight to become the WBA and WBO champion. <\/p>\n\nArguably, however, the best fighters at 154 don\u2019t have a seat at the championship table. Vergil Ortiz, rated No. 1 by The Ring, and sixth-ranked Jaron Ennis are supposed to fight each other but monthslong negotiations have been more complicated than solving the Pythagorean theorem. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt’s the best division right now, especially because I am in it,\u201d Fundora told The Ring. \u201cI don’t pick and choose my opponents. I don’t get a seat at the table. [Manager] Sampson Lewkowicz and PBC do everything for me. Thurman is the fight for me, right now. It’s business. It’s great going against a big name, against a future Hall of Fame fighter. I think he already has his name in there.\u201d <\/p>\n
\nFundora, who stands 6-foot-6, successfully defended the WBC and WBO titles when he stopped Chordale Booker in March. He was stripped of the WBO belt in May when he pursued a more lucrative rematch against Tim Tszyu rather than face Zayas, who was mandatory challenger at the time.<\/p>\n
\n\u201cWhen Zayas came into the ring after the Booker fight, I already knew I was going to fight Tszyu next,\u201d said Fundora. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Following a split-decision win in a blood bath against Tszyu two years ago, Fundora battered and beat him into a seventh-round submission in a July rematch as the co-main event to the Manny Pacquiao-Mario Barrios fight in Las Vegas. <\/p>\n
\nFundora now gets to headline at the venue as the A-side on Prime Video PPV against Thurman, past his prime but promotable former unified welterweight champion. They were originally supposed to meet October 25, but Fundora suffered a hand injury and the fight had to be rescheduled.<\/p>\n
\nPBC was gung-ho on making the matchup a reality, even with former undisputed champion Jermell Charlo and long-rumored Fundora foe Errol Spence sitting on the sidelines, both since 2023. <\/p>\n
Fundora, a mild-mannered 29-year-old from Coachella, California, is open to all comers but never fans the flames while screaming from the mountaintop. <\/p>\n
\u201cA win [against Thurman] would be another great highlight of my career,\u201d he said. \u201cIt would show that we\u2019re moving in the right direction and taking the right steps. <\/p>\n
\n\u201cWe live and we learn from our mistakes. We\u2019ll be there on March 28 to show you what we\u2019re all about.\u201d <\/p>\n
\nThurman particularly pointed to Fundora’s lone loss against Brian Mendoza by knockout in 2023 as a case study to dethrone him. <\/p>\n
\n\u201cBeating me would be the greatest accomplishment of your career, Fundora, don\u2019t lie to yourself,\u201d said Thurman. \u201cYou have been hit and not gotten off the canvas. I\u2019m happy to make you experience it again. <\/p>\n
\n\u201cI already see the mistakes that he\u2019s unfortunately gonna be making on March 28. Boxing isn\u2019t about the talk, though, it\u2019s about delivering in the ring. Fundora is a man of few words, but many punches.\u201d <\/p>\n
\nFundora, who also showed grit in a 2022 war against Erickson Lubin, wasn\u2019t having any of Thurman\u2019s histrionics. <\/p>\n
\n\u201cI think everybody underestimates me,\u201d said Fundora. \u201cThat\u2019s part of the game. Whatever they say, you just have to go out there and show everyone what you\u2019re made of.” <\/p>\n
\nWhen asked for his assessment of Zayas’ and Kelly\u2019s winning performances, Fundora didn\u2019t have an opinion, simply because he didn\u2019t watch either fight. <\/p>\n
\u201cI’m not interested,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
\nBut Fundora certainly let his feelings be known once the conversation shifted to Ortiz and Ennis. <\/p>\n
\n\u201cI think they’ll get a deal done once the banter between the teams is over,\u201d he said. “I think Ortiz wins the fight. I like his fighting style more. It’s a better fit. I think Boots is definitely beatable. We’ll see once that fight happens. He’s human, just like all of us. I am ready to face the winner, if they say so.\u201d <\/p>\n
\nIf that bout doesn\u2019t materialize, Ortiz could use his position as the WBC interim titleholder to next face Fundora in a matchup featuring The Ring\u2019s top-two rated fighters for the vacant Ring title. <\/p>\n
\n\u201cWe’ll see what everybody says once my hand is raised after the Thurman fight,\u201d said Fundora. <\/p>\n
Manouk Akopyan can be followed on X and Instagram: @ManoukAkopyan<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
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