By Eóin Kennedy
Sampson Lewkowicz, promoter of unified super-welterweight world champion Sebastian Fundora, assured ProBox TV yesterday that he would honour his word to Tim Tszyu and his team by giving them a rematch, but he didn’t confirm if that rematch would be immediate or not.
In the aftermath of the thrilling bloodbath in Las Vegas, Nevada last weekend where Fundora upset the odds in fortuitous circumstances overcoming the fancied Tszyu, it would have been easy to get caught up in the chaos and lose your senses. That is exactly what Fundora’s promoter, Lewkowicz, said happened to him when he raised both his own fighter and Errol Spence’s arms aloft in the ring after the fight, intimating that those two would be next to get it on. In the hysteria of his charge becoming world champion for the first time, Lewkowicz forgot that he had assured Tim Tszyu and his team that should Fundora win, he would offer his opponent an immediate rematch. A champion having a rematch clause written into a contract is standard procedure in boxing these days and only due to the fact that Fundora was such a late replacement for Keith Thurman who pulled out, Lewkowicz stated that it would have been agreed in writing. In order to expedite the last-minute negotiations both sides were content sealing that part of the agreement with a handshake. Credit must be given to Lewkowicz for adamantly stating that he’s a man of his word, but when questioned by Paulie Malinaggi about whether there was a possibility that Errol Spence Jr or Terence Crawford could still skip Tszyu in the queue to fight Fundora next, the head of Sampson Boxing neither confirmed nor denied. One thing that was confirmed was that Fundora is not likely to return to the ring until November. When he does, he holds the keys to the castle at 154 pounds, but which suitor is Fundora likely to pick?
Tim Tszyu
The most logical next step for Fundora to take based on what his promoter has said is to rematch Tszyu instantly. Not only did Fundora and his team give their word to Tszyu’s, but it could also be seen as returning the favor given that the new champion was selected at short notice after the Thurman pull-out, and Tszyu’s team could have gotten away with choosing a much easier opponent. On top of these considerations, the very fact that Fundora defeated Tszyu in lucky(ish) circumstances by opening a nasty cut on his forehead with an accidental elbow, and that cut proceeding to gush blood down Tszyu’s forehead impeding his vision for the twelve rounds, also make the Australian a sympathetic choice when it comes to deciding on the worthy next opponent. But boxing is rarely sympathetic to its fighters and Tim Tszyu may be about to have a dalliance with the business of boxing which so often supersedes sporting merits. Fundora and all his possible suitors fight under Al Haymon’s PBC banner and when that company’s head honcho sits down to discuss next steps with Lewkowicz, he may be suggesting that as good as his word was, a nice fat wad of step-a-side cash might keep Tszyu happy to wait on the sidelines while Fundora pushes ahead with more lucrative options.
Errol Spence Jr
Despite suffering that devasting loss to rival Terence Crawford last July, Spence emerged from the shadows last Saturday night to declare that he’s moving up to 154 pounds and he wants the first shot at his PBC stable mate, Fundora. Despite not having fought since the Crawford loss, Spence still has lots going in his quest to get the big fight. Firstly, he has been a PBC stalwart for many years and, along with Deontay Wilder, was the face of the brand for a long time. It’s likely that Haymon and PBC would like to reward one of their old favorites for his years of service and as well as loyalty to the promotion, top brass at PBC will also be aware of the fact that Spence is insanely popular with boxing fans and despite getting badly knocked out by Crawford last year, the Texan is still likely to put more bums in seats and drive higher pay-per-view sales. Given that PBC are just one show deep into a new broadcasting partnership with Amazon Prime, they will want to put on the shows that attract the most fans and that could work in Spence’s favor.
Terence Crawford
There are not many fighters today that can legitimately argue that they are the pound-for-pound number one fighter in boxing ahead of Terence Crawford. Maybe Japan’s Nayoa Inoue could stake a claim, and the winner of the Tyson Fury-Oleksandr Usyk undisputed heavyweight title fight next month will probably pop back into the conversation as well. After his destruction of Spence, Crawford became the consensus top dog in the sport, but in boxing ability doesn’t always transfer into opportunity. Again, boxing isn’t a meritocracy, it’s a business. That’s why Crawford seems perpetually at odds with the sport which he is the supposed king of. The ire and disgruntlement, likely, comes from being overlooked for years as the best in the game, watching from a far as fighters like Spence, Gervonta Davis, Deontay Wilder and others seemed more beloved with the fans. Maybe Crawford needed to adopt an ‘if-you-can’t-beat-em-join-em’ attitude, and that’s exactly what he did. He left Top Rank, joined PBC, destroyed their poster boy and now he still seems to be at the back of the queue to get his shot at Fundora. Not only has Crawford seemingly done enough to be next in line after that iconic victory, but he is also the mandatory challenger with WBO, meaning he should have first crack at the whip regardless. However, this scenario isn’t so simple. Fundora also holds the WBC title, so should a fight with either Tszyu or Spence transpire, he could just drop the WBO title and let Crawford fight another opponent for it. This would be sure to irritate Crawford as he is adamant he has earned the right to fight Fundora next.
Whatever path Fundora chooses to go down, the fans will be the big winners. A rematch with Tszyu or a showdown with either star, Spence or Crawford, are all extremely exciting prospects.