FOLLOWING hot on the heels of last week’s postponement of Josh Taylor vs. Jack Catterall II, reports suggest that another intriguing fight has unfortunately fallen by the wayside today (March 18).
The March 30 welterweight fight between Tim Tszyu and Keith Thurman, which was to serve as PBC’s inaugural pay-per-view offering on Amazon Prime, is off due to an injury suffered by Thurman in training. The injury, supposedly an injury to his biceps, has forced Thurman to withdraw from the fight and leaves Tszyu now searching for a replacement opponent.
That opponent, according to ESPN’s Mike Coppinger, could very well be Sebastian Fundora, who was set to fight on the event’s undercard against Serhii Bohachuk in a vacant WBC title fight. Instead, because of Thurman’s injury there is now every chance Fundora will step in to replace “One Time” and fight Tszyu for the Australian’s WBO version of the super-lightweight crown.
If that proves to be the case, credit must go to both Fundora for taking the opportunity at short notice (when coming off his first loss) and Tszyu for agreeing to the switch when the difference in styles between Thurman and Fundora is so stark and dramatic. After all, to go from preparing for an inactive and perhaps over-the-hill former champion who stands at five foot nine and fights in the orthodox stance to now preparing for a six foot five southpaw still very much on the rise represents quite the handbrake turn. Quite the risk, too.
Keith Thurman is out (Ryan Hafey/Premier Boxing Champions)