Tim Tszyu vs. Sebastian Fundora prediction, odds, start time, undercard, how to watch, PBC on Prime Video

In many cases, a late replacement opponent can remove the intrigue from a pay-per-view main event. That’s not the case on Saturday when Sebastian Fundora steps in to challenge Tim Tszyu for his WBO junior middleweight title as well as the vacant WBC belt.

Fundora was given the opportunity to enter the main event when former world champion Keith Thurman was forced to withdraw from the fight against Tszyu due to injury. It’s no small change in opponent, with the muscular Thurman standing at 5’7″ to Fundora’s towering 6’4″.

This gives Fundora a key advantage in preparing for the fight, as he is always training to fight a shorter man, while Tszyu is now facing a man almost a foot taller than the one he spent a training camp preparing for. .

“The show goes on and destiny awaits us. Saturday night we will fight for the belts”, said Tszyu at the last press conference. “It’s all about collecting belts and legacies. Let’s show that the Tszyu name is the greatest boxing family of all time.

“It’s very difficult to prepare for a fighter like Fundora. But a true champion rises to the occasion. I came here as a throwback fighter and that’s what I want to be. do exactly as I say.”

Fundora comes into the fight on the heels of his first career loss, a stunning knockout at the hands of Brian Mendoza. Fundora has been cracked and taken down before, a product of preferring to fight on the inside despite his obvious reach advantage over all the fighters he shares the ring with.

“Losses happen in boxing,” Fundora said. “I made a mistake and I paid for it. Everything is still lined up the way it should be and now we have a chance to find out who the best fighter at 154 pounds is.”

The inside fighting style that Fundora brings to the ring should provide a fan-friendly showdown with Tszyu, who has proven to be a durable fighter who likes to fight from the inside and has used those tools to compile a 24-0 record and grab a Championship. Worldwide. If both men are willing to stick it out and trade, there is the potential for them to create one of the best fights of 2024.

There are some potential extra stakes for the winner, with big fights against the likes of former undisputed welterweight champion Terence Crawford or former unified welterweight champion Errol Spence Jr. These fighters are moving up in weight and the allure of winning two world championships at his new weight would be strong.

In the joint fight, Rolando Romero looks to defend his WBA junior welterweight title for the first time when he faces Isaac Cruz. Romero won the title in somewhat controversial fashion against Ismael Barroso last May, where he came close to being submitted before scoring a knockdown where the referee dismissed the action almost immediately. Now, he faces a tough test, where the winner could get a rematch with Gervonta “Tank” Davis later this year.

“Everyone thinks it will be a difficult fight, but I think it will be an easy fight. He’s going to run into something because he’s stupid,” Romero said this week. “He’s going to throw and throw and throw again. He does the same things over and over again. I’m ready for it.”

Cruz, 25, has bounced back well from his loss to Davis in 2021 with a trio of wins over the past two years. He is coming off a split decision victory over Giovanni Cabrera in July.

“I learned a lot from my recent fights. I know I don’t want to leave it up to the judges,” Cruz said. “I’m in great shape and ready to throw hard punches from the first to the 12th round.

“If he thinks I’m stupid, then he’s even more stupid. If he thinks I’m just going to lie down, he’s sorely mistaken. He’ll realize that on Saturday night.”

There are three more title fights on the card Saturday night. Erislandy Lara will look to defend his WBA middleweight title against Michael Zerafa. Julio Cesar Martinez is back in action when he faces Angelino Cordova with Martinez’s WBC flyweight title on the line. And two junior middleweights will fight for the interim title when Serhii Bohacuk takes on Brian Mendoza.

Let’s take a closer look at the rest of the undercard before making a prediction and picking the main event.

Tszyu vs Fundora fight card, odds

Viewing information

Date: March 30 | Location: T-Mobile Arena – Las Vegas
Start time: 8pm ET (preliminary broadcast on Prime Video at 6pm)
How to watch: Amazon Prime Video PPV, PPV.com

Prediction

This fight is much closer than the odds might suggest. Fundora is a unique fighter and Tszyu had less than two weeks to understand how to solve an entirely different puzzle than the one presented by Thurman. Between travel, weight cutting and the late nature of the replacement, did Tszyu spend a second time sparring with much taller men? It seems unlikely that Tszyu would have done any significant live preparation for a completely different type of opponent.

With that in mind, the fight will come down to which fighter can purely apply their style to the fight. Fundora doesn’t fully address the skills that have bothered Tszyu in the past. With his in-your-face style, Fundora isn’t going to make Tszyu pay for his rather pedestrian footwork or sit back and counter to take advantage of Tszyu’s occasionally wild punches.

It will be a close and competitive fight and Fundora has every chance of winning, especially if Tszyu is unable to hurt him when exchanging blows on the inside. I believe Tszyu can hurt Fundora and will do so enough to avoid a close decision, if not a stoppage in the later rounds. Choice: Tszyu via UD