By: Sean Crose
It was supposed to be different. Keith Thurman, not Sebastian Fundora, was supposed to be facing undefeated world titlist Tim Tszyu Saturday night in Las Vegas. Thurman, however, got hurt in training, and the 20-1-1 Fundora took the call. And so the six and a half inch Californian made his way to the ring at the T-Mobile Arena looking to take advantage of an unexpected opportunity. Could he beat the menacing 24-0 Tszyu, however? It was a question that would be answered in twelve rounds or less. With both the WBC and WBO super welterweight titles at stake, it was one of the more interesting matchups to be found in the sport.
Right off the bat, the size different between the towering Fundora and the five-nine Tszyu was almost stunning. Indeed, it looked almost comical. Tszyu, however, took to moving forward right away. Fundora, who was trying to fight behind his jab, found himself moving backward early. Indeed, Tszyu rocked his man in the last minute of the round. Fundora took it well, but a point was made. Tszyu took to working the body in the opening moments of the second. With that being said, Fundora was having faith in his southpaw jab and was able to land well himself close to the midpoint of the round. Still, by round’s end, Tszyu was landing clean on the challenger’s head.
By the start of the third, it was clear Tszyu had a huge cut on the top of the head. The fight doctor, however, cleared Tszyu to continue. Suffice to say, Tszyu took to attacking Fundora with a figurative vengeance. To his credit, Fundora engaged in swinging hard against this blood soaked foe. It was obvious the defending champion was being blinded by the flow of his blood. Fundora fired at will on Tszyu’s bloody face in the fourth. Unable to see clearly, Tszyu was having a hard time fighting his far taller opponent. Indeed, the fight had become so bloody that there was blood on the broadcast camera lens.
Fundora clearly had all the advantages in the fifth – though he was spitting out blood himself. Still, Tszyu was somehow keeping it close. With that being said, Fundora clearly intended to ride the accidental cut to a world title win via his long jab – which was his right, both practically and ethically, to do. The amazing thing about the seventh was that the fight was continuing, and appeared to be quite close. Fundura may have edged it, but he was in a fight.
Fundora fired away, nearly at will, in the eighth, while Tszyu tried to work the body. The fact the Aussie was fighting as well as he was in such conditions spoke well to the man’s skill. Fundora, too, deserved credit. He might not have been as bloody as Tszyu, but he was bloody himself. With that being said, Fundora simply picked away at his man in the ninth. Tszyu, however, turned up the volume in the tenth, landing head shots and perhaps even winning the round. The eleventh had Tszyu looking to land the more telling shots while Fundora aimed for volume. The final round of the blood soaked affair was three minutes of endless jabbing from Fundora. Tszyu had his moments, but were they enough?
Apparently not – the judges awarded the fight to Fundora via split decision,
