LAS VEGAS – A jubilant Sebastian Fundora spoke to the media after his bloody and pulsating 12-round split decision victory over Tim Tszyu at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas tonight and immediately started looking ahead to more big nights.
While Tszyu has a rematch clause in place, and the Australian’s team said their priority would be to secure that, Texan Errol Spence went into the ring to challenge Fundora afterwards, and Fundora accepted.
But Spence is not the only man at 154lbs that Fundora wants, and the WBO are likely going to want Fundora to face Terence Crawford.
Either way, Fundora is happy. He thanked Tszyu, whose WBO super welterweight title he claimed – and added the WBC vacant belt – and was asked directly about Spence.
“Everybody has goals in boxing,” said the new unified champion. “He’s a legend in the sport and one of the top fighters, so I’d like to get in the ring with him, too. I think it would be a great fight. Before that Terence Crawford fight, he was considered one of the best fighters in the world. Let’s do it.”
Fundora’s promoter, Sampson Lewkowicz, said his next job – as the promoter – is “he needs to maximise the income of the fighters.”
When the WBO situation was put to Crawford, and when asked if he would vacate rather than face the Nebraskan, Fundora said: “Whatever they give me. Errol Spence is a great opportunity. I think it’s a match made in heaven, but Terence Crawford is the best fighter in the world. I would like to fight him.”
Fundora has been criticised in the past for not using his dimensions to his advantage. Tonight, the 6ft 6in fighter, who came in well under the 154lbs limit at Friday’s weigh-in, said he had been working on becoming a more rounded boxer, and he said he had not listened to those who questioned why he did not fight differently with the attributes he possesses.
“Those comments, they never reach my brain,” he said. “Everybody has opinions and everybody can speak their own views and thoughts, but I had a whole year of camp since I lost with [Brian] Mendoza and we’ve been working.
“We’ve been working on our defense, we’ve been working on sitting back, we’ve been working on using our jab, it came out in the fight tonight and I hope you saw it and I hope you enjoyed it.”
An overjoyed Lewkowicz hit the pause button to focus on the historical achievements of Fundora and his sister, Gabriela, as world champions who are now reigning at the same time.
“We made history one more time because Gabriela Fundora, she’s the champion and now Sebastian is the champion,” Lewkowicz said. “Never has it happened in boxing to be a female and male sibling at the same time, so I’m very happy to be part of that.”
