Fundora stuns Tszyu in bloody fight to win junior middleweight belts
Sebastian Fundora pulled off the upset against budding star Tim Tszyu on Saturday night, winning via split decision (112-116, 116-112, 115-113) to capture the WBO and WBC junior middleweight titles at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Fundora handed Tszyu the first loss of his professional career. Tszyu held the WBO junior middleweight belt coming in; the WBC title was vacant.
The matchup headlined Premier Boxing Champions' inaugural pay-per-view event on Prime Video. Fundora stepped in on less than two weeks' notice after Tszyu's original opponent, Keith Thurman, withdrew due to a biceps injury.
Tszyu suffered a significant cut on the top of his head in the third round following an inadvertent elbow, making for one of the bloodiest boxing matches in recent memory. Blood covered Tszyu's face throughout the second half of the fight.
Tszyu picked Fundora apart early in the bout. However, Fundora stayed busier down the stretch, using his massive height and reach advantage to score more points. Fundora, nicknamed "The Towering Inferno," is 6-foot-6 and Tszyu is 5-foot-9.
Tszyu entered with a spotless 24-0 record and was favored to unify the titles against Fundora. The 29-year-old Australian was elevated to WBO junior middleweight champion last September and defended the title for the first time in October with a unanimous decision win over Brian Mendoza.
Fundora, a 26-year-old from Florida, was coming off his first loss - against Mendoza - nearly a year ago. Fundora is now 21-1 as a pro.