A fight that never received the green light from one sanctioning body is officially off the table.
Sebastian Fundora will now seek a new challenger for the first defense of his unified WBC/WBO 154-pound title reign. The Ring’s No. 4 rated junior middleweight was linked for months to a showdown with former unified welterweight titlist Errol Spence Jr., which is no longer in play.
ESPN.com’s Mike Coppinger—who revealed the fight’s collapse on Thursday—previously reported that the fight was targeted for March 29. Spence (28-1, 22 KOs) himself denied any such rumors, nor did it seem logical for Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) to cram three pay-per-view events in a span of nine weekends.
PBC will host PPVs shows on Feb. 1 (David Benavidez-David Morrell) and March 1 (Gervonta Davis-Lamont Roach WBA lightweight title fight).
Fundora (21-1-1, 13 KOs) has not fought since his title winning effort over then-unbeaten Tim Tszyu (now 24-2, 17 KOs; No. 7 at 154 by The Ring) last March 30 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Spence joined him in the ring during the post-fight interview, an intentional move to plant the seed for such a fight.
The WBC was prepared to approve the fight. The Mexico City-headquartered outfit already had Spence as its number one contender. The ranking was met with raised eyebrows as Spence hasn’t fought since a July 2023 one-sided knockout loss to Terence Crawford (41-0, 31 KOs) and has yet to campaign at junior middleweight.
Those exact reasons were why the WBO was never on board.
“The WBO would not sanction Fundora/Spence due to the latter being (1) inactive for 1 year & 5 months; (2) a TKO loss in last bout; (3) not rated in 154 lbs., & 4) has never fought in 154 lbs.,” explained WBO president Gustavo Olivieri. “Ruling otherwise would be a disservice to the rest of the 154 world-rated contenders.”
That very stance has remained the same by the WBO Championship Committee since the fight was first suggested last year.
Fundora was instead ordered to face Crawford, The Ring’s No. 3 pound fighter and No. 1 junior middleweight who currently owns the WBA and interim WBO titles. The two sides reached an agreement that would permit Fundora to enter a voluntary defense. It led to speculation that Spence would get the fight, though never with more than one belt at stake.
With the fight now tabled—if not done altogether—the WBO is pressed with a decision whether to reorder Fundora-Crawford or confirm details of any contingency plan in place.
Xander Zayas (20-0, 12 KOs) and Charles Conwell (21-0, 16 KOs) are the two highest rated WBO junior middleweight contenders. Zayas is due to face unbeaten Slawa Spomer (20-0, 11 KOs) on Feb. 14 at Madison Square Garden’s Hulu Theater in New York City.
Conwell does not have a fight scheduled as this goes to publication. The Ring’s No. 8 junior middleweight contender picked up three knockout victories in a productive 2024 campaign after promotional issues left him benched the prior year. He is prepared to cash in that good fortune for his first career title shot.
“This the moment we been waiting on,” Conwell, a 2016 U.S. Olympian, said in a post on X. “I’m here and ready! I’m ready to fight, unlike Errol Spence.”
Meanwhile, Spence’s next move is not known, nor does it seem like his heart is still in the sport.
“Boxing is so f---ed up,” Spence, who turns 35 in March, said in a Jan. 15 post on X to suggest he already knew the score.
- JAKE DONOVAN
