Sebastian Fundora presents a lot of obvious matchup problems as a 6’5” fighter at 154 lbs. Keith Thurman will be the next to try this Saturday night, as he challenges Fundora for the WBC super welterweight title, and past opponents Tim Tszyu and Brian Mendoza shared their thoughts on how “One Time” might look to approach the matchup.
Tszyu lost twice to Fundora in 2024 and 2025, the first a bloody split decision where Tszyu had taken Fundora on as an opponent on short notice, and the rematch saw Tszyu quit
after seven rounds of failing to dent Fundora.
Mendoza scored a stunning, one-punch KO upset of Fundora back in 2023, in the seventh round of a fight where he arguably had lost the first six, but found the opening and made it count.
Both agree that Fundora (23-1-1, 15 KO) is tough to prepare for and tough to fight, but they share another firm belief, and it’s one you can see in most fights: Fundora is hittable, and Mendoza in particular believes the veteran Thurman (31-1, 23 KO) has a strong upset chance.
Tim Tszyu: ‘A nightmare, but easy to hit’
“He’s a bit of a nightmare, but he’s also easy to hit. But he’s also a real tough motherfucker that gets hit and keeps coming. It’s hard to box him, it’s hard to be strategic.
“Sometimes I was just throwing haymakers, and throwing punches without even looking, and I was swinging at air. That’s what he’s good at, and because of his reach and his awkwardness, and the fact that he can take a little step back and he’s completely out of the way — when you fight Fundora, expect that you’re going to be in one of your hardest fights.”
Brian Mendoza: ‘Thurman’s a big threat’
“Fighting Fundora is kinda interesting, it’s tough to get ready for, a guy at that height in this weight class. He has a lot of advantages against you in the ring. The main thing a lot of people didn’t recognize in my fight with him was lateral movement. They noticed him getting downhill on me and kinda landing shots, but they didn’t notice how many shots I was able to get out of the way of, the lateral movement was a big factor for me. And a couple other things I’ll keep in the vault, because I’m still trying to get the rematch with him.
“I honestly think Thurman’s a big threat, because he’s known for really good lateral movement, he knows how to get you to cross your feet up and come in with that leaping hook, which we saw in my fight with (Fundora), that can be his kryptonite.”
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Chordale Booker: ‘I was, like, oh shit’
“It’s already hard to fight someone who’s 6’6”, like, I’ve never been in the ring with anybody that tall. Somebody with that much length, like — he came out, threw the jab, and I remember the first thing I did was pull back, and he still hit me. And I was, like, oh shit. Watching all his old tapes, I trained for a guy who was tall but gave up his height. He had just had that fight with Tim Tszyu, and he clearly worked on his range, which made it a difficult fight for me.”
