Tim Tszyu vs. Sebastian Fundora: Date, time, how to watch, background

154-pound champ Tim Tszyu is scheduled to defend his belt and combat for a vacant title towards Sebastian Fundora on pay-per-view Saturday in Las Vegas.

TIM TSZYU (24-0, 17 KOs) VS.SEBASTIAN FUNDORA (20-1-1, 13 KOs)

Date: Saturday, March 30
Time: 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT (major occasion later in present)
The place: T-Cell Area, Las Vegas
TV/Stream: Pay-per-view ($69.99 in U.S.)
Division: Junior middleweight (154 kilos)
At stake: Tszyu’s WBO and vacant WBC titles
Pound-for-pound: None
Odds: Tszyu 4½-1 favourite (common of a number of retailers)
Significance (as much as 5 stars): *****
Additionally on the cardboard: Rolando Romero vs. Isaac Cruz, junior welterweights (for Romero’s title); Erislandy Lara vs. Michael Zerafa, middleweights (for Lara’s WBA title); Elijah Garcia vs. Kyrone Davis, middleweights; Julio Cesar Martinez vs. Angel Cordova, flyweights (for Martinez’s WBC title); Serhii Bohachuk vs. Brian Mendoza, junior middleweights
Background: Tszyu was scheduled to face veteran Keith Thurman however Thurman pulled out of the combat after injuring his biceps lower than two weeks earlier than the opening bell. Fundora, scheduled to combat Bohachuk on the cardboard, agreed to step in and problem Tszyu. The champion has established himself as an elite fighter with a collection of spectacular performances, together with convincing victories over Terrell Gausha, Tony Harrison, Carlos Ocampo and Brian Mendoza in his final 4 fights. He was anticipated to combat then-undisputed champion Jermell Charlo final 12 months however Charlo ended up difficult 168-pound champ Canelo Alvarez and was stripped of his WBO belt on the opening bell. That allowed Tszyu to be elevated from “interim” beltholder to full champion earlier than the Mendoza combat. Fundora was lucky to get a shot at Tszyu in mild of the actual fact he’s coming off the primary lack of his profession, a seventh-round knockout towards Mendoza in April of final 12 months. The 6-foot-5½ slugger was profitable the combat when he was stopped by a brutal three-punch mixture. Fundora had given a collection of sturdy performances earlier than his setback, together with a ninth-round stoppage of Erickson Lubin in 2022. Additionally on the cardboard, veteran Erislandy Lara (29-3-3, 17 KOs) will defend his 160-pound title towards Michael Zerafa (31-4, 19 KOs). Lara is 40 years outdated. And Julio Cesar Martinez (20-3, 15 KOs) will defend his 112-pound belt towards Angel Cordova (18-0-1, 12 KOs).