Sebastian Fundora Is Ready For His Next Big Fight After Recovering From Injuries

Promoter Sampson Lewkowicz Aims For A High-profile Unification Bout Between Sebastian Fundora And Terence Crawford

Sebastian Fundora could potentially face Terence Crawford next / Sebastian Fundora on Facebook.

By Moses Ochieng

Sampson Lewkowicz, the promoter for WBO/WBC junior middleweight champion Sebastian Fundora (21-1-1, 13 KOs), is aiming for a unification fight with WBA champion Terence Crawford rather than a title defense against Errol Spence.

Fundora recently secured a 12-round split decision victory over WBO junior middleweight champion Tim Tszyu on March 30th and is set to return to the ring after recovering from injuries sustained in that bout. A fight with Spence (28-1, 22 KOs), is seen as less lucrative and less high-profile compared to a showdown with Crawford, who remains at the peak of his career. Spence’s loss to Crawford last year and his 14-month inactivity have likely diminished his appeal among fans.

A Crawford vs. Fundora fight would likely generate strong pay-per-view numbers in the U.S., surpassing the attention from Fundora's recent bout against WBA 154-lb champion Israil Madrimov on August 3rd.

Boxing insider Manouk Akopyan reported that promoter Sampson Lewkowicz is focused on securing a fight with the undefeated Terence Crawford, 37, rather than Errol Spence. A matchup with Crawford makes sense for Fundora, as he's highly regarded by Saudi boxing figurehead Turki Alalshikh, and the fight would be a major money-maker for one of the Riyadh Season events.

“A fight between Sebastian Fundora and Errol Spence continues to simmer; promoter Sampson [Lewkowicz] tells me he’s only focused on staging a fight for Fundora against Terence Crawford,” Manouk Akopyan stated on X.

Terence Crawford (41-0, 31 KOs) had shown interest in a potential fight against Mexico’s three-belt super-middleweight champion, Canelo Alvarez, after narrowly securing a unanimous-decision win over Israil Madrimov on August 3 to claim the WBA 154-pound title. However, the fight seems unlikely, as Canelo hasn’t brought up any desire to face Crawford.

A WBO official mentioned that Terence Crawford has the option to request an extension for negotiations before the Monday deadline. However, promoter Sampson Lewkowicz pointed out that Crawford's team's lack of communication during this period speaks volumes. Lewkowicz believes the WBO should impose a 10-day deadline for Crawford to declare whether he intends to fight Sebastian Fundora.

If Crawford, from Nebraska, decides to step away from negotiations with Fundora, it’s anticipated that Southern California’s Sebastian Fundora will have to face former three-belt welterweight champion Errol Spence Jr. Spence notably appeared in the ring with Fundora after his two-belt victory over Tim Tszyu on March 30.