Fundora Hand Injury Forces Postponement of Highly Anticipated Thurman Showdown

A scheduled October 25th pay-per-view event in Las Vegas, headlined by WBC junior middleweight champion Sebastian Fundora and former two-time welterweight titleholder Keith Thurman, has been postponed due to a hand injury sustained by Fundora during a training camp sparring session, Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) announced Friday.

The postponement throws into disarray the plans of both fighters, as well as the undercard participants, and casts uncertainty over the future of the junior middleweight division. The event, initially slated for the MGM Grand Garden Arena, will be rescheduled for a later date, according to PBC.

News of the injury was first reported by Mike Coppinger of "The Ring," who stated that Fundora (23-1-1, 15 KOs), known as the "Towering Inferno" due to his imposing 6-foot-5 ½ frame, suffered a contusion to his hand, rendering him unable to compete. The specific nature and severity of the injury remain undisclosed, pending further medical evaluation.

The postponement represents a significant setback for Fundora, who had been enjoying a resurgence in 2024 following a period of inactivity. After his unexpected, short-notice victory over Tim Tszyu in March, a fight that saw him unify the WBO and WBC junior middleweight titles in a brutal, back-and-forth battle, Fundora appeared poised to solidify his position as a dominant force in the 154-pound division.

Fundora’s victory over Tszyu, a split decision win, was widely considered one of the year’s biggest upsets. He stepped in on short notice after Thurman withdrew due to an injury, seizing the opportunity and capitalizing on Tszyu’s vulnerability. The fight was a bloody affair, characterized by relentless exchanges and a remarkable display of toughness from both combatants.

Prior to the Tszyu fight, Fundora had returned to the ring in March, following his lengthy hiatus, with a second-round stoppage of Chordale Booker. His aggressive style and high work rate proved too much for Booker, who succumbed to Fundora’s relentless pressure. Following the Tszyu victory, Fundora vacated his WBO title, opting instead to pursue a rematch with Tszyu, a fight that ultimately failed to materialize.

The injury to Fundora is also a bitter blow for Thurman (30-1, 22 KOs), whose comeback has been plagued by setbacks and inactivity in recent years. The fight against Fundora was intended to be a significant step towards reclaiming his status as one of the top welterweights in the world, but now it hangs in the balance.

Thurman, who will turn 37 in November, has fought only twice in the last six years. His career has been marred by injuries and periods of inactivity, preventing him from consistently competing at the highest level. He lost his WBA welterweight title to Manny Pacquiao in 2019 by split decision, a defeat that marked a turning point in his career.

Following the loss to Pacquiao, Thurman took nearly three years away from the sport, returning in 2022 with a dominant unanimous decision victory over former titleholder Mario Barrios in a pay-per-view headliner. The win over Barrios was seen as a statement of intent, signaling Thurman’s desire to return to the top of the welterweight division.

However, his plans were once again derailed when he was forced to withdraw from the proposed March 2024 fight against Tim Tszyu due to injury. Fundora stepped in as a replacement, seizing the opportunity and ultimately defeating Tszyu for the unified title. Although Thurman would go on to snap a three-year layoff in March when he traveled to Australia to Brock Jarvis inside of three rounds, his plans to finally face Tszyu were spoiled when Fundora got the call, instead, for their rematch.

The postponement of the October 25th card also impacts the co-main event, a scheduled 130-pound title bout between WBC titleholder O’Shaquie Foster and two-division champion Stephen Fulton Jr. The fight was originally slated to serve as the co-feature to a proposed August 16th pay-per-view headlined by a Gervonta Davis-Lamont Roach Jr. rematch, which also failed to materialize.

Foster (22-2, 12 KOs) won the vacant WBC super featherweight title in February 2023 with a unanimous decision victory over Rey Vargas. He successfully defended the title in October 2023 against Eduardo Hernandez, stopping Hernandez in the twelfth round.

Fulton Jr. (21-1, 8 KOs) is a former unified super bantamweight champion, having previously held the WBO and WBC titles. He lost his titles to Naoya Inoue in July 2023 by TKO in the eighth round. The fight against Foster was intended to be Fulton’s comeback fight and a chance to win a title in a second weight division.

The postponement of the entire card leaves the future of all involved uncertain. PBC has not yet announced a new date for the event, and it remains to be seen whether the same matchups will be retained when the card is eventually rescheduled.

The injury to Fundora and the subsequent postponement of the event highlights the unpredictable nature of boxing and the challenges faced by fighters in maintaining their health and fitness throughout their careers. It also underscores the importance of having contingency plans in place, both for fighters and promoters, to mitigate the impact of unexpected events.

The boxing world now awaits further updates from PBC regarding the rescheduled date and the status of the affected fighters and their respective title aspirations. The ripple effects of this postponement are likely to be felt throughout the junior middleweight and super featherweight divisions, as fighters and promoters adjust their plans in response to the shifting landscape.