Promoter Eddie Hearn says it’s unlikely WBC mandatory Terence Crawford will be the next opponent for WBC/WBO junior middleweight champion Sebastian Fundora when he makes his defense of his newly won titles.
Rematch with Tszyu or Spence Fight More Likely
Hearn notes that Crawford isn’t with PBC, which hurts his chances. He sees Fundora fighting either Errol Spence, a PBC fighter, or a rematch with former WBO 154-lb champion Tim Tszyu, whom he beat last Saturday night.
It’s unclear if there’s a rematch clause for last weekend’s Tszyu vs. Fundora fight. Fundora’s promoter, Sampson Lewkowicz, says there’s only a verbal one and that he would honor it.
Hearn sees that as meaningless because Lewkowicz could ask for a lot of money from Tszyu to give him a chance for a rematch. Still, if the Australian money is big enough, Fundora and Lewkowicz will go in that direction.
Crawford’s interest in fighting Tszyu suggests that he smells green, and Fundora could also go in that direction. That would leave Spence without an opponent. He probably won’t fight Crawford because he can make more money waiting for the smoke to clear from a Tszyu-Fundora rematch.
If the WBO strips Fundora of his title for not defending the belt against Crawford, he can face Josh Kelly for the vacant belt. There’s not much money for Crawford, but if he’s counting on Tszyu or Fundora coming back to try and reclaim the WBO belt, he would have something to improve his chances of fighting either of them.
Rematch Clause Confusion
“Firstly, is there a rematch clause? Tszyu’s team says there is. Sampson [Lewkowicz] says there’s a verbal one,” said promoter Eddie Hearn to Fighthype when asked about Terence Crawford getting a shot against WBC/WBO junior middleweight champion Sebastian Fundora next.
“I can’t believe you’d enter a fight twelve days out to save a show as a champion [Tszyu] and not have a rematch clause. So, I’m presuming they have one. If they don’t, regardless of what Sampson says, a verbal contract means absolutely nothing.
Lewkowicz’s Bargaining Power
“You can say, ‘We’re going to honor our word.’ There’s no terms. So, you can say, ‘We’re going to honor our word. Make sure you give me $20 million, and we’re going to owner our word.’
“So, if I’m Sampson now, Sampson is very experienced; you’re getting your boy [Fundora] a massive payday because I’m not saying he got lucky. But with the cut, he hit the jackpot. So, now, you are getting the biggest payday. There’s money in Australia to do that rematch.
“There’s the Spence fight, there’s the Crawford fight. What I think will happen. You’re talking about the PBC. Crawford is not with PBC. So, unless PBC can capture Crawford, they won’t do the fight with Fundora [with him].
Hearn’s Analysis
“What I think you’ll either see is Fundora against Tszyu or Fundora against Spence. As I understand it, Fundora is out six to eight months with that nose injury, so maybe Tszyu will fight in the meantime.
“We got Madrimov there. He’s ready, but I don’t think you’ll see Fundora against Crawford. One of the reasons Sampton U-turned a little bit is that there is money in Australia. We saw Pacquiao fight Horn there.”
There’s little chance that Tszyu will take a stay busy fight against Madrimov while he waits for Fundora’s injured nose to heal. If anything, Tszyu will take a fringe contender to ensure he doesn’t suffer another injury that would delay his fight against Fundora.
“I’m comparing the money to Tszyu. Not just to Spence and Crawford. Crawford and Spence, in my opinion, have very similar profiles. Crawford beat Spence, but wherever the money is, that’s where Fundora will fight. There is a deceiving amount of money in Australia, and maybe that could be the one,” said Hearn.
