Sebastian Fundora and Serhii Bohachuk are set to square off for the WBC interim 154-pound title. 

Bohachuk’s promoter, 360 Promotions head Tom Loeffler, told RingTV that the duo will fight in March on the undercard of a Premier Boxing Champions show. An official announcement with the fight date and location is imminent. 

The WBC initially approved the Fundora-Bohachuk fight in November during its annual convention.

Bohachuk (23-1, 23 KOs), The Ring’s No. 10-rated junior middleweight, was supposed to have a stay-busy fight January 27 on a 360 Promotions show at the Commerce Casino in Commerce, California, but those plans have since been scrapped and he will instead now focus on the fight with Fundora (20-1-1, 13 KOs), The Ring’s No. 3-rated junior middleweight. 

“It’s going to be a very fan-friendly fight. Both guys are very offensive minded fighters and strong fighters. It’ll be a great fight between top world-rated guys. We’re looking forward to the fight,” Loeffler said in an interview Saturday during a media day at the Wild Card Boxing Club in Hollywood, California, while promoting his upcoming “Hollywood Fight Nights” on UFC Fight Pass show. 

“[Bohachuk] wishes the fight would have happened sooner, but now that it’ll happen in March for sure, he has something to shoot toward. It’s going to be fireworks from both guys. The fans are going to be in for a real treat.” 

The WBC has Bohachuk ranked as the No. 2 contender, and Fundora at No. 3. 

The 6-foot-6 Fundora will sport a six-inch height advantage and 10-inch reach advantage in the fight. 

The 28-year-old Bohachuk had a banner campaign in 2023 blasting credible contenders Patrick Allotey in one round and Nathaniel Gallimore in six rounds. 

“El Flaco’s” five-fight winning streak ever since suffering his first career loss to Brandon Adams in 2021 helped set him up for the bout with Fundora. Bohachuk spent most of 2022 in Ukraine with his family as his home country fought through a war with Russia.

The 26-year-old Fundora hasn’t fought since suffering his first career loss in April. Fundora was stunningly knocked out by Brian Mendoza in the seventh round of a fight he was comfortably winning. 

After stringing a series of wins against the likes of Jorge Cota, Sergio Garcia, Erickson Lubin, and Carlos Ocampo, Fundora’s shocking loss to Mendoza was a major letdown. Fundora also lost the WBC interim 154-pound title in the fight, but he’ll look to win it back against Bohachuk.

Jermell Charlo remains the lineal, Ring Magazine, WBC and WBA 154-pound champion. Charlo could’ve still held the title of an undisputed champion even after losing to Canelo Alvarez at 168 pounds in September. 

However, sanctioning body semantics by the WBO elevated Tim Tszyu from interim beltholder to its full titleholder when Charlo chose to fight Alvarez instead of Tszyu. Charlo voluntarily abdicated the IBF belt rather than face mandatory challenger Bakhram Murtazaliev.

The second-generation Australian star Tszyu has already defended the WBO belt by beating Mendoza in October, and he’s now entertaining the idea of a fight against Vergil Ortiz Jr. 

The winner of Fundora-Bohachuk now has a chance to force the issue, work their way up the 154-pound ladder, and become a tour de force, much like Tszyu has in recent years. 

Manouk Akopyan is a sports journalist, writer, and broadcast reporter. He’s also a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and the MMA Journalists Association. He can be reached on Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube at @ManoukAkopyan, through email at manouk[dot]akopyan[at]gmail.com, or via www.ManoukAkopyan.com.

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