Tim Tszyu is now in position to defend his WBO title.

It just won’t come versus his originally scheduled opponent.

The Ring has confirmed Australia’s Tszyu (24-0, 17 knockouts) will now face Sebastian Fundora, who replaces an injured Keith Thurman. The swap out allows Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) to move forward with its March 30 show from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The Prime Video pay-per-view event will mark the inaugural installment of PBC on Prime series.

Thurman suffered an injured biceps, which was being examined Monday morning. Tha Boxing Voice podcast was the first to report the development, which at the time left the scheduled headliner in doubt. Thurman-Tszyu was originally scheduled as a non-title fight since Thurman is not ranked by the WBO. However, a loss by Tszyu, No. 1 at 154, would have rendered the title as vacant.

A petition was filed for Tszyu’s WBO 154-pound title to be on the line for the new main event. WBO in-house counsel Gustavo Oliveiri confirmed to The Ring that it was received by the sanctioning body and currently under review, though would not confirm Fundora as the new opponent.

PBC representatives were not in a position to comment given the fluid situation.

Fundora (20-1-1,13 KOs), No. 4 at 154, was due to face Ring No. 10-rated Serhii Bohachuk (23-1, 23KOs) in the PPV opener. The fight was sanctioned as a vacant WBC title fight before Fundora was elevated to the main event.

ESPN.com boxing insider Mike Coppinger first reported, via social media, Fundora as the replacement opponent for Tszyu.

The Ring was informed that plans are in place to keep Bohachuk on the show. It is not yet known if he will remain on PPV or moved to the Prime Video free-view lead-in show. There remain unresolved issues with the WBC belt remaining at stake, given the previously approved vacant title fight.

One potential replacement opponent is Ring No. 3-rated Brian Mendoza (22-3, 16 KOs), whom The Ring learned was already a standby opponent for the show. Mendoza was ringside for this past Saturday’s DAZN show featuring William Zepeda at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas. The former interim WBC titlist appeared to be in fighting shape, which makes sense given his placement on the show.

Tszyu previously defeated Mendoza by unanimous decision last October 15 in Broadbeach, Australia. The fight was his third in a row in his home country, all in 2023. The win over Mendoza marked his first as full WBO titlist. He won the interim belt earlier in the year while waiting out a shot at Ring champion Jermell Charlo.

The fight never materialized, and thus marked the end of Charlo’s undisputed championship. Charlo (35-2-1, 19 KOs) instead opted to move up and face Ring 168-pound champ Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez (60-2-2, 39 KOs). The fight was a dull affair and result in a lopsided win for Alvarez.

Charlo no longer holds any sanctioning body titles and was downgraded to ‘Champion in Recess’ by the WBC and WBA. The distinction allows him to immediately challenge for either title if he chooses to return to 154.

Fundora has not fought since a stunning seventh-round knockout defeat to Mendoza last April 8 in Carson, California. The 6’5 ½” junior middleweight was the unbeaten WBC titlist at the time and way ahead through six rounds. Mendoza immediately erased the massive scorecard deficit with the highlight reel knockout.

The California-based Fundora was granted approval by the WBC to next face Bohachuk despite the knockout loss. An interim belt was initially at stake before the upgrade to full title status.

The Ring has confirmed that the WBO will not approve a scenario where the WBC belt is also at stake in the main event. The WBO does not recognize secondary belts and still views Charlo as the WBC’s official champion.

The remaining bouts on the show remain intact. WBA 140-pound titlist Rolando ‘Rolly’ Romero (15-1, 13 KOs) defends versus Isaac ‘Pitbull’ Cruz (25-2-1, 17 KOs), No. 3 at 135 who moves up in weight. WBA 160-pound titleholder Erislandy Lara (29-3-3, 17 KOs) attempts his first defense versus mandatory challenger Michael Zerafa (31-4, 19 KOs).

Jake Donovan is a senior writer for The Ring and vice president of the Boxing Writers Association of America
Follow @JakeNDaBox

READ THE LATEST ISSUE OF THE RING FOR FREE VIA THE NEW APP NOW. SUBSCRIBE NOW TO ACCESS MORE THAN 10 YEARS OF BACK ISSUES.