Shawn Porter believes Sebastian Fundora will be an easier opponent for Tim Tszyu than Keith Thurman.
WBO junior middleweight champion Tszyu 24-0 (17) was scheduled to face Thurman 30-1 (22) in a 155-pound non-title bout at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on March 30 before the former WBC and WBA welterweight champion was forced to withdraw from the bout after suffering biceps injury in training.
Californian southpaw Fundora, 26, who was slated to fight on the undercard, was elevated to the main event.
At almost six-foot-six tall, Fundora will present an entirely different set of problems for the 29-year-old Australian Tszyu to solve.
Despite this, retired former WBC and IBF welterweight champion Porter thinks Tszyu will be able to figure out Fundora more easily than he would have the veteran Thurman, 35.
“Fundora is there to be hit and, yes, Fundora is very tough as well,” Porter said to ProBox TV. “But he doesn’t present any sort of puzzle for Tim – and that’s what I liked about the fight with Keith.
“At the end of the day, if Tim won [against Thurman], we would have seen him have to solve some puzzles and fight through some things to get the win. I don’t see those same puzzles against Fundora.”
Porter has had the opportunity to observe Tszyu up close, calling three of his fights in Australia.
“I think what I’ve seen from Tim is he’s very determined, he works extremely hard, he gets very prepared for every fight he has and I think Fundora is the easier puzzle to get ready for,” Porter continued.
“He’s straight up and down and there’s not a wide range of offence or defence coming from him. So I don’t think the last-minute change is going to disrupt Tszyu and I think this is Tszyu’s fight to win.”
The Tszyu versus Fundora fight will headline the first Premier Boxing Champions show on Prime Video and will be broadcast on pay-per-view.
“The reach beyond just boxing fans is something boxing has needed for a very long time,” Porter said.
“Don’t forget, I’m part of the beginning of the PBC era. I understood quite clearly why we were going to network television – because there were more eyes on network television watching a commercial that is promoting boxing than there would be people watching Showtime or HBO seeing a commercial about a boxing match that they already know about.
“When you’re following NFL, when you’re following NCAA, when you’re following NBA – even the NBA has games on Prime – when you’re following all those with commercials and promos and things of that nature, there’s only one thing you can do and that’s capitalise on it.
“And the only way you capitalise on it is making the boxing events that people want to see. That’s what I expect PBC to do this year.”