Sebastian Fundora was a better version of himself in the second win against Tim Tszyu

Sebastian Fundora’s imposing performance, keeping his WBC super welterweight title in the rematch against Tim Tszyu on Saturday, highlighted how pain can break the fiercest warriors, forcing them to surrender. 

Part two featured five fewer rounds than the epic bloodbath in their first encounter on March 30, 2024, which Fundora won. Both fighters were covered in crimson that night as Fundora’s nose leaked profusely from connected power punches and Tszyu’s hairline sopped from an accidental elbow, blinding him as he endured a hail of bullets. 

On Saturday, Fundora’s game plan was tight, using his extended height at 6-foot-6 and reach to nail the challenger with jabs and a buckshot-like left hand that also floored Tszyu in round one. 

Tszyu had doubted his rival’s toughness at the pre-fight presser because he didn’t get up from Brian Mendoza’s unforgiving left hook, and Tszyu had stood up thrice* in his three-round TKO loss to Bakhram Murtazaliev. He also said to Fundora “you’re not Superman.”

Tszyu fought as bravely as he did the first time, but most of his significant strikes were outweighed by Fundora’s jab and cruel mallet disguised as a left hand. Eventually, the challenger broke the guard, connecting on the nose, causing it to leak, and inflicted bombs in the seventh round.

They were like two bulls with their horns locked together as Tszyu delivered 16 power punches, and Fundora landed 27, per CompuBox.    

Then Tszyu refused to leave the corner. In a sport that could kill you, there should be less shame about the choices made like this one. 

Yet, His Excellency, Turki Alalshikh, the chairman of the General Entertainment Authority and owner of Ring Magazine, didn’t see it that way because they weren’t covered in gore. He posted a callous message on X(formerly Twitter) before deleting that read, “I said to you from the beginning, Tim Tszyu does not deserve to be on a Riyadh Season or Ring Magazine card. He can be useful as a sparring partner for a champion in Riyadh Season.”

Tszyu was getting tagged too often to think straight, and had the fight gone on, Fundora would have likely decapitated him and questions of being an A-level fighter would still be there. Yet, there is no doubt that both of them solidified themselves as warriors in the first fight; just one of them is nearing the end of the road, and the other is speeding off towards more championship fights.