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WBO and WBC super welterweight champion Sebastian Fundora is suddenly surrounded by a sea of potential opponents. The 6-foot-6 West Palm Beach native is coming off a decisive 4th-round knockout win over Chordale Booker last Saturday night at the Michelob Ultra Arena in Las Vegas. Having not fought in nearly a year since his shocking win over Australia’s Tim Tszyu, Fundora took the stay-busy fight.

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He was previously linked to a bout against former unified welterweight champion Errol Spence Jr., but the match never materialized after a series of delays. Regardless, following his latest win, ‘The Towering Inferno’ expressed what he wants to do next. “Whoever they have for me next, I’ll be ready,” said Fundora during the in-ring interview.

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“I want the IBF champion Bakhram Murtazaliev, plus Xander Zayas is the WBO mandatory, and I also want Errol Spence Jr. We have [the WBC and WBO] belts, we have to defend them, and if anyone is willing to unify, let’s do that too.” Following this call-out, the WBO president Gustavo Olivieri revealed his plans for Fundora’s future in the division. 

The WBO ordered Fundora to defend his titles against the WBO’s No. 1 contender, Xander Zayas. However, Bakhram Murtazaliev has also joined the conversation by accepting Fundora’s challenge. “Congratulations Fundora, great performance. I’m ready!” Murtazaliev wrote on social media after Fundora’s latest performance. 

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Fundora’s goal to unify the belts will also require him to square off against WBA title holder Terence Crawford, but the latter is headed for a blockbuster fight against Canelo Alvarez in September. While not impossible, Crawford may only be interested in the last man standing in the super welterweight unification journey. 

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Meanwhile, Xander Zayas has reflected on his potential fight against Fundora.

Xander Zayas is disappointed he won’t fight Sebastian Fundora at MSG

Xander Zayas has made it clear he wanted his shot at Sebastian Fundora’s titles at Madison Square Garden, where he’s built his career with seven fights in five years. However, that won’t happen, as Fundora’s team has informed Top Rank that they don’t plan to fight at The Garden. Still, Zayas isn’t backing down.

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“I would love for it to be at Madison Square Garden,” Zayas told The Ring. “But if I have to go to the moon to get those belts, I’ll go to the moon to get those belts.”  The undefeated Puerto Rican contender was ringside for Fundora’s recent win over Chordale Booker and is confident he can pose a bigger challenge to the 6-foot-6 southpaw. 

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 “He did what he needed to do,” Zayas said of Fundora. “His team and my team are on the same page, so it’s all about having a nice conversation.”

That said, even though Murtazaliev, who has struggled to find an attractive opponent, is interested in facing Sebastian Fundora next, Zayas might be the one to get it. What do you think about the fight? Who do you have winning?

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Written by

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Sudeep Sinha

4,781 Articles

Sudeep Sinha is a Golf Writer at EssentiallySports, covering the PGA Tour, LIV Golf, and the storylines around the sport's biggest events and names. He previously spent over two years writing in the Boxing department, where his fight-night coverage was featured on Sports Illustrated, Daily Mail, and Yahoo Sports, including his reporting on Ryan Garcia's career arc. On the golf beat, Sudeep covers tour news, player form, and the season-long storylines that shape the men's and women's game, from majors to the ongoing shifts in how professional golf is structured. That same appetite for detail that made his boxing coverage stand out now shows up in how he breaks down a swing change or a schedule shakeup for hardcore and casual fans alike. Outside work, he splits his time between reading, cycling, and following combat sports.

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Siddharth Shirwadkar

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