The WBC junior middleweight titleholder is linking a possible fight with Vergil Ortiz Jr. to a spot on Canelo Alvarez’s September 12 card, giving the move a purpose that hadn’t been there before.
Fundora said this week that he would welcome a bout with Vergil Jr for the vacant Ring title, adding that he expects to be ready again in September if he gets through Keith Thurman on March twenty eighth. The opponent list, in his words, is open.
“It will be great to fight on the Canelo card,” Fundora said to Ring Magazine. “I’ll be able to fight again in September after the Thurman fight. I’ll fight Vergil.”
Vergil Jr has been available at 154 for a while, yet Fundora had not been publicly pushing for that matchup in this manner. Linking it to a serious platform changes the way it reads. It comes across less like a voluntary risk and more like a calculated step tied to exposure and positioning.
Ortiz is rated #1 by The Ring at junior middleweight, while Fundora is slotted just behind him. A gathering between the 2 would interest fans.
Vergil Jr’s situation still needs to be cleared first. He stays tied up in a legal dispute with Golden Boy, which has slowed his activity at some extent in his profession when regular fights are needed. Any progress there would have to come back quickly to make a September timeline realistic.
Fundora also has his own hurdle in front of him. He faces Thurman on March 28 and enters as a transparent betting favorite.
“I’m expecting the most effective Keith Thurman, but it is a latest era,” Fundora said. “I’m beating him down.”
A fight between Fundora and Ortiz Jr. will likely be a great one if it happens. There will likely be more interest than Sebastian’s current fight against 37-year-old Thurman, which hasn’t attracted much attention.