The 6ft 6ins junior middleweight Sebastian Fundora is a physical anomaly, so he’s always going to generate interest. He can also fight – and is capable of pleasing a crowd by pursuing knockouts, getting hit, and getting hurt and knocked out himself.

That perception of vulnerability will guarantee he remains intriguing. The fallout from his victory over Tim Tszyu in 2024 enhanced his profile – that victory hasn’t looked as good since Tszyu’s defeat by Bakhram Murtazaliev – but in Chordale Booker he is defending his WBC and WBO titles against a challenger outside of those we’ve come to be so excited about at 154lbs.

Booker’s a good fighter – he’s a well-schooled east-coast style fighter, and a slick southpaw – and someone I know well. He’s a little small at the weight, as he similarly showed when he got blown out by Austin “Ammo” Williams at middleweight in 2022, but for all of his abilities he hasn’t proved himself at this level.

It’s also relevant that he’s competing in the best division in the world – and one in which all the leading fighters are willing to fight each other. Unlike at lightweight, where the star power of Gervonta “Tank” Davis and Shakur Stevenson is contributing to a fight between them not being made, everyone at 154lbs seems willing to fight each other. If Terence Crawford, on account of the expectation he fights Saul “Canelo” Alvarez at 168lbs later in 2025, is to no longer be considered a junior middleweight, there’s still Fundora, Murtazaliev, Tszyu, Vergil Ortiz Jnr, Israil Madrimov, Serhii Bohachuk, and Keith Thurman. 

In victory over Tszyu, Fundora used his jab and showed abilities he hadn’t before, but he was also sharing the ring with a fighter who, for all of his heart, was almost blind. Against Booker, he has to do what comes most naturally to him – set a high pace, fight on the inside, take shots to land them, and find his rhythm.

Once Fundora has established his rhythm, Booker will have an even bigger struggle on his hands. Booker has to be slick, tricky and cute – stepping in and out, and making Fundora miss and struggle to balance, not unlike another slick east-coast boxer, in Stephen Fulton, recently managed in victory over Brandon Figueroa. It’s difficult not to see Fundora gradually overwhelming him – Booker hasn’t shared the ring with someone like him before. 

Fundora-Booker follows Thurman returning to the ring with victory over Brock Jarvis. Thurman was a phenomenal welterweight – one we didn’t quite see enough of. That victory wasn’t nearly enough to show that he’s back, but one over Tszyu might. 

Tszyu fights Joey Spencer on April 6. If Tsyzu’s still the fighter that he appeared to be until he shared the ring with Murtazaliev, he will win convincingly, and can be expected to fight Thurman after that. 

Following Ortiz Jnr’s recent impressive victory over Madrimov, he joined Murtazaliev and Madrimov in what I consider to be the division’s top three. He showed that night that he has the punch resistance and power to be a similar force at 154lbs to the one we saw at welterweight. 

If Fundora wins, a fight against any of those three would appeal.