LAS VEGAS – As is often the case with big-time boxing, talk turns to the next big boxing night before the nearest one is already complete.

Not long after Keith Thurman withdrew against Tim Tszyu ahead of this weekend’s fight at the T-Mobile in Las Vegas on Saturday (March 30) than Sebastian Fundora was upgraded from the undercard and talk began to center around what might happen for the winner, specifically Tszyu, in his next steps to conquer America.

The WBO announced that pound-for-pounder and welterweight king Terence Crawford would be in line to face the victor, should the Omaha star opt to box at super welterweight, and that is a marquee fight that Tszyu’s No Limits team would not hesitate to accept.

With a tricky assignment ahead of him on Saturday night against the 6ft 5 1/2in southpaw Fundora, there are some apprehensive faces in the Australian press pack, but George Rose, of No Limits, admits it is hard not to be enthusiastic about his fighter being mentioned in the same breath as the brilliant Crawford.

“Very excited. Very excited,” Rose said, of a possible fight with the Nebraskan genius. “We’re big fans of what Crawford does as a fighter, he’s brilliant. He’s pound for pound champ for a reason, and it’s a great challenge.”

Would Tszyu be ready, if all goes well on Saturday, to go straight in against Crawford?

“I think it’s a timing thing for Tim,” Rose added. “Tim doesn’t like to sit around and wait for fights, so if there’s nothing happening in the next few months, he’ll be straight back in the ring again. He’ll be defending these two belts he wins on Saturday.”

Tszyu, who defends his WBO title and fights for WBC recognition on Saturday – is hoping to make a splash against the late replacement. He’s talked of not wanting just to be in the best fight of the night, or even a fight of the year, but a historic battle that is watched over and over by future generations.

Tszyu is universally respected within the sport, and he has a country behind him, too. Despite fielding their share of divisive boxers over the years – think Jeff Fenech (when he was active), Danny Green and Anthony Mundine – Tszyu, 29, has only served to unite on his way to being unbeaten in 24 fights with 17 stoppage victories.

“He’s the king of Australian boxing,” Rose added. “What he does back there, the vibe, the atmosphere that he builds around boxing in Australia, Tim Tszyu is the face of Australian boxing and he has been for a number of years. The fact that we haven’t been able to come across to the States until just recently, it’s something we were looking at doing just before Covid, but things happen and it gave Tim a chance to keep building in Australia.”

It is Tszyu’s courageous and somewhat bullish nature that has endeared him to fans. He could have sat in a top spot and waited for a title chance, but he stayed active and kept learning against good fighters. He could have rejected Fundora, but he kept the show alive and simply promised to batter a very different opponent instead. No matter. 

“Tim’s a guy who never backs down, he will take any fight anytime, and he fights regularly,” Rose said, of how Tim has cultivated his reputation. “He stays in the spotlight. He stays in front of people. Tim fights three or four times a year. Now I know that’s not something champions usually do, but for Tim, he’s not a guy to sit around and look at his belts in the house. He’s a guy who wants to get out there, defend his belts, win more, take big fights, take the opportunities, because you can’t do this forever, unfortunately. So he’s going to make the most of it while he’s a young man.”

Plenty have understandably heaped praise on Fundora for taking the fight, having had a camp preparing further down the bill against Serhii Bohachuk, but Tszyu deserves his credit, too, for taking on a fight against a very different shape and type of fighter. For Rose, he said it’s all in a day’s work for fearless Tszyu.

“You ask any man in the world if they’d take Sebastian Fundora on with 12 days’ notice, any man in the world,” Rose smiled, proudly. “I don’t care who you are, you’re not prepared for a guy that is a foot taller than you, that is a southpaw, that’s completely different than you’ve prepared for… That’s a fight that you need 12 weeks or 12 months to prepare for. He [Fundora]’s an anomaly in the super welterweight-junior middleweight division, but Tim’s turned it around, 12 days’ notice, he’s now got to fight a guy who no one else would take on in that time.”

But for Rose, there is no doubt about how Saturday plays out. It plays out he same way as if Tszyu faces any of the other big names at 154, according to the promoter.

“Look, I absolutely believe that Tim can beat any man. I absolutely believe that,” Rose said. “I believe that he’s the best in the division, and any opportunity that presents itself I always know for a fact that they will always take it – and I’ll always support him 100 per cent.”