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Sebastian Fundora claimed the WBC and WBO junior middleweight titles last March by defeating Tim Tszyu, sparking interest from a line of contenders eager to challenge the newly crowned unified 154-pound champion.
Among those vying for a shot at the title are Tszyu, who is seeking a rematch, and boxing stars Terence Crawford and Errol Spence Jr.
However, one unexpected name has entered the mix—junior welterweight Ryan Garcia. Garcia made headlines with his recent victory over WBC 140-pound titleholder Devin Haney, despite weighing in over the agreed limit. Garcia secured the win with a majority decision, dropping Haney three times in the process.
Despite Garcia's impressive performance, Fundora appears unfazed by the prospect of facing him. Drawing a comparison to when welterweight champion Kell Brook moved up two weight divisions to fight Gennady Golovkin, Fundora emphasized the weight disparity, noting that Garcia is coming up from 140 pounds to 154 pounds.
"He's not in my weight class," Fundora stated in an interview. "We will see if he really does come up to 154. If he doesn't, it's all good, I don't care."
Adding to the intrigue, Garcia has recently faced allegations of testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs in two tests conducted before his bout with Haney. Garcia has vehemently denied the claims, taking to social media to assert his innocence and demanding that his B sample be tested.
Fundora, echoing the sentiments of many, expressed hope that the allegations against Garcia are false.
"I hope it's not true," Fundora remarked. "Because that was a good win for him. But if it is, that's very disappointing. He proved a lot of people wrong, so to hear something like that—it's not good."