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FIGHT WEEK
Rising star Tim Tszyu is scheduled to defend his 154-pound title against replacement opponent Sebastian Fundora on a busy weekend in boxing.
OSCAR VALDEZ (31-2, 23 KOs)VS. LIAM WILSON (13-2, 7 KOs)
Date: Friday, March 29
Time: 6:05 p.m. ET / 3:05 p.m. PT (main event later in show)
Where: Desert Diamond Arena, Glendale, Arizona
TV/Stream: ESPN+
Division: Junior lightweight (130 pounds)
At stake: No major titles
Pound-for-pound: None
Odds: Valdez 3½-1 favorite (average of multiple outlets)
Significance (up to five stars): ***
Also on the card: Yokasta Valle vs. Seniesa Estrada, strawweights (for Valle’s IBF, WBO and Estrada’s WBA, WBC titles); Raymond Muratalla vs. Xolisani Ndongeni, lightweights; Richard Torrez Jr. vs. Don Haynesworth, heavyweights
Background: Valdez is on the comeback trail once again. The former two-division titleholder from Mexico was outclassed by Shakur Stevenson in a 130-pound title-unification bout in 2022, losing a one-sided decision. He bounced back to outpoint Adam Lopez a year later. However, he suffered another wide-decision setback in an entertaining scrap against beltholder Emanuel Navarrete last August, which further damaged his reputation. Wilson, a former title challenger, is a clear underdog but no pushover. He put Navarrete down and hurt him before he was stopped himself in Round 9 of a competitive battle for a vacant 130-pound belt in February of last year. The resident of Queensland outpointed two second-tier opponents since the loss, including a unanimous, but close decision over countryman Jackson Jon England. Also on the March 29 card, Yokasta Valle (30-2, 9 KOs) and Seniesa Estrada (25-0, 9 KOs) will fight for the undisputed strawweight championship. They hold two belts apiece.
TIM TSZYU (24-0, 17 KOs) VS.SEBASTIAN FUNDORA (20-1-1, 13 KOs)
Date: Saturday, March 30
Time: 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT (main event later in show)
Where: T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas
TV/Stream: Pay-per-view ($69.99 in U.S.)
Division: Junior middleweight (154 pounds)
At stake: Tszyu’s WBO and vacant WBC titles
Pound-for-pound: None
Odds: Tszyu 4½-1 favorite (average of multiple outlets)
Significance (up to five stars): *****
Also on the card: Rolando Romero vs. Isaac Cruz, junior welterweights (for Romero’s title); Erislandy Lara vs. Michael Zerafa, middleweights (for Lara’s WBA title); Elijah Garcia vs. Kyrone Davis, middleweights; Julio Cesar Martinez vs. Angel Cordova, flyweights (for Martinez’s WBC title); Serhii Bohachuk vs. Brian Mendoza, junior middleweights
Background: Tszyu was scheduled to face veteran Keith Thurman but Thurman pulled out of the fight after injuring his biceps less than two weeks before the opening bell. Fundora, scheduled to fight Bohachuk on the card, agreed to step in and challenge Tszyu. The champion has established himself as an elite fighter with a series of impressive performances, including convincing victories over Terrell Gausha, Tony Harrison, Carlos Ocampo and Brian Mendoza in his last four fights. He was expected to fight then-undisputed champion Jermell Charlo last year but Charlo ended up challenging 168-pound champ Canelo Alvarez and was stripped of his WBO belt at the opening bell. That allowed Tszyu to be elevated from “interim” beltholder to full champion before the Mendoza fight. Fundora was fortunate to get a shot at Tszyu in light of the fact he’s coming off the first loss of his career, a seventh-round knockout against Mendoza in April of last year. The 6-foot-5½ slugger was winning the fight when he was stopped by a brutal three-punch combination. Fundora had given a series of strong performances before his setback, including a ninth-round stoppage of Erickson Lubin in 2022. Also on the card, veteran Erislandy Lara (29-3-3, 17 KOs) will defend his 160-pound title against Michael Zerafa (31-4, 19 KOs). Lara is 40 years old. And Julio Cesar Martinez (20-3, 15 KOs) will defend his 112-pound belt against Angel Cordova (18-0-1, 12 KOs).
ARSEN GOULAMIRIAN (27-0, 19 KOs)VS. GILBERTO RAMIREZ (45-1, 30 KOs)
Arsen Goulamirian (right) will be defending his 200-pound title for the fifth time against Gilberto Ramirez. Gerard Julien / AFP via Getty Images
Date: Friday, March 29
Time: 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT (main event later in show)
Where: YouTube Theater, Inglewood, California
TV/Stream: DAZN
Division: Cruiserweight (200 pounds)
At stake: Goulamirian’s WBA title
Pound-for-pound: None
Odds: Ramirez 2½-1 favorite (average of multiple outlets)
Significance (up to five stars): ****
Also on the card: Alexis Rocha vs. Fredrick Lawson, welterweights; Ricardo Sandoval vs. Luis Hernandez, flyweights; Santiago Dominguez vs. Jose Sanchez, welterweights; Kareem Hackett vs. Rowdy Montgomenry, light heavyweights
Background: Goulamirian will be defending his 200-pound title for the fifth time but has been unusually inactive over the past four-plus years, a period in which the California-based Frenchman has fought only once. He was out of the ring for three years between 2019 and 2022 because of illness (COVID 19) and other issues. He finally returned in November 2022, when he easily outpointed Aleksei Ergorov in France. The 36-year-old trains with Abel Sanchez in Big Bear, California. The well-connected Ramirez is getting his second title shot in three fights, having lost a one-sided decision to 175-pound champ Dmitry Bivol in 2022. He bounced back to outclass former beltholder Joe Smith Jr. in his 200-pound debut last October, winning a near-shutout decision. Ramirez is a former 168-pound titleholder.
YUDAI SHIGEOKA (9-2, 6 KOs)VS. MELVIN JERUSALEM (21-3, 12 KOs)
Date: Sunday, March 31
Time: 5 a.m. ET / 2 a.m. PT (main event later in show)
Where: International Conference Hall, Nagoya, Japan
TV/Stream: DAZN
Division: Strawweight (105 pounds)
At stake: Shigeoka’s WBC title
Pound-for-pound: None
Odds: Shigeoka 6-1 favorite (average of multiple outlets)
Significance (up to five stars): ****
Also on the card: Ginjiro Shigeoka vs. ArAr Andales, strawweights (for Shigeoka’s IBF title); Lerato Dlamani vs. Tomoki Kameda, featherweights; Riku Kunimoto vs. Eiki Kani, middleweights; Mark Dickinson vs. Anauel Ngamissengue, middleweights; Aaron McKenna vs. Jeovanny Estela, middleweights; Kieron Conway vs. Ainiwaer Yilixiati, middleweights
Background: The Shigeoka brothers – 26-year-old Yudai and 24-year-old Ginjiro – will both be defending their 105-pound titles in their home country. Yudai, an offense-minded fighter with power, got off to a slow start in his career – losing two of his first three fights – but he’s unbeaten in his next eight. That includes his convincing decision over then-titleholder Panya Pradabsri last October, giving Shigeoka his first major belt. His opponent on Sunday, Jerusalem, lost his own strawweight title to young star Oscar Collazo last May, getting stopped in seven rounds. The Filipino rebounded by outpointing journeyman Francis Jay Diaz last October in the Philippines. Ginjiro Shigeoka (10-0, 8 KOs) also is aggressive and has heavy hands. The younger Shigeoka’s first title shot ended in disappointment, when then-champ Daniel Valladares was cut by an accidental head butt and the fight was declared a no-contest in January of last year. However, two fights later, Shigeoka stopped the Mexican in five rounds to become a world champion. That fight took place in October. Shigeoka’s opponent on Sunday is ArAr Andales, a light-punching Filipino who is coming off back-to-back draws against Tsubasa Koura and Wilfredo Mendez in 2022 and in October, respectively. Andales (14-2-3, 6 KOs) has three draws in his last four fights.
ALSO FIGHTING THIS WEEK
WEDNESDAY
Joseph Adorno vs. Nicholas Walters, lightweights, Plant City, Florida (ProBox TV)
THURSDAY
Juan Carrillo vs. Quinton Rankin, light heavyweights, Detroit (DAZN)
FRIDAY
Elijah Pierce vs. Arthur Villanueva, bantamweights, Atlanta (DAZN)
SATURDAY
Luis Lopez vs. Jesus Resendiz, welterweights, Long Beach, California (Fubo Sports)
SUNDAY
Fabio Wardley vs. Frazer Clarke, heavyweights, London (Peacock)
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