Injury Cancels Fundora vs Thurman Card

Fundora of Coachella, California (23-1-1, 15 KOs) wanted a third fight in 2025. Thurman, though past his prime, is a former champion and would put a significant name on “The Towering Inferno’s” resume.

Thurman of Clearwater, Florida (36-1, 23 KOs) has long wanted another title opportunity, but he’s run into a hell of a string of bad luck. Starting in March 2024, Thurman was forced out of a WBC title fight with champion Tim Tszyu due to an injury. He was replaced by Fundora, who scored a slight upset with the win.

Thurman managed to schedule a fight in Australia a year later, and knocked out prospect Brock Jarvis. Tszyu, who had since notched a win over Joey Spencer, was sitting ringside. There was plenty of talk about getting the Tszyu vs Thurman matchup back on the calendar.

Instead, Tszyu took a rematch with Fundora and lost in a worse beating than he did in the first fight, setting up the original matchup between Fundora and Thurman. Got all that?

Cue the Conspiracy Theories

Before running down the inevitable speculation in the absence of details, sometimes an injury is just an injury. Fundora has never backed out of a fight or ducked an opponent. He’s always been willing to step in and step up, even at short notice as he did with Tszyu. It’s simply not in the Fundora family ethos. Undispited champion and his sister Gabriela Fundora would likely take him to the woodshed if she thought he was being a sissy.

Nevertheless, one theory for the cancellation is that Fundora was becoming increasingly concerned that Thurman would present more of a challenge and had a good chance of beating Fundora. See the previous paragraph. I’m not buying this one. Fundora could have easily moved on from Thurman instead of circling back with no harm done.

The next theory involved the business aspect of the sport. Did Premier Boxing Champions encourage Fundora to step aside because ticket sales were poor? Or in a similar vein, that it’s running short on the 2025 budget, and by pushing the entire card into 2026 would end in the year in far better fiscal shape?

We recommend you find something else to get worked up about, like whether Gennadiy Golovkin belongs in the International Boxing Hall of Fame. Swap one Big Drama Show for another,

PBC can now turn its attention to the December 6 card headlined by Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz and Lamont Roach, Jr. in San Antonio. The undercard is shaping up nicely with a title unification between middleweights Janibek Alimkhanuly and Erislandy Lara. There may be a few slots available for matchups on the undercard fighters left high and dry in training camp two weeks before they expected a payday on October 25.

Foster vs Fulton Also Cancelled, Will Be Rescheduled

The co-main event between WBC World Junior Lightweight champion O’Shaquie Foster and featherweight champion Stephen Fulton will also be rescheduled for a later date, although it’s not clear whether PBC will find another card for this fight or bundle it when Fundora vs Thurman is resurrected.

It is the second time that Foster-Fulton will be rescheduled after they were initially linked to fight in August on a proposed Gervonta Davis vs. Lamont Roach fight that never materialized.

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