Notebook: 154 set to heat up, including with Fundora-Thurman
Ortiz-Lubin, others, also on tap; Norman, Top Rank extend deal; Dubois speaks on trainer change; Opetaia update; Chavez Jr. deported; Quick hits; Show and tell
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The junior middleweight division, perhaps the deepest weight class in boxing, is about to get awfully busy with four notable fights that are close to being finalized or are in the works.
Here is a look at the developments:
Fundora vs. Thurman
WBC titlist Sebastian Fundora, fresh off one-sided seventh-round knockout of former titlist Tim Tszyu in their July 19 rematch that served as the Manny Pacquiao-Mario Barrios co-feature, is finalizing a deal to make his third defense against former unified welterweight titlist Keith Thurman on Oct. 25. The fight would headline a Premier Boxing Champion on Prime Video pay-per-view card Oct. 25 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, multiple sources involved in the fight told Fight Freaks Unite.
Thurman (31-1, 23 KOs), 36, of Clearwater, Florida, ended a three-year layoff mainly due to injuries on March 12 by moving up in weight and scoring a one-sided third-round knockout of Brock Jarvis on his turf in Australia.
It was meant to help set up Thurman for a fight with Tszyu, but Tszyu instead invoked his rematch rights with Fundora (23-1-1, 15 KOs), 27, a southpaw from Coachella, California, and faced him instead last month, leaving Thurman looking for a fight.
It was Fundora who moved up from the undercard and replaced an injured Thurman, who tore his biceps and had surgery, on less than two weeks’ notice against Tszyu in a PBC main event in March 2024 in Las Vegas. Fundora won a split decision in memorable blood bath to take Tszyu’s WBO title, which he has since relinquished, and win the vacant WBC belt.
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Ortiz vs. Lubin
WBC interim titlist Vergil Ortiz Jr. and Erickson Lubin are finalizing a fight penciled in for Nov. 8 to headline a Golden Boy card on DAZN, possibly at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas, a home fight for Ortiz, who hails from nearby Grand Prairie, sources said.
Ortiz (23-0, 21 KOs), 27, would make his second interim defense, having won it by majority decision in a banger against Serheii Bohachuk in August 2024 and defended it for the first time by unanimous decision against former WBA titlist Israil Madrimov on Feb. 22 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Ortiz-Lubin came about when newly crowned WBO titlist Xander Zayas and Top Rank turned down an offer for the fight that was positioned as a pay-per-view.
Lubin (27-2, 19 KOs), 29, a southpaw from Orlando, Florida, stopped Ardreal Holmes Jr. in the 11th round on May 10 in an IBF title eliminator to become the mandatory challenger for Bakhram Murtazaliev.
The sides were in discussions but no deal was made and Lubin ultimately pulled out of a purse bid that had been scheduled for this past Tuesday. He had been offered a more lucrative fight with Ortiz and his promoter, ProBox, notified the IBF that he had signed for the Ortiz fight.
“We write to inform you that there has been a late-breaking development where Mr. Lubin has decided to not exercise his rights as the mandatory IBF title challenger and is formally withdrawing himself from the planned bout against Mr. Murtazaliev,” ProBox attorney Julian Levitt wrote to the IBF in a letter obtained by FFU. “He has signed a contract to fight Vergil Ortiz Jr. for the WBC interim title belt. We apologize for informing you at this late hour, but it was unavoidable. As such, please cancel the purse bid scheduled for August 19th, 2025.”
Murtazaliev vs. Kelly
With Lubin out, Murtazaliev promoter Main Events and Josh Kelly promoter Wasserman Boxing are in discussions for what would be the new mandatory defense as Kelly is next up in the IBF rankings.
The IBF issued the formal letter ordering the bout on Tuesday, but the sides had already begun discussions. They have 30 days, until Sept. 19, to make a deal or the IBF will schedule a purse bid.
Murtazaliev (23-0, 17 KOs), 32, of Russia, won the vacant title by 11th-round knockout of Jack Culcay on his turf in Germany in April 2024. He has made once defense, an overwhelming and shocking upset third-round destruction of Tszyu, who he dropped four times in October in Orlando, Florida.
Kelly (17-1-1, 9 KOs), 31, a 2016 Olympian from England, was offered a fall fight with Jaron “Boots” Ennis but it was to not his liking and was rejected. Kelly has won seven fights in a row since he got knocked down twice and suffered multiple cuts in a sixth-round knockout to David Avanesyan when Kelly’s corner threw in the towel in the February 2021 bout in London.
Bohachuk vs. Adams II
When Zuffa Boxing’s Dana White led off an Instagram Live on Wednesday and announced the preliminaries for the Canelo Alvarez-Terence Crawford card he is promoting on Sept. 13 (Netflix) at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, he led off with the final prelim — Serheii Bohachuk in a revenge fight against Brandon Adams.
They will meet in a 10-rounder contracted at 156 pounds.
“The first fight was a non-stop action fight,” Bohachuk promoter Tom Loeffler of 360 Promotions said. “The rematch is on a much bigger stage on the biggest boxing show in years.”
Bohachuk (26-2, 24 KOs), 30, a Los Angeles-based Ukraine native, is the WBC mandatory challenger and risking his position against Adams (25-4, 16 KOs), 36, of Whittier, California, who handled him his first defeat.
They met in March 2021 in Puerto Rico and Adams scored a knockdown in the eighth round. A wobbly Bohachuk beat the count and the referee stopped it. Adams, who outpointed Shane Mosley Jr. to win the fifth season of “The Contender” reality series in 2018, has been relatively inactive.
After beating Bohachuk, Adams did not fight for three years. He returned in 2024 and has fought three times, most recently a 10-round split decision loss to Andreas Katzourakis in November.
After the loss to Adams, Bohachuk won six fights in a row before losing the WBC interim title in his first defense by majority decision in a slugfest against Vergil Ortiz Jr., who he knocked down twice, last August. Bohachuk has won two fights since, most recently a unanimous decision over Mykal Fox in May.
Canelo-Crawford prelims
Besides Bohachuk-Adams II, White also announced the rest of the Alvarez-Crawford preliminary bouts, which will stream on the Netflix YouTube channel beginning at 5:30 p.m. ET.
In a 10-rounder, 6-foot-9 heavyweight Ivan Dychko (15-0, 14 KOs), 35, a two-time Olympian from Kazakhstan, will face Jermaine Franklin (23-2, 15 KOs), 31, of Saginaw, Michigan, who has won two low-level bouts since back-to-back decision losses to Dillian Whyte and Anthony Joshua.
Also on the prelims:
Japanese junior lightweight prospect Reito Tsutsumi (2-0, 1 KO), 22, who was an amateur standout, will face Javier Martinez (7-2, 4 KOs), 29, of Dallas, over six rounds.
Saudi Arabian junior welterweight Sultan Almohamed will make his pro debut against Martin Caraballo (0-0-1), 21, of Hollywood, Florida, in a four-rounder.
Light heavyweight Steven Nelson (20-1, 16 KOs), 37, of Omaha, Nebraska, a longtime member of Crawford’s team, will take on Raiko Santana (12-4, 6 KOs), 32, a Cuba native fighting out of El Paso, Texas, in a 10-rounder.
Super middleweight Marco Verde (2-0, 1 KO), 23, a southpaw, who was a 2024 Mexican Olympic silver medalist, will face an opponent to be determined in a six-rounder. He is managed by Eddy Reynoso, who is also Alvarez’s trainer and manager.
Norman, Top Rank extend
WBO welterweight titlist Brian Norman has signed “a multi-year contract extension” to remain with Top Rank, the company announced on Wednesday.
Norman (28-0, 22 KOs), 24, of Decatur, Georgia, is scheduled to make his third defense against former undisputed lightweight champion and former WBC junior welterweight titlist Devin Haney (32-0, 15 KOs), 26, of Las Vegas, on Nov. 22 (DAZN) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
“When I watch Brian Norman Jr., I think of all the legendary welterweights I’ve promoted,” said Top Rank chairman Bob Arum, who has promoted Sugar Ray Leonard, Thomas Hearns, Oscar De La Hoya, Floyd Mayweather, Manny Pacquiao and Donald Curry, among others. “He has the physical tools and maturity required to become a generational fighter. We are thrilled to be part of the next phase of Brian’s career, which I believe will see him ascend from world champion to the top of the pound-for-pound list.”
Norman originally signed with Top Rank in late 2022 and has had his past eight fights with the company, most recently a fifth-round knockout of Jin Sasaki on the road in Tokyo on June 19.
“I believe in loyalty,” Norman said. “Top Rank believed in me from the start, and I’m proud to keep building with the home team. We’re only getting started.”
Said Adrian Clark, who is part of Norman’s management team as CEO of Fighters First Management: “It has been a total team effort to get Brian Norman Jr. to where he is today. I must credit (trainer and father) Brian Norman Sr., (manager) Jolene Mizzone, and the Hall of Fame matchmakers Brad Goodman and Bruce Trampler. We are excited to continue our partnership with Top Rank.”
Dubois trainer change
It has been no secret that former IBF heavyweight titlist Daniel Dubois has made major changes to his team, including firing trainer Don Charles, in the wake of a one-sided fifth-round knockout loss to Oleksandr Usyk for the undisputed title in their July 19 rematch at London’s Wembley Stadium.
But on Tuesday, Dubois acknowledged for the first time moving on from Charles in a statement.
“I want to take this moment to thank Don Charles and his team for all the time, effort and hard work they’ve put into me over the past 18 months. I’m truly grateful for everything,” Dubois said. “That said, I feel it’s time for a change, a fresh approach for the next phase of my career, as I push forward to become a two-time heavyweight champion of the world. God bless. I’ll be making a further announcement regarding my new team structure very soon.”
While Dubois (22-3, 21 KOs), 27, of England, didn’t announce it yet, he will now be trained by Tony Sims. Dubois also saw assistant trainer Kieran Farrell leave his corner and recently signed with adviser Sam Jones.
Charles began working with Dubois before he was knocked out by Usyk in their first fight in August 2023. Then they won three fights together, knockouts of Jarrell Miller, Filip Hrgovic for the vacant IBF interim title, and Anthony Joshua by spectacular knockout in Dubois’ first defense after being elevated to full titleholder.
Opetaia mandatory
With no deal made between the camps of lineal/IBF cruiserweight champion Jai Opetaia and mandatory challenger Huseiyn Cinkara, the IBF has scheduled a purse bid for Aug. 26 at its offices in Springfield, New Jersey, and via video conference, though the sides could still make a deal up to 15 minutes before bids are unsealed at 12 p.m. ET.
If the bid takes place, Opetaia will be entitled to 65 percent of the winning offer and Cinkara 35 percent.
Opetaia (28-0, 22 KOs), 30, an Australian southpaw, and the little-known Cinkara (23-0, 19 KOs), 40, of Germany, who has faced extremely low-level opposition, were scheduled for the mandatory bout on Jan. 8 at Gold Coast Convention Centre in Broadbeach, Australia. However, Cinkara suffered an ankle injury in training and was replaced on three weeks’ notice by then-unbeaten 2020 Olympic bronze medalist David Nyika, of New Zealand, who Opetaia brutally knocked out in the fourth round.
Opetaia fought again on June 8, also at Gold Coast Convention Centre, and knocked out Claudio Squeo in the fifth round of a one-sided fight to retain the lineal title for the sixth time while defending the IBF belt for the third time in his second reign.
Cinkara returned from a year layoff and the injury to score a first-round knockout of Venezuela’s Juan Diaz on April 26 before the IBF re-ordered the mandatory.
Opetaia has been on the hunt for a three-belt unification fight with WBO/WBA titlist Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez but Ramirez is sidelined for the rest of the year after having recent shoulder surgery.
Quick hits
Junior middleweight Nikita Tszyu (11-0, 9 KOs), 27, of Australia, the son of Hall of Famer Kostya Tszyu and younger brother of former junior middleweight titlist Tim Tszyu, stopped Lulzim Ismaili (12-1, 7 KOs), 28, of Germany, in the main event of a No Limit Boxing card on Wednesday at ICC Exhibition Centre in Tszyu’s hometown of Sydney. Tszyu dropped Ismaili with a left hand about a minute into the fight and he retired on his stool following the first round of a scheduled 10 claiming a rib injury.
Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., 39, who had been in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody since being arrested on July 3, just days after his lopsided decision loss to Jake Paul in their cruiserweight fight in Anaheim, California, was deported to his home country of Mexico this week and jailed in Hermosillo. Chavez, the long-faded former middleweight titlist and son of the legendary Julio Cesar Chavez, is wanted in Mexico for alleged drug cartel ties. He was arrested in the U.S. for overstaying his visa and lying on a green card application.
As expected, the WBO on Tuesday ordered cruiserweight titlist Chris Billam-Smith (21-2, 13 KOs), 35, of England, and Roman Fress (23-1, 13 KOs), 31, of Germany, to meet for the interim title approved because WBO/WBA titlist Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez (48-1, 30 KOs) is sidelined several months following shoulder surgery late last month to repair an injury he suffered during a unanimous decision over mandatory challenger Yuniel Dorticos on June 28. The WBO notified Billam-Smith promoter Ben Shalom of Boxxer and Fress promoter Ulf Steinforth of SES and gave them 20 days to make a deal or a purse bid will be scheduled. Minimum offer is $300,000. Either side can request an immediate purse bid if they don’t want to negotiate. Billam-Smith has won his only bout since Ramirez outpointed him to win the WBO title in a unification bout in November. Fress has won eight fights in a row.
Overtime Boxing announced its next OTX card will take place on Sept. 20 (DAZN) at the Bayou Music Center in Houston. Junior welterweight Breyon Gorham (19-0, 15 KOs), 24, of Houston, will face Jose Vazquez (19-0, 3 KOs), 23 of Mexico, in the 10-round main event. In the co-feature, WBC women’s featherweight titlist Tiara Brown (19-0, 11 KOs), 37, of Lehigh Acres, Florida, will make her first defense against a challenger to be named. Brown won the title by upset split decision from Sky Nicolson on March 22 on Nicholson’s turf in Sydney, Australia.
Heavyweight Brandon Moore (18-1, 10 KOs), 31, of Lakeland, Florida, and DeAndre Savage (10-0, 10 KOs), 34, of Flint, Michigan, will meet in the 10-round main event of the “Big Time Boxing USA” card on Sept. 19 (DAZN) at the Fox Theater in Detroit, Salita Promotions announced. In the co-feature, Olivia Curry (7-2-1, 2 KOs), 35, of Chicago, and Kaye Scott (4-1, 0 KOs), 41, of Australia, will meet for the vacant WBC and WBA women’s middleweight titles.
Former WBO junior middleweight titlist Sadam Ali (27-3, 14 KOs), 36, of Brooklyn, New York, has an opponent now for his ring return: West Virginia club fighter Cody Wilson (14-5, 9 KOs), 31. They will meet in a 10-round junior middleweight bout in the main event of a card promoted by Ali’s World Kid Promotions on Aug. 31 (BXNGTV.com) at Wayne State Fieldhouse in Detroit. Ali has not boxed since an upset third-round knockout loss to Anthony Young in May 2019. He is best known for his biggest win, a 2017 decision over Hall of Famer Miguel Cotto in a massive upset to win the 154-pound title at New York’s Madison Square Garden and send Cotto into retirement.
Show and tell
Mike Tyson’s unanimous decision win over Donovan “Razor” Ruddock in their 1991 rematch was Tyson’s final fight before a four-year layoff. The reason for the inactivity was because Tyson was sentenced to prison on a rape conviction. When he came out of prison there was high anticipation for his return to the ring. He re-signed with promoter Don King, who planned Tyson’s massively hyped comeback against unknown club fighter Peter McNeeley, who talked a great game but couldn’t really fight much. But it was a huge event, drawing a crowd of 16,113 to the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas and selling 1.52 million pay-per-views on SET PPV (the original name for Showtime PPV) in the United States.
Tyson, as most expected, destroyed McNeeley. He dropped him twice in the first round before McNeeley’s manager, Vinny Vecchione, entered the ring to save his fighter, which forced referee Mills Lane to disqualify McNeeley, robbing Tyson of a sure knockout. The ballyhooed comeback fight lasted all of 89 seconds. The fight took place on Aug. 19, 1995 — 30 years ago (THIRTY!!!!!) on Tuesday. Here is a program in my collection.
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Photos: Dubois: Leigh Dawney/Queensberry; Opetaia: Tasman Fighters; Tszyu-Ismaili: No Limit Boxing
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I’m going to Vegas that weekend. My first time back in Vegas since Cinco de Mayo weekend 2005. That was memorable. I’m super excited for the Boxing Convention that same Saturday (midday). I’m (hopefully) finally going to get to meet Thomas Hearns, Barrera, Morales, and whomever else is scheduled. And I really do want to go the Canelo/Crawford card. But cavernous Allegiant (no overhead scoreboard either) and the outlandish ticket prices are giving me pause. There’s a Monday night football game that same weekend. And those tickets prices are only a quarter to half of the same seats for the fight. Make it make sense.
Has there ever been an interview of TR matchmaker Bruce Trampler by you and if so where can I find it, if not what a coup it would be to secure one going back to what I believe to be his start in Orlando in the 70’s up until today. What this guy doesn’t know about the sport could be written on the wing of a fly…it’d be great to probe his mind. 🥊🥊🥊