Notebook: Fundora back in action for first defense against Booker

Reynoso no longer training Teofimo Lopez, Ryan Garcia; Crawford done at 154; Baumgardner signs with MVP; Quick hits; Show and tell

Dan Rafael

Mar 22, 2025

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While members of Fundora’s camp said he had a badly broken nose and said it was one of the reasons for his extended layoff, Fundora said that was not the case.

“All right, now it’s time to clear some things up,” Fundora told Fight Freaks Unite. “There was no broken nose. I didn’t have to go to no hospital for anything to be fixed. Nothing. I went home. I rested maybe a week, and my nose was back to normal. The swelling was just from the fight itself. But it was a good experience though. It was a great night, a great night for me, for the family.”

Regardless of whatever was going on with Fundora’s nose, another reason for the extended layoff was because he, his team and PBC were waiting on former unified welterweight titlist Errol Spence Jr., who was in the ring after the Tszyu fight as he and Fundora began to talk up their seemingly inevitable showdown.

While various dates were penciled in, Spence had his own injury issues, as well as a search for a new trainer and the bout it did not come to fruition. Rather than continue to wait on Spence, the decision was made that Fundora would move on to Booker and potentially revisit Spence as a summer opponent if he beats Booker.

Fundora (21-1-1, 13 KOs), 27, of Coachella, California, said he remained in the gym throughout the layoff, often working with younger sister Gabriela Fundora, who became the undisputed women’s flyweight champion in her 2024 female fighter of the year campaign.

“I’ve been working the whole time since my last fight,” Fundora said. “We’ve been waiting for this and we’ll be ready for whatever Booker comes with. It’s going to take the best Sebastian Fundora to win this fight. Booker is a top contender in this division, so it’s up to me to figure out how I want to win this fight and then go in there and do it.”

Booker (23-1, 11 KOs), 33, of Stamford, Connecticut, has won six fights in a row since suffering a stunning first-round knockout loss to Austin “Ammo” Williams in April 2022, although that fight was at middleweight not Booker’s more natural junior middleweight. Still, Booker enters the fight as a prohibitive underdog, which he gets.

“I truly am super grateful for this opportunity, but I’m not just happy to be here, I’m coming to win,” Booker said. “There’s no pressure on me. The only pressure is the pressure I put on myself. I want to bring this back home for myself and my community.”

He acknowledged how complicated it was to prepare for the 6-foot-6 “Towering Inferno” Fundora, a fellow southpaw with a massive nine-inch height advantage.

“It’s tough to prepare for Fundora’s height because he has a unique style and unique height,” Booker said. “You can’t find somebody at his weight who’s his height. But I made sure I got the best work possible to be prepared. If there were more guys like Fundora, they’d be world champions.”

There are also two 10-round bouts to round out the tripleheader:

Junior middleweight contender Jesus Ramos Jr. (22-1, 18 KOs), 24, a southpaw from Casa Grande, Arizona, will face Guido Emmanuel Schramm (16-3-2, 9 KOs), 29, a Los Angeles-based Argentina native, in the co-feature. Schramm took the bout on less than two weeks’ notice after Kevin Salgado withdrew.
Middleweight Elijah Garcia (16-1, 13 KOs), 21, a southpaw from Phoenix, who was a heavily touted prospect before an upset 10-round split decision loss in his last fight to Kyrone Davis in June, will face two-time world title challenger Terrell Gausha (24-4-1, 12 KOs), 37, a 2012 U.S. Olympian fighting out of Encino, California.

Reynoso splits with Teofimo, Ryan

Late last year, lineal/WBO junior welterweight champion Teofimo Lopez worked out a deal to have trainer Eddy Reynoso join his father, Teofimo Lopez Sr., in the corner, but they won’t even make it to one fight together.

When Lopez (21-1, 13 KOs) makes his third title defense against Arnold Barboza Jr. (32-0, 11 KOs) on Turki Alalshikh’s Ring magazine-branded card on May 2 (DAZN PPV) in New York’s Times Square, Reynoso will be in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, working with his star pupil, unified super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez, who faces IBF titlist William Scull on May 3 for the undisputed title.

Reynoso also will not be working with welterweight Ryan Garcia, as originally planned. He headlines the May 2 card against Rolando Romero.

Lopez said this week on Shawn Porter’s “The PorterWay Podcast” that he won’t be training with Reynoso for the fight even before he leaves for Riyadh with Alvarez. Then Lopez told Punsh Drunk Boxing that he was hurt by the split.

“It could be a lot of things,” Lopez said. “Maybe just the time frame. Eddy Reynoso didn't really speak to my father. He just went through our team (to let us know). I don't know if we did something wrong or they are just focused on themselves. Maybe they felt that a fighter like myself who is elite, they need more time. It doesn't make sense.

“Whatever the case may be, we love them. We appreciate them. This won’t be the end of our story with them. They are just in tunnel vision right now. Am I disappointed about it? Yeah, I am. … It hurts though. That shit hurt. I’m going to be real with y’all. It hurts a little bit because I care. I love Canelo and the team, I do.”

Reynoso told Fight Freaks Unite on Thursday that indeed he will not be working with Lopez as planned or Garcia, who is being trained in San Diego by his father, Henry Garcia.

Reynoso, Alvarez and new pupil Jaime Mungia, who will seek to avenge a stunning upset knockout loss to super middleweight Bruno Surace in the Alvarez-Scull co-feature, are training in Lake Tahoe. Reynoso also has two other fighters on the May 2 card: middleweight Marco Verde, a 2024 Mexican Olympian he manages, who is making his pro debut, and Cuban light heavyweight prospect Brayan Leon, who he trains.

“The reason why I couldn't work with Ryan or Teofimo is because I like to focus 100 percent on my boxers and their dates and my other boxers are close together and it's impossible to schedule a conscientious camp,” Reynoso said. “I couldn’t be in their corner that day and for me it’s difficult and unprofessional to work that way.

“Besides, I need 10 weeks for a camp and with Teo it would be difficult since I would only be with him for three weeks since I’m going to Riyadh three weeks before with Saul and Jaime. Ryan, for his part, is working hard in San Diego with his father for this fight.”

Crawford to vacate interim belt

Pound-for-pound star Terence Crawford has notified the WBO that he intends to vacate the organization’s interim junior middleweight title, WBO president Gustavo Olivieri announced on Friday.

“We have confirmed Terence Crawford will not return to the 154-pound division and will relinquish his interim WBO title upon the official announcement of Canelo-Crawford. Therefore, his mandatory challenger status is moot,” Olivieri said, referencing a planned fight between unified super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez and Crawford on Sept. 13 in Las Vegas, assuming Alvarez defeats William Scull in their undisputed title fight on May 3.

Crawford (41-0, 31 KOs), 37, of Omaha, Nebraska, a former lightweight titlist and the former undisputed junior welterweight and welterweight champion, still holds the WBA junior middleweight title. He took the WBA belt by close decision against Israel Madrimov in August and also won the vacant WBO interim belt in the same fight.

There has been no announcement regarding the status of his WBA world title.

Olivieri said he would recommend to the WBO championship committee that Xander Zayas, who is ranked No. 1 by the WBO at 154 pounds, be designated the mandatory challenger.

If Zayas (21-0, 13 KOs), 22, a Puerto Rican fighting out of Sunrise, Florida, is given the status, the winner of the fight between WBO titlist Sebastian Fundora and Chordale Booker, who fight Saturday night, would be obligated to defend against Zayas within 120 days after their bout.

YouTube shows

I joined my friends this week on the Boxing Social and Boxing News YouTube channels to discuss a variety of topics, including TKO’s new boxing promotion; the Gervonta Davis-Lamont Roach rematch and Davis’ talks with Jake Paul; the Times Square card; Katie Taylor-Amanda Serrano III; Nick Ball’s win over TJ Doheny; the prospect of Ball facing Naoya Inoue; Canelo’s Riyadh Season deal; who should Oleksandr Usyk face, Joseph Parker or Daniel Dubois; Chris Eubank Jr.-Conor Benn; and more. Check out the videos here:

MVP signs Baumgardner

Jake Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions, which has been at the forefront of promoting women’s boxing in recent years, announced it has signed undisputed women’s junior lightweight champion Alycia Baumgardner to a promotional deal.

Although her first fight with the company was not announced it is likely to take place on the Katie Taylor-Amanda Serrano III card on July 11 (Netflix) at New York’s Madison Square Garden.

Baumgardner (15-1, 7 KOs), 30, of Detroit, lines up as a likely future opponent for the Taylor-Serrano III winner.

“I’ve always believed in betting on myself, and signing with MVP is the next big move in that journey,” Baumgardner said. “MVP has proven they’re leaders in women’s boxing, creating the biggest opportunities for fighters like me to shine. This partnership is a natural fit, not just for my career but for the impact we’re making on the sport. The future just got even bigger.”

Baumgardner is coming off a fourth-round no contest to retain the title against WBC mandatory challenger Delfine Persoon last September in Atlanta. That bout, her fifth overall defense, marked the expiration of her promotional deal with Matchroom Boxing. It was her first fight in 14 months since testing positive for a banned substance following a unanimous decision over Christina Linardatou in a July 2023 defense in Detroit.

“MVP is strategically building a roster of fighters who deliver the W both inside and outside the ring, and we are thrilled to welcome Alycia to the family as our newest women’s world champion,” MVP co-founders Paul and Nakisa Bidarian said in a joint statement announcing the signing. “Alycia is a one of the premier athletes in combat sports and signing her is a meaningful accomplishment for our promotion. We look forward to Alyicia’s MVP debut and are actively evaluating the right timing and event for her return to the ring.”

BetUS Boxing Show

If you missed the BetUS Boxing Show live at 1 p.m. ET on Friday on YouTube, please check out the replay (and also subscribe to the YouTube channel). We previewed and picked two Saturday main events: Sebastian Fundora’s WBC/WBO junior middleweight title defense against Chordale Booker on the PBC on Prime Video card and former unified lightweight champion George Kambosos Jr.’s move up to junior welterweight to face short-notice opponent Jake Wyllie on the Matchroom Boxing show. We also took viewer questions and comments and discussed the latest boxing news! Please check out the show here:

Quick hits

Jesus Ramos Jr. (left) and Guido Emmanuel Schramm

Weights from Las Vegas for the PBC on Prime Video card on Saturday (8 p.m. ET): Sebastian Fundora 152.8 pounds, Chordale Booker 152.6 (for Fundora’s WBC/WBO junior middleweight title); Jesus Ramos Jr. 155.8, Guido Emmanuel Schramm 154.6; Elijah Garcia 159.6, Terrell Gausha 160.2; Freudis Rojas 150, Maurice Lee 150.4; Alberto Mora 127.4, Viktor Slavinskyi 127.6; Robert Guerrero Jr. 133, Sean Armas 132.6; Brayan Gonzalez 121.8, Justin Marquez 121.2; Alexis De la Cerda 123.2, Sharone Carter 123.6; Joseph Brown 154, Ezequiel Duran 155.4; Jursly Vargas 135.4, Uhlices Avelino-Reyes 133.2.

Days after middleweight contender Austin “Ammo” Williams (18-1, 12 KOs), 28, a southpaw from Houston, outpointed Patrice Volny last Saturday, the IBF on Wednesday ordered Williams to face Etinosa Oliha (21-0, 9 KOs), 26, of Italy, in a final elimination bout for the right to challenge unified titlist Janibek Alimkhanuly, who first defends his belts against Anauel Ngamissengue on April 5. Williams promoter Matchroom Boxing and Oliha promoter Agon Sports have until April 3 to make a deal or a purse bid will be scheduled. Oliha, who is No. 2 in the IBF rankings, is entitled to 75 percent of the money and No. 9 Williams 25 percent if it goes to a purse bid.

The IBF has scheduled an April 1 purse bid for a fight between women’s super middleweight champion Savannah Marshall (13-1, 10 KOs), 33, of England, and mandatory challenger Melinda Watpool (7-1, 2 KOs), 35, of Canada. Marshall has not boxed since outpointing Franchon Crews-Dezurn to become the undisputed champion in July 2023 but has since had other belts stripped from her.

Unified women’s welterweight champion Lauren Price (9-0, 2 KOs), 30, of Wales, who was a 2020 Olympic gold medalist, has signed a multi-year contract extension with Boxxer, the company announced. The move comes two weeks after Price routed Natasha Jonas in their three-belt title unification fight on March 7 in London. She next hopes for an undisputed fight against the winner of the rematch between WBO titlist Mikaela Mayer and Sandy Ryan, who fight on March 29 in Las Vegas. “When I turned pro after winning Olympic gold, I knew I wanted to do something special in the sport,” Price said. “To be a unified champion in just my ninth fight is a great achievement, but I want all the belts. I believe I’m the best in the division and I want the winner of Mikaela Mayer and Sandy Ryan next.”

Heavyweight contender Michael Hunter (24-1-2, 17 KOs), 36, of Las Vegas, will face Christopher Lovejoy (20-1-1, 20 KOs), 41, of Los Angeles, in an eight-rounder atop a Showtime Boxing Promotions card on April 19 (streaming live at WBCBoxing.com) at Thunder Studios in Long Beach, California. “I’m coming into this fight with a knockout mentality,” Hunter said. “Lovejoy is tough, but I’m levels above him, and I’ll prove it.” Hunter is in line for a shot at the WBA “regular” title. Kubrat Pulev has been ordered to make a mandatory defense of the secondary belt against Fabio Wardley. The winner, or Pulev if there is a draw, is obligated to face Hunter (assuming he wins) by Oct. 25.

Fast-rising Cleveland lightweight Abdullah Mason (17-0, 15 KOs), who turn 21 on fight day and is one of boxing’s top prospects, has a new opponent in Mexican southpaw Carlos Ornelas (28-4, 15 KOs), 30, for a 10-rounder on the undercard of the heavyweight fight between Richard Torrez Jr. and Guido Vianello on April 5 (ESPN+) at Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, Top Rank announced. Mason was set to face Chicago southpaw Giovanni Cabrera but he withdrew due to an injury. Ornelas has won three fights in a row since a 10-round decision loss to undefeated Rafael Espinoza, who now holds the WBO featherweight title.

Cruiserweight Pat Brown, 25, a 2024 British Olympian, has a new opponent in Frederico Javier Grandone (7-4-2, 3 KOs), 33, of Argentina, for his six-round professional debut on March 28 (DAZN). Brown was supposed to fight Vladimir Reznicek (15-6-2, 6 KOs), 36, of the Czech Republic, before his withdrawal. Brown-Grandone will headline a Matchroom Boxing NXTGEN prospect card at Planet Ice in Altrincham, England, which is on the outskirts of Brown’s hometown of Manchester.

Show and tell

The prime Manny Pacquiao was a virtually unstoppable force who ran roughshod over one future Hall of Famer after another as he moved up the scale from featherweight to junior middleweight to win titles in six of his record eight weight classes. He beat Erik Morales twice, Marco Antonio Barrera twice, Juan Manuel Marquez (OK, not roughshod in either of his two wins, a draw and loss in their magnificent four-fight series), David Diaz, Oscar De La Hoya, Ricky Hatton, Miguel Cotto, Joshua Clottey, Antonio Margarito and Shane Mosley. But the one guy who had one glorious night against Pacquiao and handed him a clear decision loss in a fantastic fight just before Pacquiao’s historic run was Morales in Pacquiao’s first fight at junior lightweight.

It would be the last big win of Hall of Famer Morales’ great career. Pacquiao would knock him out in their second and third fights, but going into their first bout, Morales was coming off a very close and debatable majority decision loss to rival Barrera in their trilogy fight and Pacquiao was the favorite. However, Morales summoned all the guile, heart and firepower he could muster and narrowly outpointed Pacquiao in a fight of the year contender, winning 115-113 on all three scorecards at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. This was supposed to be my first fight at ringside after I left USA Today to begin working at ESPN. However, I got quite ill a few days beforehand and missed the fight. I missed a great one and watched on HBO PPV. I may not have been ringside for the bout, which took place on March 19, 2005 — 20 years ago on Thursday — but I do have a program and an extremely rare site duratran poster (possibly one of a kind) that hung in a light box at the MGM Grand during fight week in my collection.