Notebook: Zayas officially Fundora's mandatory, summer bout on deck
Kambosos looks ahead to Hitchins title shot; Hall of Fame writer Colin Hart dies; former lightweight titlist Bramble dies; Ricky Cobb show appearance; Quick hits; Show and tell
A note to Fight Freaks Unite readers: I created Fight Freaks Unite in January 2021 and eight months later it also became available for paid subscriptions for additional content — and as a way to help keep this newsletter going and for readers to support independent journalism. If you haven’t upgraded to a paid subscription please consider it. If you have already, I truly appreciate it! Also, consider a gift subscription for the Fight Freak in your life.
After WBO president Gustavo Olivieri said Friday he would recommend to the organization’s championship committee that No. 1-ranked Xander Zayas be appointed junior middleweight mandatory challenger, the committee voted to do so on Monday to nobody’s surprise.
It puts Zayas in position as the next challenger this summer against WBO/WBC titlist Sebastian Fundora, who returned from a one-year layoff and knocked out Chordale Booker in the fourth round to retain the belts in his first defense in the PBC on Prime card on Saturday night at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas.
“Congratulations, Fundora,” Zayas posted to social media after Fundora’s victory. “See you in the summer.”
On Monday, Zayas spoke about the formal appointment as the next challenger for Fundora (22-1-1, 14 KOs), 27, a southpaw from Coachella, California.