Sebastian Fundora can now proceed with his planned voluntary defense.

However, who he plans to face may determine whether he manages to retain his WBO junior middleweight title.

The Ring confirmed that Fundora (21-1-1, 13 knockouts) has been conditionally cleared by the WBO for an optional defense. This ruling replaced the previously ordered fight to consolidate the title with Terence “Bud” Crawford (41-0, 31 KO). As previously reported by The Ring, both sides have agreed to part ways for at least one fight. Crawford’s concession allowed Fundora to face an opponent of his team’s choice.

One of the key conditions sanctioning the fight was that the contender must currently be ranked in the top 15.

Update enabled #FundoraCrawford “conversations”:
It said the WBO had accepted Fundora’s agreement to make a voluntary defense. However, there must be a match against a top-15 ranked opponent and the Spence fight will NOT be considered a defense of the WBO title.

— Jake Donovan (@JakeNDaBox) October 10, 2024

This would likely derail any targeted gameplay with Errol Spence Jr. (28-1, 22 KOs). Such a fight has been rumored since Fundora won a split decision over Tim Tszyu (24-1, 17 KO) on March 30 to capture the WBO and vacant WBC 154-pound titles. Spence joined Fundora in the ring to issue a personal challenge, which was verbally accepted by Fundora.

However, Spence has not fought since a lopsided ninth-round loss to Crawford on July 29 in Las Vegas. This feat allowed Crawford to win The Ring Championship and completely unify all alphabetical welterweight titles.

The long break, combined with his last victory in April 2022, forced Spence out of the WBO rankings. He is currently ranked first in the WBC junior middleweight rankings, which would allow him to fight for at least this title.

Fundora now faces being stripped of his WBO title if he agrees to fight Spence again. The request to face a Top 15 fighter was made directly to Fundora’s team by the WBO earlier this year.

The Fundora-Crawford fight was originally ordered as an extension of a conditional order made by the sanctioning body in March. It was agreed that Fundora would challenge Tszyu at brief notice. Fundora won her blood-soaked Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) March 30 Prime pay-perview by split decision. The victory also earned him the vacant WBC 154-pound title.

Crawford holds the WBA title and the WBO interim belt at 154.

Instead of fighting to unify the three lanes, Fundora and Crawford will go in different directions.

Since his victory over Spence, Crawford has only had one fight. This came in his 154-pound debut, when he defeated Israil Madrimov (10-1-1, 7 KO) on August 3 to win the WBA title and the vacant WBO interim belt.

Since then, no other fight has occupied the mind of the third-ranked fighter in terms of weight for pound except the super fight with Saul “Canelo” Alvarez (61-2-2, 39 KO).

For now, the interest remains unidirectional. Alvarez – the current RING, WBC, WBA and WBO super middleweight champion – had previously downplayed the fight when asked about it. For now, he is not involved in this or any other confrontation.

The Fundora-Spence fight is tentatively scheduled for the first quarter of 2025 if the fight continues.

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Marc Ramsey is pleased with the work ethic of his super middleweight fighter Christian Mbilla. The coach believes Mbilli’s progress has earned the player a positive reputation, which is reflected in the rankings.

The 29-year-old Mbilli, ranked No. 2 and No. 3 in the WBO and IBF rankings respectively, is fighting for the 168-pound title after an impressive 10-round unanimous decision victory over Sergiy Derevyanchenko last month in Quebec City, Canada.

Mbilli, a French Cameroonian fighter, has steadily risen to become one of the hottest fighters at 168 after recording wins over Rohan Murdock and Mark Heffron earlier this year.

According to Ramsey, unified lithe heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev, whom he also trains, has raised the level of training in the gym.

“I want [Beterbiev] focus on his own thing, but still influences the rest of the gym to follow his ethics in training and as a professional,” Ramsey told Pro Boxing Fans. “And now it’s Christian Mbilli’s turn to follow in his footsteps. A very dedicated warrior, very trainable and talented, robust and has many tools.

“Christian also became an example for fresh and future players. I have some fresh potential clients and they all admire Christian and Artur, which is the reputation this gym currently has.

The hard-hitting Mbilli is on track to be considered a future opponent by 168-pound superstar Saul “Canelo” Alvarez, who dominated Edgar Berlanga in a unanimous decision last month. The unified 168-pound champion is considering his options and could decide to fight the winner of Saturday’s undisputed 175-pound championship fight between Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol.

Asked if his fighter would consider fighting Alvarez next, Ramsey said promoters Top Rank need to decide what’s best for Mbilla.

“We don’t know yet,” Ramsey said. “Christian underwent minor surgery right after his last fight. He’s fine now, but the decision will be made by the promoters. If it is Canelo, we will be very joyful. But we don’t want to wait for Canelo.

“We want to keep pushing [Mbilli]work with him technically and tactically to be prepared when the phone rings. Boxing is always a matter of timing, but we have this project and we really believe that we will achieve the goal with them at some point without a doubt.

Call him Mr. Perfect. With a record of 20-0 and all 20 victories coming by knockout, Artur Beterbiev strikes fear into the hearts of his opponents, forcing those who share the ring with him to face the haunting question: is his power real and can I match it? resist ?

Every punch landed by Beterbiev should be treated as a potential KO punch. He is able to physically and mentally dismantle his enemies, leaving them bloody, battered and confused.

But Beterbiev, the WBC, IBF and WBO airy heavyweight champion who will face WBA champion Dmitry Bivol for the undisputed championship on Saturday (ESPN+, 6 p.m. ET), is more than just a punch; it is also a merciless technical predator bent on destruction. Beterbiev combines his strength and punching power with infinite willpower.

And Bivol is not just a intelligent boxer; he is an wise tactician, a true wizard in the ring and a technical master who continues to rise above the competition. I see him as a master swordsman, primarily moving in and out of range with ease and displaying a uncommon combination of precision, strength and strategic brilliance.

Let’s also take into account that Beterbiev’s return from a knee injury is a concern. Former middleweight champion Sergio Martinez and former junior middleweight champion Yuri Foreman suffered similar injuries that circumscribed their mobility.

Bivol and Beterbiev rely primarily on a high guard to defend themselves, which exposes their bodies. This can create an opportunity to hurt and weaken each of them. It will be captivating to see who exactly uses this strategy in hopes of destroying the other.

Let’s take a look at the Beterbiev-Bivol fight – who has the advantage and how the fight may go.