Fundora-Spence does not happen, Fundora vs. Joey Spencer is possible

Errol Spence vs. WBC/WBO 154lb Champion Sebastian Fundora is now off. The two were supposed to fight on March 29, but the World Boxing Organization decided not to approve the contest.

Fundora (21-1-1, 13 KO) could face Joey Spencer (19-1, 13 KO) next. It is questionable whether the WBO will approve this fight as well, since Spencer is not ranked in the top 154 ​​at No. 154. Lance Pugmire has reported on the possibility of Fundora defending against Spencer. It’s not a great fight, but there’s not a lot of time to pick an opponent before March.

No Spence

It’s a good thing Spence won’t be challenging the 6’6″ Fundora for his two titles because he looked overwhelmed in his loss to Terence Crawford in his last fight on July 29, 2023. The last thing Spence needs now is to get beaten by the smaller and taller 26-year-old Fundora in He made his debut at the age of 154, after a long hiatus.

The reasons why the WBO did not approve the fight are as follows:

– Spence was laid off from work for 1.5 years
– Loss in the last battle
– Uncategorized at 154
– He has never fought in the junior middleweight category

In hindsight, the idea of ​​using Spence as an opponent for Fundora was crazy, given his loss to Crawford in his previous fight, being out for so long, and never fighting at 154.

He was completely undeserving of a title shot against Fundora, but you could say the same about Terence Crawford being unrated for a world title shot against WBA 154-pound champion Israel Madrimov last August. Fighting still happens even though Terrence has never fought and is 154 years old.

Fundora is not viewed by fans as a strong champion, given his performance in his last fight against Tim Tszyu and his loss to Brian Mendoza. Beating Tszyu is no big deal, as we saw in his recent third-round knockout loss to Bakram Murtazaliev on October 19.

The WBO will not penalize Fundora/Spence due to the latter being (1) inactive for 1 year and 5 months; (2) TKO loss in last match; (3) He is not ranked at 154 pounds, and 4) He has never fought at 154 pounds. To rule otherwise would be a disservice to the rest of the 154 world-ranked competitors. https://t.co/R2VgVXAi9V

– Gustavo Olivieri, Esq. (@OlivieriLaw) January 16, 2025