WBC and WBO junior middleweight champion Sebastian Fundora puts the finishing touches on his bout against #5 Chordale Booker for March on PBC on Prime Video in Las Vegas.
It's an odd choice for Fundora (21-1-1, 13 KO), but he's been out of the ring for 10 months, recovering from injury, and his attempts to set up fights against Errol Spence Jr. and Joey Spencer have failed. . He was going to fight one of these two but was rejected by the World Boxing Organization.
Strategic choice
The 33-year-old Booker (23-1, 11 KO) has been operating under the radar of most fans throughout his nine-year career. He went up against Austin “Amo” Williams and was knocked out in the first round on April 30, 2022.
Since then, Booker has returned to fighting lower level opposition and has won his last six fights against obscure opposition. It's perfect for Fundora to give him a surefire win to shake off the rust, but it's clearly not a fight that will excite boxing fans. I don't think he'll care about that. Sticking to his belt is important.
Few people had heard of Booker because he was fighting lesser opposition, and he clearly performed poorly when trying to take on top-tier fighters in his first-round loss to Ammunition Williams.
Cordal Booker's last six wins:
– Brian Damian Chavez (14-6, 5 KOs)
– Greg Venditti (23-6-1, 12 KO)
– Julio de Jesus Rodriguez (27-8, 24 KO)
– Nicolas Hernandez (28-8-3, 12 KO)
– Daniel Adoko (15-7-1, 11 KOs)
– Angel Hernandez (17-18-3, 11 KO)
There are several contenders that Fundora could have fought for the top ten that would have been more attractive, but would have been a risk.
If Fundora hopes to hold onto his titles long enough to land a big-money fight against Terence Crawford or one of the other fighters, defending against the likes of Booker makes sense. Fundora could hold both titles long enough for Turki Al Sheikh to pay him a fortune to fight on one of his shows against whoever he chooses.
Top 10 WBO contenders
1. Xander Zayas
2. Charles Conwell
3. Josh Kelly
4. Jorge Garcia Pérez
5. Churdell Poker
6. Ariel Holmes
7. Israel Madrimov
8. Serhiy Bohachuk
9. Nikita Tszyu
10. Jesus Ramos
Junior middleweight champions Sebastian Fundora and Chordell Booker are putting the finishing touches on a March fight in Las Vegas, sources told ESPN. The fight is expected to be broadcast on Prime Video.
Booker has won six straight fights since a first-round loss to Ammo Williams in 2022.
– Mike Coppinger (@MikeCoppinger) January 22, 2025
