Will Keith Thurman score the upset over Sebastian Fundora?

This highly anticipated junior middleweight world title clash is sure to be an exciting, crowd-pleasing fight. The action will take place on Saturday night, March 28 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Keith Thurman made his pro debut in November 2007 when he scored a first round TKO victory over Kensky Rodney. Thurman would go on to become a champion, scoring back-to-back wins against elite competition.

In June 2016, Thurman successfully defended his WBA title against Shawn Porter, winning by unanimous decision. Nine months later, Thurman became a unified champion when he beat Danny Garcia by split decision.

Thurman was destined for superstardom, but unfortunately his career was derailed by multiple injuries. Following his March 2017 win over Danny Garcia, Thurman underwent surgery to remove bone spurs from his right elbow.

The following year, while preparing for a fight, Thurman suffered an injury to his left hand. Keith Thurman was set to return to the ring for a high-profile fight in July 2019, but unfortunately for Thurman, he lost to Manny Pacquiao via split decision.

After the Pacquiao fight, Thurman suffered another left hand injury that required surgery. After a two and a half year layoff, Thurman returned to action when he defeated Mario Barrios.
After the Barrios fight, Thurman would experience another long layoff.

After a three-year hiatus, Thurman traveled to Sydney, Australia and stopped Brock Jarvis in the third round.

Now the 37-year-old Keith “One Time” Thurman (31-1, 23 KOs) will face a very difficult challenge. Due to his age, injuries and multiple inactivity, Thurman enters this world title match as the underdog.

The 28-year-old defending champion Sebastian Fundora is obviously younger; he is a high volume puncher and has significant height and reach advantages. However, underdog Keith Thurman does have a path to victory.

To set up his offense, Keith Thurman will need to use lateral movement, footwork and angles. With a long southpaw like Fundora, Thurman will target the chest, the shoulders, or any body part accessible as it relates to the land of a legal strike.

Thurman will also look to connect with the overhand right and his dangerous left hook. Thurman has a high in-ring IQ, and that will help him keep Fundora off balance and make the necessary in-ring adjustments.

Thurman’s offensive prowess and his punching power give him a good chance to score the upset. Another reason why Keith Thurman is very capable of pulling off the upset is because of Sebastian Fundora’s lack of defense.

In April 2023, Brian Mendoza stopped Sebastian Fundora in the seventh round. A year earlier, Erickson Lubin lost the fight, but he was able to stop Fundora in the seventh round when he landed a flurry of heavy punches.

In a few of Fundora’s key wins, both Tim Tszyu and Erickson Lubin were able to hit Fundora with clean shots on multiple occasions. If Keith Thurman is offered the same opportunities, it could be lights out for Sebastian Fundora.

On Saturday night, March 28th, the Fundora vs Thurman PBC main event airs live on Prime Video PPV. The question is, will Father Time make an unwanted appearance, or will Keith “One Time” Thurman deliver a vintage performance and have another shining moment?