Even though the negotiations are still pending, Terence Crawford and Sebastian Fundora have started their war off-court.
With the Canelo Alvarez fight still in the air for Crawford, the WBA and Interim WBO light middleweight champion decided to switch his attention to the WBO and WBC light middleweight champion, Fundora. The WBO, in late August, ordered a WBO title fight between Crawford and Fundora. Both sides were given a 30-day period to negotiate the fight, with a purse bid looming if they fail to reach an agreement by the deadline.
The minimum bid for this fight was set at $200,000, with Crawford expected to receive a favorable share due to his “Super Champion” status. Since the two parties have yet to reach a deal, a few days ago, the WBO gave them a 10-day extension to reach a deal. If the parties fail to strike a deal, the bout will go to a purse bid, with the fight potentially happening by the end of the year. But before that could even happen, the duo found themselves in a heated argument online, exchanging words, as neither of them wanted to appear as backing out.
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Talksport editor Michael Benson took to X to reveal an excerpt of a conversation that Crawford had with YouTuber Bernie Tha Boxer regarding Sebastian Fundora. According to Bud, the much-awaited fight is still on the table for him. “That’s a fight on the table,” stated Crawford in a defensive tone. However, The Nebraska resident was aware of his struggle against Israil Madrimov and how lackluster he looked in that fight but warned the 6’6 boxer to not take that fight as a reference.
Terence Crawford on Sebastian Fundora: “That's a fight on the table… If Fundora's licking his chops over my performance vs Israil Madrimov, then I should be licking my chops because Madrimov knocked Fundora out in sparring. That's what I heard.” [Bernie Tha Boxer]
— Michael Benson (@MichaelBensonn) October 2, 2024
Crawford had a challenging outing against the former champion from Uzbekistan and it might have been his toughest fight in recent years. According to CompuBox stats, Madrimov’s defense was so solid that Bud threw 158 more punches than his opponent, but only connected with 11 more. And on the other hand, Madrimov threw 10 more power punches than Crawford.
After that, Terence Crawford brought up the rumored sparring session between Fundora and Madrimov to make a shocking claim. “If Fundora’s licking his chops over my performance vs Israil Madrimov, then I should be licking my chops because Madrimov knocked Fundora out in sparring. That’s what I heard,” stated Crawford. Despite the claim from Bud, there exists no confirmed report of the knockout.
So naturally, the Towering Inferno refused to take the disrespect lying down as he quickly shot back with a cryptic message on his Instagram story, sparking the feud even more.
The California resident took to his Instagram Story and replied with a few lines from Ed Sheeran’s Song, ‘Tenerife Sea’. Fundora noted, “We are surrounded by all of these lies And people that talk too much,” insinuating that the claims made by Crawford are “lies” and that Bud is now talking too much.
If the matchup between the two happens, it will be quite exciting to watch Bud Standing figure out an opponent of Fundora’s size and stature. Standing at 6’6 feet, he has an unreal reach and is a natural junior middleweight. It gives him a big power and size advantage over other opponents in the same division.
On the other hand, with a lean physique and normal height, while spending most of his career at 147lbs, it might prove too much for Crawford to figure out. So, fighting against Sebastian Fundora might be tricky for the 37-year-old. There is also the chance that once he takes the Fundora fight, he may have to kiss the Canelo fight goodbye for a while.
