Sebastian Fundora vs Brian Mendoza reportedly set for April 8th on Showtime

With Jermell Charlo out of commission for the immediate future, the super welterweight elite are looking to stay busy. While Tim Tszyu battles Tony Harrison for the interim WBO title in March, Dan Rafael reports that interim WBC champ Sebastian Fundora will headline an April 8th Showtime card opposite Brian Mendoza.

It is, to put it frankly, not as appealing as Tszyu vs. Harrison. That said, Mendoza (21-2, 15 KO) is riding the most significant momentum of his career after stepping up on short notice to demolish Jeison Rosario last November. He’s tough, he can punch, and he’s never been stopped; he should make for a fun scrap with the all-action “Towering Inferno” (20-0-1, 13 KO), last seen winning a competitive clash with Carlos Ocampo in October.

Odds are that Mendoza will be far from the last “stay busy” opponent Fundora faces before getting his deserved shot at gold. IBF mandatory Bakhram Murtazaliev is almost certainly next in line after the Tszyu-Harrison winner and it’s unclear where ostensible WBA mandatory Israil Madrimov sits in the queue after that debacle with Michel Soro. Charlo has fought once per year since 2020, and PBC’s bizarre decision to schedule the Tszyu fight for early 2023 proves that it’s not just due to injury to himself and others.

Whatever the case, at least we’ll get to see Fundora back in action soon.