Sebastian Fundora Vs. Chordale Booker expects March

WBC and WBO junior middleweight champion Sebastian Fundora has finalized a fight 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 KOs), but he's been out for 10 months with an injury and his attempts to set up fights against Errol Spence Jr. and Joey Spencer have fallen through. He was going to fight one of those two, but was rejected by the World Boxing Organization.

Strategic choice

The 33-year-old Booker (23-1, 11 KOs) has operated under the radar of most fans throughout his nine-year pro career. He rose to world class against Austin 'Ammo' 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 solid win to shake off the rust, but it's clearly not a fight that will interest boxing fans. I don't think he'll care about that. The important thing is to keep his seat belts on.

Few people have heard of Booker because he fights lesser opposition and obviously did poorly when he tried to go up against top level fighters in his first round loss to Ammo Williams.

Chordale Booker's last six wins:

– Brian Damayan Chavez (14-6, 5 KOs)
– Greg Vendetti (23-6-1, 12 KOs)
– Julio de Jesus Rodriguez (27-8, 24 KOs)
– Nicolas Hernandez (28-8-3, 12 KOs)
– Daniel Aduku (15-7-1, 11 KOs)
– Angel Hernandez (17-18-3, 11 KOs)

There are many contenders that Fundora could have fought in the top 10 that would have been more attractive but would have been risky.

If Fundora hopes to hold onto his titles long enough for a big money fight against Terence Crawford or one of the other fighters, a defense against the likes of Booker makes sense. Fundora can play it safe to milk both titles long enough for Turki Al-Sheikh to pay him a fortune to fight whoever he chooses on one of his shows.

Top 10 WBO Contenders

1. Xander Zayas
2. Charles Conwell
3. Josh Kelly
4. Jorge Garcia Perez
5. Chordale Booker
6. Ardreal Holmes
7. Israil Madrimov
8. Sergey Bokhachuk
9. Nikita Tsiu
10. Jesus Ramos

Unified junior middleweight champion Sebastian Fundora and Chordale Booker are finalizing a March fight in Las Vegas, sources told ESPN. The fight is expected to be broadcast on Prime Video.

Booker has won six straight since a first-round knockout loss to Amo Williams in 2022.

— Mike Coppinger (@MikeCoppinger) January 22, 2025