Sebastian Fundora vs Josh Kelly in early unification talk

Eddie Hearn confirms initial contact with Fundora side

Sebastian Fundora and Josh Kelly are in early discussions for a potential unification fight, promoter Eddie Hearn said.

Hearn confirmed that contact has been made with Fundora’s side regarding a possible matchup at junior middleweight.

“We’ve had very, very early conversations with PBC about that,” Hearn said to iFL TV.
“They’re very interested, and I said let’s make Josh Kelly against Fundora and then the winner fights the winner of Boots for the undisputed.”

The talks remain at a preliminary stage, and no agreement has been reached.

Kelly is expected to return in a separate bout later this year, while the Fundora fight is being discussed as a possible next step. Hearn said the matchup could connect with other title fights in the division if it moves forward.

“I mean that would be a very natural thing to do,” Hearn said. “Let’s get these fights made. Let’s make an undisputed champion.”

If this fight happens, the location will likely be a battle between Las Vegas and Newcastle.

Josh Kelly is a massive draw at the Utilita Arena in Newcastle. For Eddie Hearn, a guaranteed sell-out crowd in the UK provides a “floor” for the event’s revenue.

Fundora’s promoter, Al Haymon, and PBC almost exclusively stage their major title fights in the U.S., primarily in Las Vegas.

Fundora recently headlined at the MGM Grand against Keith Thurman, and while he isn’t a “needle-mover” on his own yet, he is a staple of Vegas. The likely “middle ground” would be wherever the most site-fee money comes from, but given Hearn’s desire to build Kelly into a superstar, he will push hard for the UK.

If Fundora’s team (promoter Sampson Lewkowicz) sees a bigger payday in Newcastle than what PBC can offer at a half-full Vegas theater, Fundora might find himself on a plane.

The IBF title win over Bakhram Murtazaliev on January 31st was a perfect example of the Kelly Formula. To survive the late rounds, Kelly uses lateral movement to stay out of range. He resets the “clock” by landing 3-4 flashy punches in the final 30 seconds of a round. It’s a stall and burst” strategy:

In a hometown environment like Newcastle, those 30-second bursts are met with deafening roars from the crowd. Judges are human; they can be influenced by the “noise-to-action” ratio.

If Fundora is plodding forward and landing heavy but singular shots while Kelly is dancing and landing flurries, Fundora could easily find himself down on the cards despite being the effective aggressor.

Unlike Murtazaliev, who is a traditional stalker, Fundora is a high-volume nightmare. It is very hard to stall against a guy who throws 80+ punches a round from a 6’6″ frame. Even if Kelly moves, Fundora’s reach allows him to touch Kelly while Kelly thinks he is safe.

If this lands in the UK, Fundora’s only real insurance policy against a hometown decision is his power. As we saw against Thurman, he doesn’t just want to outpoint you; he wants to break you down.