Sebastian Fundora, the new junior middleweight titleholder, must make a critical decision regarding his next fight. The WBO championship committee will meet next week to address Fundora's choice to fight former welterweight champion Errol Spence Jr. If Fundora wishes to proceed with the Spence bout, he will need to either relinquish his WBO belt or face the possibility of it being stripped.
An official familiar with the situation informed on Friday that Fundora is obligated to face unbeaten WBO "super" champion Terence Crawford next. Crawford is set to fight WBA junior middleweight titleholder Israil Madrimov on August 3 in Los Angeles. Should Fundora decline the mandatory fight against Crawford, the committee will convert Crawford-Madrimov into a WBO title bout.
Crawford stands to benefit significantly from this scenario. Winning the 154-pound belt would make him a four-division and unified champion, providing him the flexibility to pursue a high-profile bout with Saul "Canelo" Alvarez later in 2024 or early 2025 without losing his 154-pound title.
The official confirmed, "[Crawford] will be afforded that privilege."
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