For the second time in two weeks, boxing’s deepest division will be on full display this weekend when former 154-pound titleholder and Australian star Tim Tszyu makes his comeback from a disastrous 2024.
Tszyu (24-2, 17 KOs), the son of Hall-of-Famer and former unified 140-pound king Kostya Tszyu, entered last year alongside Terence Crawford as the favorites to take over the junior middleweight division. A nasty cut, however, caused by an elbow against late replacement Sebastian Fundora played a key role in Tszyu’s first pro defeat in March 2024 when he dropped a bloody split decision before being brutally stopped in his next fight against IBF titleholder Bakhram Murtazaliev in October.
On Saturday (PBC on Prime Video, 8 p.m. ET), the 30-year-old Tszyu returns on home soil in Newcastle, Australia, when he faces Joey Spencer (19-1, 11 KOs) in a 10-round headlining bout from the Newcastle Entertainment Centre.
The fight takes place just two weeks after Fundora, the division’s unified champion, returned for the first time since the Tszyu bout by defending his WBC and WBO titles against heavy underdog Chordale Booker in a fourth-round TKO. Rising prospect Jesus Ramos Jr. stayed busy in the co-main event by scoring his second victory in two months.
With so much depth within this red-hot division, it’s time to take a closer look at the major players involved to try and pinpoint which 154-pound fighter has the best shot to one day emerge from the pack and unify all four titles to become the division’s first undisputed champion since Jermell Charlo was stripped of his titles in early 2024.
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The Champions
Sebastian Fundora (22-1-1, 14 KOs), age 27, WBC/WBO unified titleholder
“The Towering Inferno” provides consistent entertainment as an all-action fighter who often gives away the advantages that come with his unique 6-foot-6 frame and incredible 80-inch reach. He also bounced back nicely from his lone pro defeat, a devastating knockout to Brian Mendoza in 2023, and showed a good mixture of heart and adaptability to outbox Tszyu in their bloodbath. Fundora is likely headed next to a mandatory WBO title defense against unbeaten Xander Zayas.
Pros: Great chin, stamina and willingness to endure what it takes to win. He’s also, as evidenced against Booker, slowly evolving his ability to mix boxing with brawling and also controlling opponents from range with his long jab.
Cons: Gets hit too cleanly and consistently for someone with his size and reach. He looked like he was headed toward a one-sided loss against Tszyu before his accidental elbow opened up the nasty cut.
Undisputed odds: Decent
Terence Crawford (41-0, 31 KOs), age 37, WBA titleholder
The pound-for-pound stalwart and future Hall of Famer relied on his experience and IQ to outbox a determined Israil Madrimov in his junior middleweight debut to claim a world title in a fourth weight division via close decision. While it was assumed due to his age that Crawford would be done at 154 pounds now that he’s preparing for a teased September superfight at 168 pounds against unified champion Canelo Alvarez, “Bud” recently stated the plans on returning to junior middleweight whether wins or loses against Alvarez to chase yet another undisputed crown.
Pros: Even at his advanced age, the former undisputed champion at 140 and 147 has no peer within the division when it comes to craft, athleticism and overall talent.
Cons: Crawford had trouble adjusting to Madrimov’s awkward style of feints and movement. His power at 154 pounds also lacked the same impact it had between 135 and 147 pounds. He’s also not getting any younger.
Undisputed odds: Strong (provided he returns to the division and doesn’t take career-altering damage against Alvarez)
Bakhram Murtazaliev (23-0, 17 KOs), age 32, IBF titleholder
The native of Russia might be the least known of the elite boxers atop the division but his three-round dismantling of Tszyu showcased just how dangerous he can be as a technical boxer with power.
Pros: Promoted by Main Events, Murtazaliev can make a fight with anyone in the division from a promotional and network standpoint. He’s also super confident and determined, which was evidenced by his 2024 title win over Jack Culcay in Germany when Murtazaliev took the fight despite training during Ramadan and not being in his best fighting shape.
Cons: His one-sided performance against Tszyu remains a bit of an anomaly compared to his performances in prior fights against lesser competition. He will need to prove that a performance as strong as that is sustainable and not the result of Tszyu having imploded.
Undisputed odds: Fair (but we need to see more)
The Top Contenders
Vergil Ortiz Jr. (23-0, 21 KOs), age 27
What a difference two years and a move up in weight made for the native of Dallas. In 2022, Ortiz was considered a future welterweight champion in the making and one of the sport’s most promising prospects. But injuries and unexplained illnesses sidelined Ortiz for nearly two years and threatened his career. Last year, however, he returned as a junior middleweight and is now riding a four-fight win streak at 154 pounds, which includes him outlasting Serhii Bohachuk in their epic war last August before scoring an eye-opening decision win over Madrimov in February.
Pros: Ortiz is a two-fisted puncher who is just as comfortable hurting his opponents to the body on the inside as he is varying his attack and outworking them from distance. He also showed the type of IQ, adjustments and mid-range game against Madrimov that few thought he possessed.
Cons: Now that he’s finally fully healthy, there really aren’t that many for Ortiz, save for the two knockdowns he suffered against Bohachuk in his disputed win via majority decision.
Undisputed odds: Increasingly strong
Israil Madrimov (10-2-1, 7 KOs), age 30
The shifty Uzbek is riding a two-fight losing skid against top competition despite the fact that he gave Crawford all he could handle in losing his WBO title last August.
Pros: A master of awkward footwork patterns and constant feints, Madrimov can often freeze his opponents and lower their output. He’s also an unorthodox power puncher who can land looping shots from unexpected angles.
Cons: Although he credited the flat performance against Ortiz to an illness that he stubbornly pushed through and refused to pull out, Madrimov still doesn’t throw enough meaningful punches between all those feints, which is likely what cost him against Crawford.
Undisputed odds: Moderate
Serhii Bohachuk (25-2, 24 KOs), age 29
The native of Ukraine lost an opportunity to redeem himself after the disputed loss to Ortiz when Madrimov pulled out of their scheduled fight with an injury (amid speculation that Madrimov was really preserving himself for Ortiz). Bohachuk responded to a 2021 knockout loss to Brandon Adams by recording six straight wins, including five by knockout (and a wide decision win over Mendoza). And neither Bohachuk, nor promoter Tom Loeffler, have forgotten the results of the Ortiz fight, which they still think they clearly won.
Pros: With power in both hands and a willingness to come forward throughout, the confident Bohachuk is a potential problem for anyone in the division.
Cons: The KO loss to Adams came when Bohachuk was widely ahead on all three scorecards in the final rounds. He also proved unable to separate himself from Ortiz, even with the two knockdowns, in their thrilling duel.
Undisputed odds: Unlikely, but not out of the question
Tim Tszyu (24-2, 17 KOs), age 30
With wins over Terrell Gausha, Tony Harrison and Mendoza entering 2024, “The Soul Taker” was once seen as a rising star in the sport. Most of that disappeared quickly following a pair of surprising defeats last year. Although there is heavy pressure on Tszyu this weekend to redeem himself and stem the tide, there’s an argument to be made that the presence of his father at ringside against Murtazaliev for the first time since his pro debut (as the two look to continue to mend their once estranged relationship) played a bigger mental role than people realized. That’s not an excuse for the defeat but it’s still understandable.
Pros: When he commits to working off the jab and going to the body with heavy hooks, Tszyu brings both elite skill and determination to the table.
Cons: The Gausha and Murtazaliev fights are both clear evidence that Tszyu has trouble committing to game plans in favor of hitting the switch into what he calls “Terminator mode” far too early. He had both no head movement or game plan against Murtazaliev and repeatedly walked into the same punches with reckless abandon. He also took a ton of damage in those two defeats.
Undisputed odds: Way down but not completely out given his pedigree
Jesus Ramos Jr. (23-1, 19 KOs), age 24
In what could turn out to be a blessing in disguise, Ramos rebounded from his highly disputed decision loss to Erickson Lubin in 2023 by upping his output and urgency to record a trio of knockouts over the past year.
Pros: Not only is he big and long for the division, Ramos is still developing at a rapid pace and can vary his attack nicely between grinding on the inside to the body, landing missile left hands from mid-range or boxing from the outside.
Cons: Despite wins over Mendoza, Spencer and faded former unified champion Jeison Rosario, Ramos could likely use a bit more experience at the elite level before fighting for his first title. But he’s close.
Undisputed odds: Trending upward
Aging Names
Jermell Charlo (35-2-1, 19 KOs, age 34
The former undisputed king has been surprisingly idle since a one-sided decision loss at 168 pounds to Alvarez in 2023. In fact, Charlo hasn’t fought at 154 pounds since May 2022 when he knocked out Brian Castano in their rematch (following a controversial draw) to claim all four belts.
Pros: Charlo is still young enough to make one more run and has shared his intentions to do so on social media amid rumors of a possible June return.
Cons: Not only has Charlo fought just once over the past three years, he was largely lifeless in his loss to Alvarez and seemed content to go the distance without risking a stoppage defeat.
Undisputed odds: Unlikely
Errol Spence Jr. (28-1, 22 KOs), age 35
The former unified welterweight champion hasn’t fought since a devastating ninth-round TKO against Crawford in 2023. Rumors of a 2024 comeback fight against Fundora were also shelved after Spence wasn’t ready (and wasn’t deemed a suitable title challenger in his 154-pound debut). In addition, he has yet to find a new trainer after longtime chief second Derrick James sued Spence over a payment disagreement stemming from the Crawford fight.
Pros: A longtime, decorated champion with a resume of big wins over elite welterweights, Spence has long been seen as a fighter with enough size, power and skill to be a prospect for future success at both 154 and 160 pounds.
Cons: There are many of them. Not only age, inactivity and concerns for his fighting future after the beating he took from Crawford, it’s still unknown how much the two car accidents he was involved in at the peak of his prime robbed from his elite skills. The jury is also still out as to whether Spence will, indeed, return (let alone whether he should).
Undisputed odds: Not good
Keith Thurman (31-1, 23 KOs), age 36
The former two-time welterweight king, known as “One Time,” has fought exactly that many times since 2022. Thurman was initially scheduled to fight Tszyu last March until an injury opened the door for Fundora to slide in late. Last month, Thurman triumphantly returned in Australia to knock out journeyman Brock Jarvis and remains a strong candidate to fight Tszyu in July should the Australian defeat Spencer.
Pros: Thurman proved against Jarvis that he still has good power and foot speed as he begins a comeback at 154 pounds.
Cons: Injuries have been a constant theme throughout the second half of his career as Thurman has fought just twice in the past six years and has endured layoffs of at least two years on three separate occasions since 2017.
Undisputed odds: Very low
The Future
Xander Zayas (21-0, 13 KOs), age 22
The future could be now as the native of Puerto Rico is the mandatory for Fundora’s WBO title and is expected to face him this summer.
Pros: Zayas has a good mixture of speed, footwork and IQ. He also appears to be fearless in his attack and actively wants to fight the best in the world despite being so young.
Cons: Some believe he gets hit too often for being such a hyped prospect and that his power might not be elite. He has also yet to fight anyone on Fundora’s level.
Undisputed odds: Too early to tell
Yoenis Tellez (10-0, 7 KOs), age 24
As part of the new generation of aggressive Cuban fighters, “El Bandolero” has turned a few heads of late as he continues to be matched decently tough by PBC despite just 10 pro bouts. A wide decision win over former unified champion Julian Williams in March showcased just how talented Tellez appears to be.
Pros: A balanced boxer/puncher, Tellez has shown very good power early on and a ton of poise for such a young fighter. He has also fought better competition of late than some of his young contemporaries, including Zayas.
Cons: Not a whole lot to speak of as of yet but time will tell.
Undisputed odds: Like Zayas, it’s too early but it’s trending upward
Wild Cards
Erickson Lubin (26-2, 18 KOs), age 29
After forgoing the Olympic path to turn pro right out of high school, Lubin has been part of the extended title picture at 154 pounds for what feels like a very long time. A pair of wins in 2023 over Luis Arias and Ramos appeared to have Lubin on the verge of another title shot until he took off all of last year to deal with personal issues and rejuvenate his motivation. Lubin returns in May to face unbeaten Ardreal Holmes Jr. in what could be his final step back up to the top.
Pros: A good athlete with impressive power in his left hand, “The Hammer” has also proven to be willing to mix it up and go for it, as evidenced by him co-authoring 2022’s fight of the year against Fundora.
Cons: Durability has always been a concern as Lubin has been stopped twice in title bouts (Charlo, Fundora) despite owning a handful of quality wins against respected contenders.
Undisputed odds: Low to mid
Charles Conwell (21-0, 16 KOs), age 27
A 2016 U.S. Olympian who fights out of Cleveland, the only thing Conwell has lacked thus far in his eight years as a pro is the right promotional push to lift him into meaningful fights.
Pros: As a boxer/puncher with good power, Conwell has long had all of the skills to be a future contender atop the division.
Cons: He still remains largely untested against top 10 foes and sat out two years beginning in 2022 before returning to score a trio of wins last year against less competition.
Undisputed odds: Low
Callum Walsh (13-0, 11 KOs), age 24
Nicknamed “The King,” the native of Ireland has a lot going for him between his trainer (HOFer Freddie Roach), his promoter (Loeffler) and his deep-pocketed adviser (UFC CEO Dana White). And even though he might not be “the top prospect in all of boxing,” as he was proclaimed during a recent appearance in the crowd on WWE’s “SmackDown,” Walsh remains an intriguing prospect who could see himself become a huge part of the new boxing league that TKO, which owns WWE and UFC, has brazenly announced, alongside the bankroll of Saudi Arabia and Turki Alalshikh.
Pros: With good size for the weight class, the southpaw Walsh is developing a decent highlight reel of knockouts. He’s also incredibly poised and not afraid of the spotlight for someone so young.
Cons: Critics have seemed to take joy in picking apart his resume as, despite the strong hype surrounding him and his already proven ability to sell tickets, we have yet to see how good he really is against a dangerous name or veteran contender within the division.
Undisputed odds: Inconclusive
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