American WBC & WBO super welterweight champion Sebastian Fundora will continue to hold onto the WBO title after the sanctioning body analyzed the extent of his injury, but will be mandated to face the future WBO interim champion who will be decided in the near future. Fundora has also been confirmed to be out for roughly five months according to a confidential medical report, with the month of September acknowledged as the earliest date at which he can start training.

Sebastian Fundora (21-1-1, 13 KO’s) suffered a nose injury during his March 30th bout against Tim Tszyu (24-1 , 17 KO’s), leaving him incapable of defending his WBO title against the WBO 154 lbs mandatory challenger Terence Crawford (40-0, 31 KO’s) within the expected time period. While Fundora’s manager, Sampson Lewkowicz, had asserted earlier this month that Sebastian Fundora would be out until at least September, his assumption that Tszyu would be Fundora’s next opponent will likely not pass as the WBO has decided he will need to face the WBO interim champion upon his return.

Aside from needing to face the WBO interim champion to hold on to his title upon his return from injury, Fundora must also fight no later than December 31st this year or face being stripped. If Sebastian Fundora can not compete by December 31st, he will definitively forfeit his WBO title―regardless of the circumstances that would leave him unable to defend his title.

As of now, there is not yet a WBO interim champion at super welterweight/junior middleweight, but WBA champion Israil Madrimov (10-0-1, 7 KO’s) and Terence Crawford are reportedly set to fight on August 3rd in Los Angeles, and both Madrimov’s WBA title and the vacant WBO interim title are therefore expected to be on the line for their 154 lbs title fight.

The WBO’s decision makes it possible Fundora will fight the winner of the rumored Madrimov-Crawford fight in November or December, setting up the means for another unification bout to occur with Fundora’s WBC 154 lbs title expected to be defended.