Sebastian Fundora’s promoter: ‘The age is starting to hit (Terence Crawford)’

New unified junior-middleweight champion Sebastian Fundora is doing anything but avoiding new four-division champion Terence Crawford following Crawford’s Saturday night World Boxing Association victory over Israil Madrimov.

“It is clear that Crawford is not the same as he was,” Fundora promoter Sampson Lewkowicz told BoxingScene Sunday morning following the bout that the 36-year-old Crawford (41-0, 31 KOs) won by claiming the final two rounds on all three judges’ scorecards.

California’s Fundora (21-1-1, 13 KOs) captured the World Boxing Council and World Boxing Organization junior-middleweight belts March 30 in Las Vegas with victory over Australia’s Tium Tszyu in a bloody affair during which Tszyu suffered a grisly head cut when he banged into Fundora’s elbow early in the bout and then Fundora suffered a badly bleeding nose.

The WBO previously stated that “super” champion Crawford has the right to fight for Fundora’s belt next, with a “mandatory letter” to begin negotiations expected imminently by Lewkowicz. The WBO previously stated they wanted the fight to occur by year’s end.

While there were previous talks to stage a Fundora bout against three-belt welterweight champion Errol Spence Jr. – they met in the ring following the Tszyu fight and both fight under the Premier Boxing Champions banner – it also appears Crawford could pursue options other than Fundora.

Not only would Crawford prefer to take what would certainly be the most lucrative fight of his career against fellow four-division champion and elite pound-for-pound member Canelo Alvarez with Saudi Arabia power broker Turki Alalshikh’s backing, Alalshikh also Saturday mentioned the idea of Crawford fighting unbeaten Vergil Ortiz (21-0, 21 KOs) should Ortiz capture the WBC interim belt from Serhii Bohachuk Saturday at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas.

“(Crawford) looked small against Madrimov,” Lewkowicz said of the 154-pound bout, so to consider a move to 168 pounds against the dominant champion “would be a joke.”

So Fundora will wait for what Crawford and Alalshikh want to do, Lewkowicz said.

“We will comply with the mandatory if everything is legit. Sebastian is the unified champion and he wants to remain the unified champion,” Lewkowicz said.

“If Turki demands Crawford fight Ortiz next, we have no problem with that. We can have other plans, although we have not negotiated with Spence or anyone else. Go to Ortiz and fight for the interim title and then you can fight us for (a three-belt) unification.”

When it was suggested to Lewkowicz that a schedule like that would be favorable to Fundora because of his better odds to defeat Spence, who was beaten down by Crawford by ninth-round TKO last year and hasn’t fought since, Lewkowicz responded, “We will win both” fights against Spence and Crawford.

“The age is starting to hit (Crawford),” said Lewkowicz. “He said he would fight Canelo next if the price is right. Well, this is not a TV (game) show. I don’t think a fight with Canelo would be successful … very few would buy the pay-per-view.”

Lewkowicz said he scored Saturday’s fight a draw and could’ve given the bout to Madrimov, 115-113, while the official judges had it 116-112, 115-113, 115-113 for Crawford.

“We are now waiting on Crawford and his new promoter, the Saudis,” Lewkowicz said. “I will negotiate whatever is best for my boxer. I will not interfere or go against the will of his majesty, Turki Alalshikh.

“Whatever he decides is good for boxing. But I noticed he never mentioned Fundora.”