Nearly 16 months after Sebastian Fundora and Tim Tszyu delivered a Fight of the Year contender, they’re set to do battle again.

Fundora and Tszyu will rematch on July 19 in the co-feature of Manny Pacquiao vs Mario Barrios at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. This time, Fundora enters the bout with the WBC junior middleweight title that he won from Tszyu after defeating him by split decision.

The weight of the rematch isn’t lost on Tszyu, and the opportunity to avenge the first defeat of his professional career has fueled the former unified champion as he prepares.

“I intend to pick back where I started,” Tszyu said. “I know Fundora is one hell of a fighter, one hell of a champion, the current king, I believe, at 154 [pounds], but it's my turn to reclaim the throne. We're going to give the fans a real great treat.”

Tszyu, 30, and Fundora, 27, first met on March 30, 2024, as the latter stepped in as a late-replacement opponent on 12 days' notice for former unified welterweight champion Keith Thurman Jr., who withdrew with a biceps injury. Tszyu (25-2, 18 KOs) was off to a hot start in the first two rounds, but as the second round neared its conclusion, the top of his head clashed with Fundora’s elbow.

The Australian suffered a nasty gash and was a bloody mess for the duration of the fight. Tszyu and Fundora (22-1-1, 14 KOs) were covered in blood as the rounds passed and the fight turned into something more fit for a horror movie than a title bout. “The Towering Inferno” found his stride as he and Tszyu went back and forth for the remainder of the fight.

Ultimately, the 6-foot-5 junior middleweight did enough to earn the win and take the WBC and WBO junior middleweight titles from Tszyu.

“I felt him,” Tszyu said. “I felt like things were going according to plan. I can't go back and relive it, but I have to put on what I put on before.”

“I've had 10 weeks to actually prepare for this style, which is a blessing,” he added. “Knowing that you have Fundora in two weeks is quite hard from swapping opponents, but look, that's no excuse. [I want to] work out a certain game plan, work on the mistakes that were previously done before and then get the job done this time.”

Since they fought, Fundora has made one title defense, defeating Chordale Booker by fourth-round stoppage on March 22. Fundora vacated the WBO title after his win over Booker, opting for the rematch vs Tszyu rather than facing mandatory challenger Xander Zayas.

Tszyu made another bid for a title when he faced undefeated IBF junior middleweight champion Bakhram Murtazaliev on Oct. 19, but suffered a devastating third-round stoppage loss after being knocked down four times. Tszyu rebounded nicely on April 5 when he defeated Joey Spencer by fourth-round stoppage on home soil.

Now, Fundora's and Tszyu’s paths will cross again. For Tszyu, the rematch is about more than just an opportunity to win back his title. It’s about avenging the first blemish on his record and reasserting himself in a loaded 154-pound division.

And if that means enduring another grueling war against Fundora, then Tszyu is more than willing to oblige.

“I’m already prepared,” he said. “If you told me tomorrow we can go at it, I’ll go at it tomorrow. It doesn’t bother me. I’m not focusing on that. He should be thinking about the physically taxing fight he’s going to be having against me. That’s what’s on my mind.”