A huge letdown it was, a stunning upset ; one that happened in a fashion that not even Murtazaliev himself could have predicted correctly- maybe wished for, but not eagerly anticipated.
Tim Tszyu’s boxing career is at a crossroads after the Australian suffered a stunning third-round TKO defeat to IBF junior middleweight champion Bakhram Murtazaliev in Orlando on Sunday afternoon.
Tszyu was looking to bounce back from a split decision to Sebastian Fundora in March earlier this year but instead was handed a brutal reality check, with Murtazaliev dominating from the jump.
Murtazaliev knocked Tszyu down three times in the second round, with the Australian barely making it to the bell and later checked on by the doctor before being cleared to continue.
But it didn’t take long for Tszyu to find himself on the canvas again and while the referee told him he would stop the fight after one more knockdown, Tszyu’s corner didn’t let that happen.
Instead, they threw in the towel as Murtazaliev swarmed Tszyu again, with it clear at that point that he was little hope of recovering and only going to suffer more damage.
A teary Tszyu fronted media afterwards alongside promoter Matt Rose and manager Glen Jennings.
He was carrying an ice pack in his hand and, while in the media scrum, was watched on by his mum and Hall of Fame father, Kostya.
Asked to describe how he was feeling, Tszyu replied: “What the f*** just happened?
“I have to regroup and .... I dunno, man.
“S*** doesn’t go your way and you have to bounce back.
“I was positive after Fundora.
“But I’ve got to find some answers after this.
“It didn’t go to script.
“I felt unbelievable.
“He got me.
“He was the better man on the night.
“We live and we learn.”
Tszyu also had no answers regarding how the fight had gone so badly in the opening rounds, twice responding to questions with “I can’t recall”.
Main Event commentator Ben Damon described the loss as “unthinkable” and a “monstrous upset” for the Russian, who boasts a 23-0 record with 17 stoppage wins.
“It has been an obliteration in Orlando,” Damon said.
“Tim Tszyu down for times, and Bakhram Murtazaliev retaining his world title in a one-sided beatdown.”
In total, Murtazaliev landed 67 punches to Tszyu’s 37 and 50 power punches to Tszyu’s 25.
Tszyu was initially set to fight Vergil Ortiz Jr. in August but was forced to pull out of that fight, instead later targeting a bout with Erickson Lubin, which was also scrapped when the American suffered a hand injury.
Sunday’s fight against Murtazaliev was the biggest of Tszyu’s career and, for the first time since his professional debut, he had his father Kostya in his corner.
The pair shared an embrace earlier on Sunday, with News Corp’s Peter Badel describing it as a “quite emotional moment”, with Tim on the brink of tears.
At this point Tim Tszyu’s career is in a limbo. Maybe he should have taken a warm up after the Fundora bout where he suffered wild gush.
Wear and tear and also the lacerations suffered from the Fundora fight could be contributing factors in this outcome.
By Samuel Opoku Amoah
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