by Just seven months ago, Tim Tszyu’s trainers were in the middle of negotiating a megafight against Terence Crawford, arguably the best pound-for-pound boxer in the world.
The payday possibilities were endless. If not Crawford, then Errol Spence Jnr. Or the elusive Jermell Charlo. Heck, maybe even the great Saul “Canelo” Alvarez.
Landing one of those names would be a license to print money and a chance to fulfill Tszyu’s goal of overtaking Cameron Smith, Ben Simmons, Jordan Mailata and Oscar Piastri as Australia’s highest-paid athlete.
But after what happened against Bakhram Murtazaliev at the Caribe Royale in Orlando, such thoughts are now absurd.
That wasn’t a defeat. That was an absolute disaster.
There were extenuating circumstances in Tszyu’s only other loss to Sebastian Fundora. After dominating the first two rounds, “The Soul Taker” suffered a horrific head injury that resulted in blood flowing to his eyes.
The champion lands another one right on the button.Credit: No limit
However, there was nothing positive to take from the knockout loss to Murtazaliev. Defending his IBF super welterweight belt for the first time, which he secured with a tough win over Jack Culcay following the observant Ramadan lead-up, Murtazaliev delivered one of the most one-sided championship defeats ever.
On four separate occasions, Tszyu was down, with the damage primarily caused by a vicious left hook after being tempered by a pinpoint jab.
While fellow Australian Mateo Tapia escaped with a majority draw after being knocked down three times by Venezuelan Endry Saavedra on the undercard, the judges were unable to save Tszyu.
When his cornerback threw in the towel just one minute and 55 seconds into the third round, the “Soul Taker” career was at a crossroads.
I remember being at ringside in Minneapolis when Tszyu was caught in a series of right-handed shots from Terrell Gaucha in the opening round, punches that could have effectively ended his career on the spot.
Tim Tszyu was at the end of a boxing clinic.Credit: No limit
On this occasion, Tszyu showed the boxing IQ necessary to cover up and suffocate, giving him time to regroup and later dictate terms. But against Murtazaliev he was vulnerable at any time, a stationary target that could be taken down by the taller Russian.
“Tim Tszyu’s body language was very arrogant,” former world champion Shawn Porter said in his commentary.
It is said that defeat is bad for business, a statement attributed among others to powerful Roosters chairman Nick Politis. For Tszyu Inc, the share price has collapsed.
It will be difficult to convince customers to continue parting with $70, the current pay-per-view price.
So where to from here?
Tszyu has previously rejected the prospect of ever fighting Michael Zerafa after he controversially withdrew from a planned fight in 2021. However, now that the big global star is no longer an option, Zerafa seems to be his best option.
Bakhram Murtazaliev was a class above Tim Tszyu.Credit: Tom Pombart/No Limit Boxing
“I’ve been saying this for years, Tim has a bad habit of overlooking his opponents,” Zerafa told this masthead after witnessing the highlights of Tszyu’s loss to Murtazaliev.
“He goes on about Crawford and Charlo and Canelo and Spence and says this is a hand-picked opponent and he’s going to smash him.
“Murtazahlev just finished his first title defense and was making fun of Tim.
“He sits there and says he’s going to take out Crawford and Canelo. I don’t think he has mirrors in his house. If he saw himself in the mirror, maybe he would wake up.
“He’s definitely not at that level. I’ve been saying it for years. I’ve said it a thousand times, but because of his last name and this winning streak, everyone is against me. Suddenly my phone stopped working and I became the A-side.
“I think there are still unfinished business for me. He’s a human being, you take away the last name and you’re looking at an average guy.”
While Tszyu is a headline machine, fellow Australian Jai Opetaia has been knocking out the best cruiserweights in the world in relative anonymity. Just a week ago he retained his IBF championship belt against Britain’s Jack Massey after a similar performance to Murtazaliev against Tszyu.
Opetaia does not enjoy the sponsorship or recognition that Tszyu receives despite achieving so much in the sport. But local players will be paying more attention to a likely showdown between Tszyu and Zerafa, the best match either can hope for after being humiliated in world title fights.
“It’s sad to see what he just went through,” said Zerafa, who has also been touted as a potential opponent for Tszyu’s brother Nikita. “I’m a fighter too and it’s a shitty feeling. My whole heart is with him in this regard, but professionally and as fighters we should move on.”
Hopefully the matter will be less one-sided than what just happened.
