Tim Tszyu (24-2, 17 KOs) has received to make a number of adjustments in his sport for him to efficiently come again from his third-round knockout loss to IBF junior middleweight champion Bakhram Murtazaliev (23-0, 17 KOs) from final Saturday evening on the Caribe Royale Resort in Orlando, Florida.
Tszyu turns 30 on November 2nd, however he’s nonetheless younger sufficient to return again from the defeat in opposition to Murtazaliev to probably change into a world champion once more. The 2 areas that Tszyu wants enchancment on are as follows:
– Head motion
– Defensive flaws
“It’s a troublesome tablet to swallow. They’ve received to choose the match proper and choose it up as soon as they get again to the drafting board,” stated Keith Thurman to Fighthype, reacting to Tim Tszyu’s third-round knockout loss to Bakhram Murtazaliev final Saturday evening.
It’s going to be actually onerous for Tszyu to return again with out his promoter matching him in opposition to weaker opposition. How lengthy that will take is unknown. It would require that Tszyu spend all of 2025 dealing with lesser guys who can’t punch, and can fold beneath his energy. He also needs to contemplate getting a brand new coach that target growing his boxing expertise earlier than placing him again in with somebody good.
“As soon as I studied Bakhram, I already knew he was going to outwork Tszyu. He did that from the beginning together with his jabs. I noticed awkward hooks across the guard hooks,” stated Thurman to Thaboxingvoice.
Anybody may see that Murtazaliev was going to be a giant drawback for Tszyu together with his measurement, energy, and work charge. This was a much bigger puncher than the blokes that Tszyu had been combating, and he had much more skill. It’s stunning that Tszyu selected this fighter to face for a world title. He ought to have waited to get an eventual rematch with Sebastian Fundora, who’s so much much less harmful than Murtazaliev.
“Final evening, it was a kind of issues the place Tim received caught and couldn’t recuperate. He confirmed nice bravery,” stated No Restrict CEO promoter Matt Rose to Jai McAllister, reflecting on Tim Tszyu’s loss to Murtazaliev. “Tim is aware of no different strategy however to exit on his defend.”
Tszyu may need been capable of recuperate from his first knockdown within the second spherical if he’d chosen to field, however he didn’t try this. He continued to go on the assault, attempting to land his energy pictures, however he shortly dropped a second time by Murtazaliev. The third knockdown in spherical two was extra of the identical. Tszyu was attempting to land pictures and was caught by a proper hand.
The failure by Tszyu to again off and field Murtzaliev is what led to him getting badly harm to the place he couldn’t recuperate. When Tszyu went out for the third spherical, he wouldn’t have made it by the three minutes with out getting stopped, even when he’d gotten on his bike.
“Typically that may hamper you, too. Now, we received to return to the drafting board and see what the choices are. Clearly, he had a concussion final evening. He went to the hospital. We needed him to go for precautionary causes.”
It’s vital that Tszyu take a step again in opposition to a lower-level opponent for his subsequent battle quite than persevering with to face proficient top-five-level opposition like he’s achieved in his final two fights. His defeats in opposition to Murtazaliev and Sebastian Fundora confirmed that he’s not prepared to combine it with the perfect fighters within the 154-lb division.
Tszyu is 29, however he’d been combating a number of older guys and weak opposition to construct his file. He’s going to need to retool his sport and concentrate on dealing with a backside tier fighter to work on turning into extra of a boxer in order that he doesn’t proceed to lose.
Tszyu must battle somebody like this subsequent:
– Josh Kelly
– Brandon Adams
– Callum Walsh
– Yoenis Tellez
– Ardreal Holmes
