While former 154-pound champion Tim Tszyu looks back on the only loss of his professional career in March, when He abandons the decision to split Sebastian Fundora At their pay-per-view unification clash, a faint spark of excitement began to glow in his eyes.
As far as moral victory goes, this is as good as it gets. Yes, Tszyu (24-1, 17 KOs) technically lost both his WBO title and undefeated record on the same night. But seeing the results on paper doesn’t begin to tell the full story.
Fundora (21-1-1) replaced Tszyu’s original opponent, former two-time welterweight champion Keith Thurman, on just 12 days’ notice. And after Tsiu looked on his way to stopping Fandora through the first two rounds, an errant elbow opened up a nasty cut in Tsiu’s hairline that caused blood to flow down his face and obstruct his vision for the next 10 rounds.
If Tszyu had pulled out of the fight after suffering the cut, it would have been ruled a no contest. Even after a few rounds, if the 29-year-old Australian had told the ringside doctor he could no longer see, Tszyu would still have claimed a close victory by technical decision.
Turns out, that’s not how Tszyu works. And when asked before his return Saturday, challenging IBF champion Bakhram Murtzaliev (22-0, 16 KOs) at the Caribe Royal Resort in Orlando, Florida, to headline the PBC tripleheader on Prime Video (8 p.m. ET), he had no regrets. Deciding to keep fighting, Tszyu couldn’t have been more blunt in his answer.
“No, I don’t (regret) because I got to show the world who I am and something like that is priceless,” Tszyu told CBS Sports “I think it’s a good feeling to be able to walk around and people are giving you props. But what you’re going through and respect is what I’m all about. Of course, I appreciate it and it means the world.”
“It was kill or be killed, as they say. It was my mentality, win in remarkable fashion or pass out on my stool. I guess it was a tough little scene but when I managed to pull it off a little bit, I managed to pull it off a little bit. And got to show what I’m really made of, now I have a nice ‘V for Vengeance’ (scar) on my scalp. Revenge, basically.”
The romanticism of boxing’s warrior culture didn’t come without a price for the rest of the Sigurh Fundora fight. Blood flowed endlessly into her eyes, creating a never-ending stinging sensation that constantly led to double and/or blurred vision, opening the door for the 6-foot-5 Fundora, who showed an equal level of heart in this bloody battle, a razor. -To claim a slim victory.
“That’s probably what I regret the most, the fact that I took (Fandora) out and I felt comfortable and strong but I couldn’t continue,” Tszyu said. “As soon as the cut happened, it freaked me out a little bit. I was in my head and I wasn’t thinking about the fight anymore, I was thinking about this cut. That’s where I lost concentration.”
Tszyu’s legendary father, Hall-of-Famer Kostia Tszyu, watched from afar in his native Russia and wasn’t happy with what he saw. This is the same fighter who famously chose not to come out of his corner before the 12th round of his final fight — the 2005 IBF 140-pound title defense against Ricky Hatton — despite being close to the scorecard out of fear for his own health after retirement.
“He was a little excited, and I don’t blame him,” Tszyu said of his father’s phone call after the Fundora fight. “I remember when he retired he said that was the only reason he didn’t want to die in this ring. When I was fighting Fundora, I was ready to fight in that ring. That’s what made me click that I’m a fighter and a fighter and I’m not ready to retire.”
Although Tszyu has been physically estranged from his father since his parents’ divorce, prompting Kostya to return to Russia and start a new family, the two speak regularly. But it was Tszyu’s first loss that opened a bridge to a much deeper connection between father and son.
Sijiu and his father went to Thailand together after the Fandora fight to train and talk about both boxing and life. And this weekend, for the first time since Tszyu’s 2016 pro debut in Sydney, Kostya will be in attendance for his son’s fight.
“My dad wasn’t around the sport of boxing but the sport of boxing was around my dad and family,” Tszyu said. “So, I think it’s a big moment for me to have him feel that nostalgia and have that same feeling. We live and breathe this game and I want him to feel that. I think he was a big part of that. Russia is our own doing. I’ve always said I want to be my own person and I think he respects that.
“He’s not coming (to Orlando) as Kostya, he’s coming as ‘dad. He wants that feeling of being a proud dad.”
All Tszyu has to do to claim the IBF title despite enduring both training camp and fighting during Ramadan is a 31-year-old native of Russia, Murtzaliev, who upset Jack Kuhlke on German soil in April by 11th-round knockout. As a practicing Muslim, that means fasting during the day and training overnight.
With a win, Tszyu could set himself up for several big-name fights at 154 pounds, including one against the likes of Terence Crawford, a Fundora rematch, Errol Spence Jr., Jermael Charlo or Virgil Ortiz Jr.
“(Murtzaliev) has Soviet style and Soviet mentality,” Tszyu said. “It’s something I grew up (around) so I know what he brings, the tenacity and basically the dog in him. It’s two pitbulls going after each other and it’s always a fan-friendly style when you see those two clash.
“But, hopefully, no blood on me this time. I’m getting red hot right now. My hands itch and I’m good to go.”
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