A bloodied Tim Tszyu is cruelly denied in his quest to emulate his legendary father Kostya and become a unified world boxing champion after a narrow loss to towering American Sebastian Fundora.
Tszyu suffered his first defeat in 25 fights, surrendering his WBO super welterweight belt and missing the opportunity to claim the vacant WBC belt at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas and take his place among the sport’s elite.
Tszyu lost the fight in a split decision, with the judges scoring the fight 116-112, 115-113, 112-116 in Fundora’s favor.
The hapless Australian’s fight was derailed at the end of the second round when he ran into the elbow of the 197cm Fundora, causing a huge gash on his head.
Tim Tszyu was accidentally hit with an elbow early in the fight with Fundora
Some fans and experts believe the fight should have been stopped then, such as former world champion Billy Dib and ex-pro boxer Gabriel Rosado
Some fans and pundits believed the promotion should have been stopped shortly afterwards, such as former world champion Billy Dib.
‘This is ridiculous. This fight must be stopped. The amount of blood lost is dangerous,” Dib wrote on X.
Boxing commentator and presenter Ben Damon was also shocked it went ahead.
“There’s no point in having a doctor if they aren’t willing to stop a fight when a man has been hit by an axe.” I can’t believe this wasn’t stopped at the end of 2,” he posted.
Former professional boxer Gabriel Rosado also felt Tszyu was struggling.
But Tszyu was merciful in his defeat.
“See, I told you, I’m an old throwback fighter no matter the circumstances. I couldn’t see it, but all the credit goes to the man who won tonight,” Tszyu said.
Tszyu cut was an illegal elbow strike in rd 2. The referee should have stopped the fight in the middle rounds and this should have been on the scorecards. It’s not fair to Tszyu to fight with an injury caused by an illegal punch. #TszyuFundora
— Gabriel Rosado
(@KingGabRosado) March 31, 2024
(@KingGabRosado) ‘These things happen. The momentum was rolling. I was swinging hard the first round and then ‘boom’, you’re completely blindsided.
‘But look, this is boxing. This is part of the sport and it happens.
“Congratulations to Fundora, he is the new king at 154 pounds.”
The world champion had dominated the opening exchanges, putting his big opponent on the back foot with some heavy right-handed strikes.
Despite blood streaming down his face, Tszyu was cleared to continue by the combat doctor, but Fundora took advantage of the Australian’s lack of vision to level the score.
With both fighters covered in blood and Fundora’s nose also gushing, the Australian continued to look for a way to end the fight early.
Fundora played it smart by trying to attack Tszyu’s head, while the Sydney warrior, who used his gloves to wipe the blood from his eyes, couldn’t connect in his usual way.
With Fundora leading, the doctor rechecked the cut at the start of the seventh lap but gave the green light to continue.
Both fighters were covered in blood for most of Sunday’s match
Fundora used his reach well and managed to get the points decision over the Aussie
Like a gladiator, Tszyu fought on as he hunted for a knockout blow, but hampered by the blood flow, he could not stop the Californian.
Fundora’s victory makes him world champion together with his younger sister Gabriela, after she captured the IBF flyweight world title earlier this year.
“We have been praying for this moment for a long time,” Fundora said, adding that he was not surprised by Tszyu’s courage.
‘I’m just happy that Tim Tszyu gave me the opportunity and that my dream came true.
“He’s a world-class fighter. He was not world champion for nothing. The way I won my title makes it an honor to share the ring and make history with him.”
Tszyu was trying to ensure that he and Kostya would join Leon and Corey Spinks as only the second father-and-son duo to become unified world boxing champions.
The towering American thanked Tim Tszyu for giving him the opportunity
He also planned to set up a mega-fight against pound-for-pound king Terence Crawford or former unified welterweight champion Errol Spence Jr, with a $10 million ($A15.3 million) paycheck on the table.
“Look, I will bounce back,” Tszyu said.
“I still showed up no matter what (injury I had), and I always bring the fight.
“I was given a week (to prepare), no excuses, but I will fight anyone, anytime.
“Even Errol Spence, who’s here. I will fight him too.
“Even Terrence Crawford, man. You want a good piece. Do you know who to call?’
Tszyu’s defeat ended a miserable 24 hours for Australian boxers, with Liam Wilson and Michael Zerafa also losing their world title fights on a big weekend in the US.
