Courage made Tim Tszyu a champion, and courage played a major role in deposing him.

Following two heartfelt displays – his decision to fight on despite a vicious head cut one year ago this week against now-unified junior-middleweight champion and his push to fight on through an onslaught of punches that caused him to get knocked out by IBF champion Bakhram Murtazaliev in October – Tszyu, 30, gets back in the ring Saturday night, U.S. time.

In a PBC on Prime Video main event (10 p.m. Eastern/7 p.m. Pacific), Tszyu, 24-2 (17 KOs), meets Joey Spencer, 19-1 (11 KOs), at Newcastle (Australia) Entertainment Center.

A bout with former unified welterweight champion Keith Thurman – who Tszyu was supposed to fight before a Thurman shoulder injury prompted Fundora to replace him – awaits should Tszyu conquer Spencer and triumph past the wreckage of 2024.

In a conference call with reporters, Tszyu told BoxingScene he’s out to prove, “that I’m still the man. I don’t think it’s too hard to prove I am who I am. I know what I’m made of. I need to show the whole world.”

Elaborating, he said, “The division’s hot right now. A year ago, I was in a really good position – a big, strong dog. I want to get back to that position and make the big fights happen.”

In hindsight, it’s not too difficult to Monday morning quarterback the flawed choices that got Tszyu here.

The head cut against Fundora occurred in the second round. He and his team could have raised a stink about the horrific blood flow and stopped the fight, allowing him to retain his WBO belt.

But it was the first PBC on Prime Video card, and Tszyu – the son of former world champion Kostya Tszyu – obviously proved he could withstand another 10 rounds of the savage affair. Unfortunately for him, the judges awarded Fundora a split-decision victory that also gave him the WBC belt that had been tacked on to the bout.

Similarly, in facing Russia’s ravenous Murtazaliev, Tszyu maintained a toe-to-toe mentality after getting originally dropped in the second round, leading to him getting knocked down twice more in the round and finished in the third.

“What the fuck happened?” he asked memorably afterward.

Recounting those events, Tszyu said this about the Fundora loss:

“I never regret anything I do in the past. It was a lesson learned. You learn from such things. This is my main objective in boxing and life: to keep growing.”

As for what he’d do differently in the Murtazaliev fight, Tszyu said, “be able to regroup – to try to recover and not just lose your mind straight away. It’s tough when you’re going through something you never have before. I couldn’t feel my legs the whole time. It’s been,’Turn it up, put the pressure on, and whatever happens, happens,’ but you can’t come with that mentality. You have to go back to the roots of stick-em boxing, keep your hands up, be more strategic.”

Tszyu said he was bothered by the IBF-mandated rehydration rule that prevents fighters from gaining more than 10 pounds between their weigh-in and fight day weight check.

“I wasn’t used to it. Usually, my weight is higher. The first punch I got hit with I couldn’t recover from,” Tszyu explained.

Fundora contended during his recent fight week before successfully defending his WBO/WBC belts against Chordale Booker last month that Tszyu seemed haunted by the head cut, pawing at it after an early clash of heads in the Murtazaliev fight.

“In terms of the cut, it was a gruesome experience. The fact that it happened in round two. It was probably in the back of my head and as soon as we clashed heads, I was like, ‘Fuck, this again?’” Tszyu explained to BoxingScene. “That’s why I checked up there. I hope to erase that and move on.”

Asked if he’s recalibrated his confidence level to prevent future episodes of charging head-long into danger, Tszyu said, “To a certain extent … my confidence is still up there. I have no doubt in my ability. That’s never been a problem. These things happen and you learn and make it better next time. Simple.

“I pride myself on [bravery]. Being brave these days, not too many people do it. They want to take the easy option. Doesn’t bother me. For me, it’s aiming for the stars. If I fall a little bit along the way, it’s not something you should be ashamed of.”

Returning home to Australia, where he’s appeared on 15 pay-per-view fights, provides comfort and Tszyu admitted he’d like Spencer to offer “an easier day at the office.

“But you never know with my style and mentality.

“There’s a lot to prove, another level I want to be at. It’s a new chapter for me, coming off a loss and rising back from a loss. That’s why we selected Spencer and not some walk-over guy. I didn’t want a chin-up fighter. I wanted an opponent that would get me back in the mix.”

Tszyu believes defeating Spencer and Thurman gets him back to the U.S. for more big fights, like the one against Fundora that was expected to make him a new, breakout figure in the sport.

“I can’t wait. It’s going to be one hell of a journey,” Tszyu said.