Tim Tszyu seeks alternate ending in Sebastian Fundora rematch

LOS ANGELES – It was a split-decision defeat set up by Tim Tszyu’s split-second decision.

When replacement challenger Sebastian Fundora’s elbow slammed on to the top of Tszyu’s head, creating a ghastly gash late in the second round of their two-belt junior-middleweight title fight in March 2024, Tszyu bent over and witnessed a horrifying amount of blood pouring from his head on to the canvas below.

“I remember when I bowed my head down, it was a fountain, a waterfall, and I remember thinking, ‘All right, blood doesn’t usually splatter like this …’,” Tszyu told PPV.COM.

As the round’s bell sounded, Australia’s then-WBO champion Tszyu had two choices to make – admit the cut was too severe and blinding to continue, and postpone the bout for another day while retaining his belt, or continue in what was Premier Boxing Champions’ Prime Video debut and try to win the fight.

“In my head, I was thinking, ‘It’s going to be tough, but I’m going to get through it, round by round’,” Tszyu said of his consequential and monumental choice. 

Instead, the distraction and discomfort of the injury proved too much as Fundora performed effectively, thanks to his near 10-inch reach advantage, and claimed the WBO and WBC belts by split-decision at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

“It was distracting, but it is what it is,” said Tszyu, the son of former 140lbs champion Kostya Tszyu.

Tszyu, 25-2 (18 KOs), has never expressed regret about fighting on, and he didn’t blame any members of his team for failing to intervene, or criticize the Nevada State Athletic Commission doctor, who could have stopped the bout as well.

“Everyone’s got to be responsible – everyone makes their own mistakes, I believe,” he said. “I wasn’t able to adapt. That’s all it was. No excuses.”

On Saturday night, Tszyu and California’s Fundora, 22-1-1 (14 KOs), return to Las Vegas, staging their rematch for Fundora’s WBC 154lbs belt at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on Prime Video and PPV.COM in the co-main event to Mario Barrios’ defense of his WBC welterweight belt versus eight-division champion Manny Pacquiao. 

“It’s definitely unfinished business,” Tszyu said, explaining that the cut diminished his focus on the task at hand during the first fight. 

Even so, he had enough success to win on one of the scorecards. 

“I could feel his shots, feel his distance and I was able to land shots,” added the fighter who is not expecting a bloodbath this time around. “A bit more present this time. That’s my aim.”

Fundora, 27, has expressed confidence in the fact that he’s returned from the first fight with the 30-year-old Tszyu to dismiss challenger Chordale Booker in four rounds in March, while Tszyu opted to make a quick return to the ring in October, reacted to a head shot from IBF champion Bakhram Murtazaliev with what Fundora described as “PTSD”, and was knocked down four times before being stopped in the third round.

Those events tempered Tszyu’s willingness to rush headlong into ring danger. The Australian paused after the Murtazaliev bout to get married, then took a more manageable date against Joseph Spencer in April, to regain confidence and provide financial winnings that allowed him to buy a new Porsche.

He said he’s learned: “The importance of refreshing myself. I was able to refresh my body and mind, and I came to the Joey Spencer fight looking fresh. I understand how my body works – what works and what doesn’t.”

It leaves Tszyu feeling as if he can now author a redemptive tale.

“It’s a story, something I can tell [about] being able to come back,” he said. “Being able to deal with adversity is a big thing for me – to inspire the next generation, the youth. Just because there’s a setback doesn’t mean there’s not a place for a comeback – in anything you do in life, not just boxing.”

Participating in a division that Tszyu ranks as the most formidable in boxing will make him a power player by defeating Fundora and gaining the WBC belt, with fighters like Murtazaliev, Vergil Ortiz Jnr, Jaron “Boots” Ennis, Xander Zayas and Serhii Bohachuk clamoring for high-profile showdowns.

This is where Tszyu envisioned himself, before glancing down at the canvas and seeing all of that red stuff.

He said he knows there’s much to be gained from “just everything you get from holding a belt… everyone’s on notice”. Particularly Fundora.

Asked if he wanted to send a message to the champion, Tszyu started into the lens and said, “Chop, chop, chop, Fundora.

“This time, we’ll fight – with no cut.”