Tim Tszyu: record, next fight and profile →
Bakhram Murtazaliev described Tim Tszyu as a “real man” after watching him bravely and recklessly attempt to trade with him throughout the process of suffering four knockdowns and a defeat inside three rounds.
Tim Tszyu’s world title dreams were crushed when he was clinically stopped in three dramatic rounds by the IBF junior middleweight champion Bakhram Murtazaliev.
The junior middleweight division of yesterday, when Jermell Charlo was around, was a lot of fun. The junior middleweight division of today is also a lot of fun – and that is partly because Charlo is no longer around.
In the build-up to his fight with Bakhram Murtazaliev, Tim Tszyu spoke about his return from that first defeat, the wider picture of his career, and the presence of his celebrated father Kostya at one of his fights for the first time since 2016.
In the modern, and increasingly corporate, landscape of boxing promotion, Main Events continues to exist largely like a relic to what is often recognised as a golden era and a fondly remembered past.
Now that Artur Beterbiev-Dmitry Bivol is behind us, I’ve started to look forward to Bakhram Murtazaliev-Tim Tszyu more and more.
Declan Warrington reports from Orlando, Florida as Bakhram Murtazaliev and Tim Tszyu prepare for battle on Saturday night
It is nearing 20 years since the great Kostya Tszyu was last an active fighter, against Ricky Hatton in one of the fights of the year.
Bakhram Murtazaliev has played down Tim Tszyu’s performance against Sebastian Fundora, when he fought on for 10 rounds with blood pouring from his head.