Tim Tszyu’s crushing loss to Bakhram Murtazaliev has stunned many experts in the boxing world – but some fight fans think they’ve found the moment that foreshadowed his downfall.
The Aussie’s career is in tatters following the savage world title challenge loss to the Russian, which saw him blasted off his feet four times before his corner threw in the towel twice to stop the fight.
‘What the f**k happened? Like, what did I get hit with?,’ a shattered Tszyu said in a post-fight press conference at the Caribe Royale resort in Orlando.
Boxing fans and pundits were left asking the same question – and some think a moment early in the fight foreshadowed the brutal beatdown.
Tszyu, whose last fight against Sebastian Fundora was derailed by a huge gash on his forehead, reached for the same spot early in the fight to check if he was bleeding after what appeared to be a minor accidental head clash against Murtazaliev.
While there was no cut to be found, boxing reporter Dan Canobbio suggested it proved Tszyu still hadn’t mentally recovered from his last bout.
‘This was the beginning of the end for Tszyu — reaching at the scar from the Fundora fight when there was no cut. PTSD is real,’ he posted to social media alongside a clip of the moment.
Another boxing fan posted to X: ‘This is when I knew tim tszyu was done for, showed he hadn’t mentally recovered from the Fundora fight.’
Australian boxing journalist Peter Badel also insisted that the bizarre moment should have ‘alarm bells ringing’.
‘It was almost like muscle memory… that to me suggests there’s some psychological scar tissue from Fundora,’ Badel said after the fight.
‘I’m shocked at how Tim fought that fight. He’s usually such a great executioner and he’s so disciplined with his boxing IQ but I thought his brain went out the window for braun and you don’t fire with fire with Murtazaliev.’
Tszyu’s brother Nikita was the first to throw in the towel, before his trainer Uncle Igor tossed in a second.
‘Things didn’t go to plan. The better man won tonight, no excuses right there,’ Tszyu said.
‘Yeah, no excuses. I tried my best and these things happen.
‘Boxing’s not meant to be perfect. So you live and you learn, right?’
Tszyu had been bidding to join his Hall of Famer dad Kostya as only the second father-son to win at least two world titles each.
Instead, the 29-year-old will return to Australia with his future uncertain after enduring a second straight defeat, after opening his career with 23 wins.
Kostya had joined his son in Florida and walked into the ring with him after previously being banned from attending Tim’s fights because he became too volatile during the bouts.
Tszyu had dreamed of fighting huge names like Terence Crawford and Saul Alvarez, but will now have to claw his way back to regaining his status as a title contender.
He might have to start by fighting fellow Aussie Michael Zerafa, who called out Tszyu following the loss, with the pair sharing bad blood since Zerafa pulled out of a fight in 2021.
