Just seven months ago, Tim Tszyu’s handlers were deep in negotiations for a megafight against Terence Crawford, arguably the best pound-for-pound boxer in the world.
The payday possibilities were endless. If not Crawford, then Errol Spence Jnr. Or the elusive Jermell Charlo. Heck, maybe even the great Saul “Canelo” Alvarez.
Landing any of those names would be a licence to print money, as well as a chance to fulfil Tszyu’s ambition of overtaking the likes of Cameron Smith, Ben Simmons, Jordan Mailata and Oscar Piastri as Australia’s highest-paid athlete.
Yet after what transpired against Bakhram Murtazaliev at the Caribe Royale in Orlando, such thoughts are now preposterous.
This was not a defeat. This was an unmitigated disaster.
There were extenuating circumstances in Tszyu’s only other loss, to Sebastian Fundora. After dominating the first two rounds, “The Soul Taker” suffered a horrendous head cut that resulted in blood flowing into his eyes.
However, there were no positives to take away from the knockout loss to Murtazaliev. Defending his IBF super-welterweight belt for the first time, claimed in a ponderous win against Jack Culcay after the observing Ramadan in the lead up, Murtazaliev produced one of the most lopsided championship beat-downs of them all.
On four separate occasions, Tszyu was floored, the damage predominantly coming from a vicious left hook after being softened up by a pinpoint jab.
While fellow Australian Mateo Tapia escaped with a majority draw after being knocked down three times by Venezuelan Endry Saavedra on the undercard, the judges couldn’t save Tszyu.
When his corner threw in the towel, just one minute and 55 seconds into round three, the career of the “Soul Taker” was at a crossroads.
I remember being ringside in Minneapolis when Tszyu walked into a series of right hands from Terrell Gaucha in the opening round, blows that could have effectively ended his career then and there.
On that occasion, Tszyu displayed the boxing IQ required to cover up and smother, giving him time to regroup and later dictate terms. Yet against Murtazaliev, he was perennially hittable, a stationary target to be pummelled by the taller Russian.
“The body language of Tim Tszyu was very arrogant,” said former world champion Shawn Porter in commentary.
It’s said that losing is bad for business, a line attributed to, among other people, powerful Roosters chairman Nick Politis. For Tszyu Inc, their stock price has plummeted.
Convincing punters to keep parting with $70, the going pay-per-view price, is going to be a tough sell.
So where to from here?
Tszyu has previously dismissed the prospect of ever fighting Michael Zerafa after the latter controversially pulled out of a scheduled bout in 2021. However, now that the big global star are no longer an option, Zerafa appears his best option.
“I’ve been saying this for years, Tim has a bad habit of overlooking his opponents,” Zerafa told this masthead after witnessing highlights of Tszyu’s loss to Murtazaliev.
“He goes on about Crawford and Charlo and Canelo and Spence, saying this is a hand-picked opponent and that he will smash him.
“Murtazahlev has just had his first title defence and has made a mockery of Tim.
“He’s sitting there saying he will knock out Crawford and Canelo. I don’t think he has any mirrors in his house. If he saw himself in the mirror, he would maybe wake up.
“He’s definitely not at that level. I’ve been saying it for years. I’ve said it a thousand times, but because of his last name and that winning streak, everyone is against me. All of a sudden my phone hasn’t stopped and I’ve become the A-side.
“I believe there is unfinished business for me. He’s human, you take away that last name and you just have an average guy standing in front of you.”
While Tszyu is a headline machine, fellow Australian Jai Opetaia has been knocking out the best cruiserweights in the world in relative anonymity. Just a week ago, he retained his IBF championship belt against Britain’s Jack Massey after producing a similar clinic to the one that Murtazaliev put on against Tszyu.
Opetaia enjoys none of the sponsorship or acclaim given to Tszyu, despite achieving so much in the sport. Yet local punters will pay more attention to a likely Tszyu-Zerafa showdown, the best match-up either can hope for after being humbled in world title bouts.
“It’s sad to see what he’s just gone through,” said Zerafa, who was also touted as a potential opponent for Tszyu’s brother, Nikita. “I’m a fighter as well and it’s a shit feeling. My heart goes out to him from that aspect, but in terms of career-wise and as a fighter, let’s get it on.”
Hopefully, that will be a less lopsided affair than the one that just transpired.