By: Sean Crose
Tim Tszyu was recently asked whether or not he now regretted not stopping his bloody fight with Sebastian Fundora back in March. “No, I don’t,” he said (vis CBS), “because I got to show the world who I am and something like that is priceless.” Although it appeared Tszyu lost the fight largely because of the cut he had suffered early on, Tszyu simply wasn’t the kind of fighter to just walk away. And that’s something his fans appreciate. “I think it’s a good feeling to be able to walk around and people are giving you props,” he said. “But it’s what you go through and respect is what I’m all about. Of course, I appreciate it and it means the world.”
Now, over six months after suffering his loan defeat, the popular and skilled Aussie will return this weekend, when he takes on the undefeated Bakhran Murtazaliev. The fight, which will go down in Orlando, will have the IBF junior middleweight title on the line. It will also show how well Tszyu can return from a rough outing. Suffice to say, the 29 year old Tszyu is exuding confidence.
“It’s kill or be killed,” he said of the Fundora fight. “That was my mentality in there, to win in significant fashion or go out on my stool. I guess it was a tough little scenario but when I was able to pull through a little bit, I was able to pick it up a little and show what I’m truly made of. I’ve got a nice little ‘V for Vengeance’ now tattooed on my scalp. Everything is well and I can’t wait for the revenge, basically.” Needless to say, Tszyu can get his career seriously back on track Saturday night – provided he can get past the 22-0 Murtazaliev.
Tszyu is one of the most interesting fighters in the business – and the loss to the gutsy, talented Fundora hasn’t taken away from that fact. Tszyu, after all, possesses high end footwork, speed and power – all tools he regularly puts to use in the ring. Perhaps most importantly, however, Tszyu is exceedingly confident. On top of that, he has the ability to close the show. Once he has his opponent hurt, he moves in for the finish. Murtazaliev, however, won’t be eager to just hand over his IBF belt this weekend. He isn’t without an impressive skill set of his own.
It would undoubtedly be surprising, however, if Tszyu underestimated any opponent, much less the likes of Murtazaliev.