By: Hans Themistode
There was plenty of controversy surrounding this morning’s contest between Jr middleweight contenders Jeff Horn and Tim Tszyu.
Two of the three judges were accused of favoritism on the side of Tszyu for various reasons which made it seem nearly impossible for Horn to win a fair decision.
Yet from the moment the bell rung, there was absolutely no controversy at all.
Tszyu dominated his man from start to early finish.
Things started off in typical Horn fashion. The aggressive Australian was in no mood to box, and instead, attempted to bully his younger opponent. Normally, his tactics have given him success, even if it’s mildly. Today however, nothing worked.
Tszyu stayed patient behind his jab and used his feet to get out of the way. At times, Horn would lunge at his man, grab hold of him and hit Tszyu with rabbit punches.
Having signed up for a boxing match and not a wrestling contest, the referee in charge was caught on camera screaming at both men to box instead of having a hugging contest.
They both acquiesced as things picked up. Horn continued to push forward while Tszyu simply moved around the ring and out boxed his man. As the constant pressure and body attacks began to wear on Horn, he quickly found the canvas to be his best friend as he was sent there twice.
Going into the second half of the contest, Horn was outclassed, bruised and seemingly down on all of the scorecards. Having seen their man suffer enough, Horn’s corner pulled him before the start of the ninth.
Tszyu met the news with a wide grin as he jumped on the ropes. With the biggest win of his career now secured, Tim took the time to step out of his father’s hall of fame shadow during his post fight interview.
“I want everyone to know my name is Tim,” said Tszyu. “Not the son.”