Tim Tszyu's corner stops brutal Fundora fight in Las Vegas defeat

The Australian

3 days ago

Tim Tszyu faces an uncertain future after a disastrous defeat to Sebastian Fundora in yet another bloody and bruising battle in Las Vegas.
Tszyu was dropped in the first round and likely lost every round before the fight was waved off after the seventh.
There was confusion around whether Tszyu had told his corner to stop the fight, but his team confirmed it was a decision made by the whole corner.
He said he was gassed out from all the jabs, and was taken straight to hospital for precautionary check-ups.
It's the 30-year-old's third defeat in four fights, leaving his position as one of the world's elite fighters at 154-pounds in question.
He left the arena alongside his wife, Alex, to big cheers from the sold out MGM Grand crowd.
The same crowd rose to its feet in nearly every round of what turned out to be another brutal encounter between The Soul Taker and the Towering Inferno.
Tszyu wore the same style of jet black trunks that his father wore in his upset world title win over Zab Judah at the same arena in 2001, but couldn't deliver the same result.
While he was overmatched, Tszyu showed incredible heart to keep swinging until the very end.
But his attacks became more and more desperate while his face grew ever redder as Fundora displayed his phenomenal speed and power.
The southpaw Fundora's left hand was his money shot.
In scenes eerily similar to Tszyu's loss to Bakhram Murtazaliev last year, the Aussie was caught by a left hand in round one and fell to the canvas in shock.
Fundora kept landing the same shot, and jabbed brilliantly.
Tszyu couldn't figure out how to get in close and work the body, instead threw wild haymakers to the head.
Tszyu's courage to keep looking for the knockout had an instant impact on the powerful WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman, who made a beeline for Tszyu as he sat dejected on his stool moments after the stoppage.
Sulaiman took the Aussie's face in his hands and told him what a warrior he is.
But it takes two to tango, and Fundora showed drastic improvements from their first fight last March.
'He's one tough mother fucker,' Tszyu managed to laugh after collecting his thoughts. 'I tried to do everything, but I just couldn't do it.
'Victory belongs to Sebastian Fundora, the best at 154 pounder on the planet right now.
'He's the better man. He's hard to land.
'He's tall as fuck, sometimes I thought I was shadow-boxing with myself. It is what it is.
'Congratulations to his team, God bless.'
After admitting he was frustrated by people questioning his first win over Tszyu, Fundora will now look to unification fights.
'My dad was telling me all week, 'I think we'll get him out' and after that first knockdown in round one, I think his prediction came true,' he said.
'My mum said I'm the bigger guy. Everyone calls me a bully in the ring, so why not start bullying guys?'
How to watch Tim Tszyu vs Sebastian Fundora and Manny Pacquiao
You can order the PPV on Main Event or Kayo Sports here.