Junior middleweight titleholder Bakhram Murtazaliev has maintained a low profile leading up to his showdown with Tim Tszyu in PBC Championship Boxing on Prime Video on Saturday at the Caribe Royale Resort, Orlando, Florida.
But one thing brought out the talkative side of Murtazaliev in anticipation of the bout: “The best part of fighting Tim Tszyu is that he won’t run,” Murtazaliev said. “He is coming to fight. I love fighting in the center of the ring. It’s going to be a great fight for the fans to watch on Saturday night.”
Roma Kalantaryan, Murtazaliev’s head trainer, echoed his fighter’s eagerness to engage Tszyu in the ring: “We had a great eight-week training camp, Bakhram is 100 per cent ready to defend his titles, and I believe he’ll be victorious,” said Kalantaryan, who prepared Murtazaliev in Oxnard, California, for this matchup. “Tszyu is a good fighter, a tough kid who knows how to box, and he does not get tired. We have fought that type of fighter many times before and we’re prepared for anything he brings. We have the advantage on reach, height and, I think, power as well. There are going to be two pressure fighters in that ring on October 19.”
The 31-year-old Murtazaliev, 22-0 (16 KOs), secured his world title in his last outing, traveling to Germany to knock out Jack Culcay in the 11th round. Now, he is preparing for his biggest U.S. challenge to date, aiming to hand Australia’s 29-year-old Tszyu his second consecutive defeat.
“I’m looking forward to fighting Tim Tszyu because he talks a lot and he has a famous name in boxing,” Murtazaliev noted. “It really doesn’t matter who I fight. My mentality is always the same, and I will fight whoever they put in front of me. I’m just excited to defend my title.”
Read the full article here
