Tim Tszyu says he can’t wait to hit IBF junior middleweight champion Bakhram Murtazaliev in the chin with his shots on Saturday night in their 12-round headliner on PBC on Prime Video at the Caribe Royale in Orlando, Florida. Murtazaliev (22-0, 16 KOs) didn’t do anything to get the former WBO 154-lb champion Tszyu (24-1, 17 KOs) riled up. He’s still upset about losing his last fight, and he wants to take it out on Murtazaliev.
(Credit: Joseph Correa/Premier Boxing Champions)
“I understand Russian, and I come from a Russian background. I didn’t really understand anything that he said. It all sounded like mumbles to me. So, I had to ask a couple,” said Tim Tszyu to FOX Sports Australia about having a difficult time understanding the Russian that the Grozny, Russia-born IBF junior middleweight champion Bakhram Murtazaliev was speaking during the final press conference on Thursday.
It’s unclear if Tszyu was joking about not being able to understand Murtazaliev’s Russian, but it’s possible. Tszyu speaks the language fluently, so he should be able to understand him.
“I thought he was a lot taller than I expected. So, I was letting him know a couple of things. I didn’t even think about the press conference that much,” said Tszyu when asked about the nickname he gave himself, ‘The Big Bad Monster.’
Murtazaliev towered over Tszyu during their face-off, but it wasn’t as dramatic as his last fight against 6’6″ Sebastian ‘The Towering Inferno’ Fundora on March 30th, which he lost by a 12-round split decision in Las Vegas. Tszyu couldn’t figure out Fundora’s style.
“I just want to let everyone know I’m coming back. It’s quite simple. Ah, I can’t wait. That’s all I can say,” said Tszyu about what he was thinking when he stood face-to-face with Murtazaliev during the face-off today. “I want to get in there and land that first jab, hook, straight right, whatever straight on that chinbone of his.
“Vengeance, it’s redemption for me. Redemption story,” said Tszyu about why he wants to hit Murtazaliev so bad. “It’s a little bit of a weird feeling when you see dad [Kostya Tszyu]. A little bit of emotion, but it’s good to have him.”
Tim wants to get back to winning after losing his last fight against Sebastian Fundora, but he’s picking the wrong guy to get his “vengeance” against. Murtazaliev isn’t the one that beat him. Tszyu should be fighting Fundora.
“Just be smart. That’s important. Don’t get hit,” said Kostya about his advice for Tim for this Saturday.
“The only words he says, ‘Don’t get hit.’ Thanks,” said Nakita Tszyu. “I forgot how short he is. It’s a good reminder. It’s a good reminder. It’s a good foundation for us. It’s a reason why we went into this sport and the reason why we have all the luxuries that we have in this sport. It’s all because of him, and we have to pay our respects to him.
“I’m a very proud father, knowing what they’re doing, the way they’re doing, and the way they conduct themselves inside the ring and outside the ring. It’s my huge pleasure to watch them around and see people enjoy their behavior. That’s important,” said Kostya. “I know they’re making history, and it will happen.
“When you go to war, you want people who have done that and felt that standing right by yourself,” said Tim about wanting his father, Kostya, and brother, Nakita, to be at ringside watching his fight on Saturday night against Murtazaliev.
The former undisputed light welterweight champion Kostya had a lot of success during his pro career and was a much more explosive puncher than Tim. Kostya could throw with a lot of power, even with short punches. He shared that quality with undisputed light heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev.
“He’s a good heavy opponent, and if you remember me. I don’t like the prediction too much,” said Kostya when asked what will happen in the Tim vs. Murtazaliev clash. “The way I’ve thought to myself. Slowly, slowly, slowly destroying, breaking his spirit. It’s very hard, but it’s possible. Murtazaliev is a very mentally strong fighter.”
Tszyu is going to have to start fast and throw bombs to get Murtazaliev to think twice about throwing his shots because he’s unreal when he starts letting his hands go. This is not the type of fighter that Tszyu is accustomed to fighting.
It won’t be a shock if Tszyu hits the canvas two or three times on Saturday night, especially if he’s weight drained. He said hie still had a couple of kilos he had to take off today before tomorrow’s weigh-in, and he already looks thin.
“He’s still hungry, even at 31, and a bit taller than Tim. He’s one year older, and it doesn’t matter, really. I’m sure, we’ll have a good talk. You see, I don’t want to put pressure, even with my knowledge to his head.”
Murtazaliev is 6’0″ and will have a three-inch height advantage over the 5’9″ Tszyu. But where Murtazaliev could be a problem is with his high work rate. He throws a lot of punches, and is an excellent combination puncher. He doesn’t appear to hit quite as hard as Tszyu, but close enough to make him just as dangerous.
What makes Murtazaliev more formidable is his ability to go on the attack and unload on his opponents. If he does that against Tszyu, it’ll be interesting to see if he can stand up to the barrage without folding.
“They have done lots of things. I’ve just joined the team. I am part of the team, but I’m an outsider still. I don’t want to interrupt his view of what he already thought what to do. Of course, I’ll give him advice of how to do it,” said Kostya.
“Don’t be a screamer,” said Tim’s advice for Kostya.
It’s got to be tough for Kostya to attend Tim’s tough fight against Murtazaliev on Saturday night because this is a really difficult one that he may lose. This is not the type of fighter that Tszyu should be facing coming off a loss to Sebastian Fundora, but he doesn’t believe in taking tune-ups.
If Tszyu is going to win, he’ll need to get to Murtazaliev early before he gets his offense in gear because he’s going to do a lot of damage if he’s still around after six rounds.
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