Premier Boxing Champions recognized Tim Tszyu had saved the launch of its partnership with Amazon Prime when he agreed to fight Sebastian Fundora at late notice.
Australia’s Tszyu sacrificed his undefeated status and his WBO junior middleweight title when in March he lost to Fundora via split decision at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
He had prepared to fight Keith Thurman, a considerably different nature of fighter, until an injury suffered by Thurman ruled him out. If the safe option would have been to refuse to fight Fundora, and therefore jeopardize the PBC-Amazon launch that was somewhat reliant on his reputation but that wasn’t his responsibility to save, he then fought on from the second round with a significant cut that transformed the nature of the fight.
Where in different circumstances PBC would have delivered a considerably less appealing main event, or one that stopped at the conclusion of the second round, the promoters instead witnessed Tszyu battle through the blood pouring from his head throughout the majority of the 12 bruising and dramatic rounds that unfolded.
It is tempting to interpret his being matched with IBF champion Bakhram Murtazaliev, at the Caribe Royale in Orlando, Florida, in his following fight, as a reward from PBC at a time when the loss of its broadcast agreement with Showtime had the potential to be so damaging.
Most recently, Tszyu learned that his long-term cutman Mark Gambin will be absent on fight night because of his needing to undergo emergency surgery on an inflamed appendix that had to be removed. But asked if PBC had recognized his contribution to their new business plan, Tszyu told BoxingScene: “Yeah. They said to me after that … which means a lot, you know.
“It means a lot, man, to me, when people say that kind of stuff. That’s why I’ve stayed loyal – it’s quite simple.
“They just said they were very appreciative of the way I handled things, and the way things went to plan.
“I wouldn’t want my corner to – I’d be pretty dirty on them if they pulled me out, so that’s why it’s never been discussed [with my corner], because I’ve never thought of it that way.
“[And] it sort of plays down [Fundora’s] victory. At the end of the day – but we did go to a split decision; it was a close, close fight – but at the end of the day, he won. And cut or no cut, would have, should have, could have, that’s all in the past. He got the victory, and he’s the champ.
“I lived my childhood dream, to be fighting in Vegas, in the gladiator’s stadium. Things didn’t go according to plan, but life doesn’t always go to plan.”
Murtazaliev, 31 and of Russia, won the vacant IBF title in April when he stopped Jack Culcay. He represents another significant test for Tszyu, who came close to agreeing to an even more difficult contest against the dangerous Vergil Ortiz Jr., until the time it took for his cut to heal delayed his return to the ring.
“It was more about the preparation, because with Ortiz – you’ve got to be 100 per cent ready for that fight,” Tszyu continued. “You can’t really have two weeks of sparring and then [fight someone of that caliber]. It was more about being professional and being 100 per cent ready – for everybody now, no matter who the opponent is.
“It’s just on top of the head, but it’s all nice and smooth now. I sort of needed that extra time, for the cut to heal, so I’m glad I didn’t just go in like a maniac.”
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