Tim Tszyu will be returning to the ring against Joey Spencer in April after a disastrous 2024. This fight is supposed to prepare Tszyu, 30, for a possible clash against Keith ‘One Time’ Thurman this year, provided they both win their fights.
Thurman, 36, faces Brock Jarvis on March 12th in Sydney, Australia, in a comeback fight after three years out of action.
Tszyu’s Last Chance?
@dailytelegraph reports that Tszyu will battle Spencer (19-1, 11 KOs) in April. Normally, this would be seen as a gimme for Tim, but after the way he looked last year, it’s impossible to predict how this fight will turn out for him.
It’s not that Tszyu is shot; instead, he’s repeatedly been exposed in his last two fights as not the guy some boxing fans thought he was. Before losing his last two fights, Tszyu’s best career wins had come against these fighters:
– Brian Mendoza
– Carlos Ocampo
– Tony Harrison
– Steve Spark
– Terrel Gausha
– Dennis Hogan
– Jeff Horn
The former WBO junior middleweight champion Tszyu (24-2, 17 KOs) is in a must-win situation after going 0-2 last year with a third-round knockout to IBF 154-lb champion Bakhram Murtazalev and a 12-round split decision defeat against Sebastian Fundora.
Tim looked clueless against Bakhram on October 19th last year, getting repeatedly dropped four times by the left hook from the IBF champion. Bakhram was fighting with just one arm, but that’s all he needed. Tszyu never made any adjustments to keep from getting hit with that punch, and the result was disastrous.
Spencer, 24, was rejected by the WBO as an option for 154-lb champion Fundora to defend against next because he was not ranked in the top 15. The Michigan native, Spencer, has never beaten any notable fighters during his seven-year professional career. All 19 of his wins have come against obscure second-tier opposition.
Will Tim’s Chin Hold Up?
When Spencer stepped up to world class, he was knocked out in the seventh round by Jesus Ramos on March 25, 2023. He was completely overmatched against Ramos, and was dominated until being stopped in the seventh round.
Tszyu should have little problem beating Spencer, but we don’t know how badly his knockout against Murtazaliev affected him. He was dropped four times in that fight before the contest was halted. If Tim’s punch resistance has diminished, he wont do well against Spencer because he’s got some pop in his punches.
Read the full article here
