Source : ABC NEWS
There will be no world title on the line when Tim Tszyu steps into the Newcastle ring on Sunday.
This fight is far more important than that.
Tszyu (24-2) will take on American Joey Spencer (19-1) with his entire career as a meaningful fighter on the line.
A third-straight defeat would be beyond catastrophic.
The Tszyu name will always command respect — and perhaps more importantly, a gate — within boxing circles in Australia.
But should the former WBO world champion falter again, he can say goodbye to any global status he had earned as he rode boxing’s treacherous escalator towards the fragile penthouse that is boxing’s upper echelons.
Tszyu has long carried the burden that the hype around him is artificial, a product of his name alone, which is desperately unfair given his performances in the ring.
That burden has long been hidden behind a shield of self-confidence, a resolute belief that Tszyu’s fists were the things doing the talking.
It is only recently that the confidence has begun to stray towards hubris.
Tim Tszyu cannot be complacent. (Getty Images: Roni Bintang)
The world title defeats to Sebastian Fundora and Bakhram Murtazaliev, while contrasting in nature as Tszyu went from being brave to being bludgeoned, both confirmed one startling flaw in Tszyu’s armoury that had been increasingly evident as the Australian stepped up his level.
The glaring lack of lateral movement from Tszyu has led the Australian to get caught with increasingly regularity throughout his most recent fights — and those shots have finally taken their toll.
Tszyu’s relentless, Terminator-like march forward was one of his great strengths, a methodical dismantling of his rivals both physically and psychologically.
But it was also one of the reasons he was cut so badly by the lanky Fundora.
It was a flaw that Murtazaliev identified and even broadcast in the weeks leading up to his fight: “What I like about [Tszyu] is I don’t need to chase him,” the Russian said.
Four knockdowns later and the only thing Murtazaliev was left chasing was the phone number of the other big hitters in the super welterweight division for unification fights, leaving Tszyu scrambling to resurrect his career.
Tszyu admitted this week that he went into that fight thinking he could win it inside two rounds, to use his own parlance, “like a c***head”.
“I have to be smarter,” he added, in what was a clear admission of his own hype and hubris coming back to bite him.
Bakhram Murtazaliev delivered a brutal beatdown on an overconfident Tszyu. (Getty Images: Alex Menendez)
Learning to be more circumspect about an opponent is perhaps an answer to one of the questions that that should have been made obvious before he stepped into the ring against Murtazaliev.
Whether he has learnt sufficiently from that most painful of lessons, only time will tell.
Yet more of those questions will only be able to be answered once Tszyu is caught by some of Spencer’s flailing fists in the ring, because make no mistake, Tszyu will be caught.
Joey Spencer covered up considerably for his public work our during the week. (Supplied: No Limit Boxing/Gregg Porteous)
His 24-year-old opponent is no mug, a three-match unbeaten run since his only career defeat marking him out as such.
The fact he won nine amateur national titles and is a two-time PBC prospect of the year tells you the rest.
He will come into this fight a heavy underdog, but has already ruffled feathers by demanding a change to the judging panel — where once there were to be three Aussies, now two will be international.
“I don’t think anyone is trying to cheat me or anything. It’s just more about when I get in there, I don’t want somebody who could potentially be rooting for Tim judging the fight,” Spencer said, quite reasonably.
“Judging a fight is really subjective, so if there are rounds that are close I want a fair set of eyes that aren’t necessarily rooting for one or the other.”
Spencer, from small-town Michigan, rarely has home-town advantage in fights, but cannot be underestimated.
He is considered a rising star of American boxing and his elevation to this contest with Tszyu has at least some observers very, very nervous.
Joey Spencer’s last three fights have all been at middleweight, a weight division higher than super welterweight. (Supplied: No Limit Boxing/Gregg Porteous)
In fact, boxing legend Jeff Fenech described Tszyu’s camp as “idiots” for letting Tszyu take this challenge, pointing to a complete lack of awareness in the team that allowed Tszyu to be beaten by Fundora in the first place.
The head clash that created blood-bath in Las Vegas was an accident and, as such, the Tszyu camp could have stopped the fight after the fourth round due to the amount of claret that poured like a fountain out of Tszyu’s head, going to the scorecards there and then.
However, the fight was allowed to continue and Tszyu lost.
Against Murtazaliev, Tszyu showed clear scars from that fight, flinching away and dabbing at his head after another head clash despite there being no cut, betraying his nervousness.
Tszyu dismissed questions over his mental state: “I’m alright, man,” he said. “Don’t stress.”
But that flinch in the ring in Florida, coupled with the fact that it was Nikita Tszyu who threw in the towel against Murtazaliev, a staggering oversight from the rest of his corner given the pounding Tszyu was being administered, does speak of some issues with Tszyu’s reckless bravery and his camp’s unwillingness to curb it.
Tim Tszyu learned a harsh lesson in Orlando. (Getty Images: Alex Menendez)
“It’s like a circus over there,” Fenech told Channel Nine in February.
“Tim is an unbelievable athlete and fighter and he will duck nobody. He just says yes. But for me that’s not Tim’s decision.
“That’s my decision if I’m his trainer. The trainer should be saying this is how we’re going to do it.
“But the guys in that circus wouldn’t know. That’s the only reason why Tim has lost his last two fights. Maybe they should all wear clown masks with the red nose next time they’re in his corner.
“There are a million guys at that weight in the world and they need to pick the one he needs next.
“Going step by step. There’s no use going one step then taking the elevator to the top floor. You have to go one step at a time.”
Tszyu continued with his old trope that he will fight “whoever, whenever, wherever” during his media commitments on Thursday, adding that he considered Spencer “a roadblock” that just needs to be got rid of.
Tim Tszyu has had success in Newcastle, or Tszyucastle, before. (Getty Images: Cameron Spencer)
Nevertheless, a return to Newcastle marks a return to familiar territory for Tszyu.
It was at the Entertainment Centre in “Tszyu-castle” that Tszyu recorded comprehensive knock out victories over Dennis Hogan and Stevie Spark in 2021.
“It’s one hell of a vibe there,” Tszyu said.
“The energy was crazy [for the fight against Hogan].
“Hopefully I’m able to contain myself and stay nice and relaxed unless I got too excited. But you never know what happens.”
Dad Kostya recorded six wins out of six in Newcastle, including two defences of his IBF light-welterweight title.
Indeed, the Tszyu family has a fighting record of 50-0 on Australian soil, 11-0 in Newcastle.
Tszyu will claim the WBO inter-continental super welterweight title should he prevail on Sunday.
But more importantly, he’ll resurrect his career.
“It’s the most important fight of my life,” Tszyu said at the open work-out on Thursday at Bondi.
“I’ve got so much to prove.
“I know what I bring, what I possess. It’s about showing that. Letting the world know that we never left.”
“There is so much on the line. This one feels different.”
And so it should.
Anything less than victory will be terminal for Tszyu’s career.
And he needs to remember that.
When is the Tim Tszyu fight?
Tim Tszyu (left) and Joey Spencer will meet in the ring on Sunday. (Getty Images: Roni Bintang)
The fight card begins at 9:00am AEDT in Newcastle with the first of three preliminary fights.
The main pay per view card starts at 11:00am AEDT.
Tim Tszyu is not expected to walk to the ring until about 2:00pm AEDT, but that is subject to the length of the previous fights on the card.
How can I watch Tim Tszyu’s fight?
If you want to watch the fight, you’re going to have to pay up.
The pay per view card is exclusive to Main Event in Australia and will cost a cool $69.95.
ABC Sport will be live blogging the entire card, so feel free to join us on Sunday.
