Tim Tszyu Breaks Down Stunning Loss To Bakhram Murtazaliev

Tim Tszyu suffered a stunning third-round stoppage loss to Bakhram Murtazaliev on Saturday.

Tszyu entered the bout as the betting favorite and many expected him to get back into the win column. However, Tszyu was dropped multiple times and after he was dropped for the fourth time in the fight, which happened early in the third round, his corner threw in the towel.

It was a disappointing result for Tszyu and after the loss, he said he wasn’t sure what happened.

“Every time I step into the ring, I’m willing to die in here. The better man won tonight,” said Tszyu, via ESPN, moments after the fight had ended. “After the first shot, things didn’t go according to plan. That’s boxing. You get hit and your reactions are slower. I tried my best and these things happen. You live and you learn, right? He’s the man.”

With the loss, Tim Tszyu fell to 24-2 and is now on a two-fight losing streak. Before the loss to Murtazaliev, he was upset by Sebastian Fundora, losing by split decision.

However, Murtazaliev praised Tszyu for being tough as he says the first shot he landed was hard so he wasn’t surprised it dropped Tszyu.

“Nobody can doubt his heart,” Murtazaliev said of Tszyu. “When I landed that first shot, I knew how hard it was.”

But, with the loss, potential fights against Jermell Charlo and Errol Spence Jr. and a potential rematch with Sebastian Fundora is now off the table. Tszyu will need to have to win multiple fights in a row to have a chance to get any big fights next time out.

“You have good nights and bad nights and tonight was just one of those things,” Tszyu’s manager Matt Rose told media after the fight. “I don’t think it changes anything in regards to who Tim Tszyu is and, if anything, it shows the warrior that lives inside him. He’s never gonna back down from anyone and whenever Tim Tszyu fights, he will always show up. From us, we’re still super proud … it’s just one of those nights.”