Tim Tszyu has vowed to continue “moving forwards” in the wake of his stoppage defeat by Sebastian Fundora.
The Australian on Saturday lost for the third time in four fights, and the second time to Fundora, in their rematch for the WBC junior-middleweight title at Las Vegas’ MGM Grand.
He had previously stopped Joseph Spencer in four rounds, but that victory in April followed successive defeats – in three rounds by the IBF champion Bakhram Murtazaliev and via decision to Fundora on the night he sacrificed both his title from the WBO and his undefeated status.
A run of that nature, and the bruising evenings that they involved, made it inevitable that at the age of 30 Tszyu’s future would be questioned.
He, regardless, told BoxingScene in the build-up to his date with the 27-year-old Fundora of his expectations of a future fight with Keith Thurman – a high-profile opponent who previously eluded him and who he had been on course to fight until agreeing his rematch with Fundora – and on Tuesday spoke with the same sense of defiance that has come to characterise many of his movements since Thurman was replaced by Fundora as his opponent in March 2024.
“When I first started this sport, what I said was I wanted to get to the very, very top, and I didn’t mind crashing or burning on the way up,” he said in a video posted on social media. “Sitting here now, we did crash and burn, but we still move forward. Some things go your way; some things don’t. What happened last weekend didn’t go my way, but we still move forward.
“Sometimes it’s who you become in the pursuit of greatness, rather than the result itself. Sitting here now, I’m proud to say that I’ve become a different person in my pursuit of greatness. To anyone watching, no matter what you do, always find the goal of becoming someone different, or becoming motivated. It’s never going to be easy, but it will pay off.
“I appreciate everyone’s support. I’m sorry I couldn’t get the victory. He was just the better man, and I have to accept that, even though it’s hard. But I gave it my all. We move on. The goal doesn’t change.”
It was in the aftermath of Tszyu’s defeat that the influential Turki Alalshikh – who has never worked with Tszyu – wrote in a post he later deleted: “I said to you from the beginning, Tim Tszyu does not deserve to be on a Riyadh Season or Ring Magazine card. He can be useful as a sparring partner for a champion in Riyadh Season.”
The chairman of the General Entertainment Authority had previously attempted to match Tszyu with Vergil Ortiz Jnr.
