Huge hint Tim Tszyu's boxing career is over after Aussie quits on stool against Sebastian Fundora
Australia's former WBO super-welterweight champion was badly outclassed on Sunday before quitting on the stool at the end of the seventh round.
Tszyu was dropped in round 1, and things only got uglier from there, with the loss leaving the Aussie to ponder if continuing in the brutal sport is worth it anymore.
'I tried to give it everything, but I just couldn't do it,' Tszyu said after the fight.
The Tszyu camp went to great lengths after the fight to dismiss the Aussie gave up on himself, stating it was a joint decision to throw in the towel.
And while Tszyu stopped short of saying he quit after yet another defeat, his words, 'I just couldn't do it', said it all.
As did the blank stare and distressed state he was in back in the dressing room after the fight, as the heavy burden of trying to carry on the Tszyu legacy appears to finally be taking its toll.
The 30-year-old had been attempting to emulate his Hall of Fame dad Kostya as only the third father-son duo in boxing history to both win multiple world titles.
But that dream appears now dead in the water. And Tszyu's promoter, former rugby league hard man George Rose, hinted in a statement on Sunday night that Tszyu may walk away from the sport.
'It's just a decision up to him as to what he's going to do, whether he gets back in the gym on Monday, whether he has a break, what he does,' Rose said in a statement.
'In this sport, a loss is a long time that you've got to deal with that for.
'It's not a one-week thing like most team sports, where you can move on within a week.
'A lot's got to happen on the back of it. Firstly, you've got to go medically.
'Then you've got to look at where the hunger's at, and Tim's one person you never can question his hunger or desire or the amount of application he puts in with his efforts in this sport. He rips in.
'He just fought for a world title at the MGM Grand, so while that's a really cool thing, taking a loss is a tough thing.
'I know Tim's still very talented, very capable, but it comes down to him. He's the guy who's got to put his life on the line in the ring.
'So the decision is on him, and I support him with whatever he chooses 100 per cent.'
Tszyu has now lost three of his past four fights.
He has been outclassed twice by Fundora and was also walloped in his title fight against Russian Bakhram Murtazaliev at the end of 2024.
Whether Tszyu wishes to rebuild his career is unknown at this stage, but if he does, his road to the top is now a long one.
Had Tszyu won on Sunday, his promoter No Limit was targeting a fight with a US superstar – either Keith Thurman, Jermell Charlo or Errol Spence Jr.
But after a third loss in four fights, any Tszyu rebuild would now likely start back Down Under, potentially fighting Michael Zerafa – a man long seen as inferior to Tszyu.
Currently, Zerafa is slated to fight on Tim's brother Nikita's August comeback card and then, should the pair both win, square off with 'The Butcher' at the end of the year.
However, if Tszyu does wish to try and make a run to the top again, a fight against Zerafa – a man he was scheduled to fight back in 2021 – appears a logical place to start.
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