Latest news with #ToweringInferno
7NEWS
an hour ago
- Sport
- 7NEWS
Tim Tszyu pounded into submission again in nightmare rematch with Sebastian Fundora
Tim Tszyu has suffered another devastating setback, losing once again to American Sebastian Fundora in the pair's much-hyped world-title rematch in Las Vegas. Tszyu had been hunting redemption after losing a split-decision bloodbath to Fundora 16 months ago. Instead Australia's former WBO super-welterweight world champ will return to Sydney with his international career at another crossroad following a despairing seventh-round TKO defeat. Saturday night's loss at the MGM Grand's Garden Arena was the 30-year-old's third from his past four bouts, after going unbeaten for his first 24 professional fights. Tszyu also endured a crushing world-title loss last year to big-hitting Russian Bakhram Murtazaliev before Fundora sportingly offered him a rematch after the Sydney slayer knocked out fellow American Joey Spencer in March. Tszyu (25-3, 18KOs) may even consider a move up to the light-middleweight ranks, or hope Keith Thurman lives up to his word after the US star called him out after slaying Brock Jarvis earlier this year in Sydney. More immediately, Tszyu must digest another sapping defeat at the hands of 'The Towering Inferno'. Last time around against his gangling 197cm opponent, Tszyu had to fight for 10 rounds half-blinded after walking into Fundora's elbow and suffering an horrific cut to an artery at the top of his head. In the return bout, Tszyu fought with more patience but couldn't stay with the near two-metre tall rival. Fundora made a spectacular start, dropping Tszyu in the opening round with a thunderous straight left to the head. Tszyu's cut man Mark Gambin was again under immense pressure after Fundora landed a flurry of punches to open up a nasty wound above the Australian's right eye in the second round. Struggling to cope with Fundora's massive height and reach advantage, Tszyu looked in peril before catching the American with a huge over-hand right in round four. But the Californian, the tallest world champion in all of boxing — continued to throw and land more punches than Tszyu. Tszyu needed to conjure something special. Showing supreme courage to stay in the contest, Tszyu found some joy with his body shots before the fight exploded in a ferocious round seven. Despite hurting Fundora and maybe even breaking the champion's nose, Tszyu told his corner he could not return for round eight. 'Holy s***, Tim Tszyu quits before the eighth,' one boxing fan wrote on X. 'Never thought I'd see the day he refused to continue fighting. Man has the heart of a lion, but Sebastian Fundora was just too good.' Fundora is about to start a six-year engineering degree at Harvard University but Tszyu graciously said his vanquisher already is fully qualified in the sweet science. 'He's one tough motherf*****,' Tszyu said after the fight. 'I tried to give it everything, but I just couldn't do it and victory belongs to Sebastian Fundora, the best 154-pounder on the planet right now. 'He was just a better man. He's a better man. 'He's very hard to land. He's tall as f*** and sometimes I feel like I was shadow boxing with myself. 'But it is what it is. Congratulations to Fundora and his team.'
Perth Now
2 hours ago
- Sport
- Perth Now
Fundora pounds Tszyu into submission in title rematch
Tim Tszyu has suffered another devastating setback, losing once again to American Sebastian Fundora in the pair's much-hyped world-title rematch in Las Vegas. Tszyu had been hunting redemption after losing a split-decision bloodbath to Fundora 16 months ago. Instead Australia's former WBO super-welterweight world champ will return to Sydney with his international career at another crossroad following a despairing seventh-round TKO defeat. Saturday night's loss at the MGM Grand's Garden Arena was the 30-year-old's third from his past four bouts, after going unbeaten for his first 24 professional fights. Tszyu also endured a crushing world-title loss last year to big-hitting Russian Bakhram Murtazaliev before Fundora sportingly offered him a rematch after the Sydney slayer knocked out fellow American Joey Spencer in March. Tszyu (25-3, 18KOs) may even consider a move up to the light-middleweight ranks, or hope Keith Thurman lives up to his word after the US star called him out after slaying Brock Jarvis earlier this year in Sydney. More immediately, Tszyu must digest another sapping defeat at the hands of "The Towering Inferno". Last time around against his gangling 197cm opponent, Tszyu had to fight for 10 rounds half-blinded after walking into Fundora's elbow and suffering an horrific cut to an artery at the top of his head. In the return bout, Tszyu fought with more patience but couldn't stay with the near two-metre tall rival. Fundora made a spectacular start, dropping Tszyu in the opening round with a thunderous straight left to the head. Tszyu's cut man Mark Gambin was again under immense pressure after Fundora landed a flurry of punches to open up a nasty wound above the Australian's right eye in the second round. Struggling to cope with Fundora's massive height and reach advantage, Tszyu looked in peril before catching the American with a huge over-hand right in round four. But the Californian, the tallest world champion in all of boxing - continued to throw and land more punches than Tszyu. Tszyu needed to conjure something special. Showing supreme courage to stay in the contest, Tszyu found some joy with his body shots before the fight exploded in a ferocious round seven. Despite hurting Fundora and maybe even breaking the champion's nose, Tszyu told his corner he could not return for round eight.
Perth Now
a day ago
- Sport
- Perth Now
'Come to Papa': taunting Tszyu hunts boxing history
Burnt by past bravado, a new and improved Tim Tszyu is pledging to bring his frightening boxing IQ to his eagerly awaited world-title rematch with Sebastian Fundora. Like the co-headline act Manny Pacquiao, Tszyu received a hero's reception after hitting the scales in career peak condition at the official weigh-in in Las Vegas. But while soaking up the "unreal" atmosphere ahead of the blockbuster card at the iconic MGM Grand, Tszyu said he was locked in for the fight of his life on Saturday night (Sunday AEST). The 30-year-old promised no more of the gung-ho antics that led to a brutal beat-down at the hands of Russian hitman Bakhram Murtazaliev in his last world-title fight in Florida in October. "Smart. Strategic," Tsyzu told AAP when asked what style he would take to the ring. "I feel like a patient Tim Tszyu always brings out the best. "When I'm rushing, trying to show my power and showing that physical dominance, sometimes I make a few mistakes. "But this time, I'm just going to be smart and patient." The humble former WBO super-welterweight belt holder believes he learnt some harsh but crucial life lessons in back-to-back defeats in the US last year to Fundora and Murtazaliev. "You grow as a person," the 30-year-old said. "I'm just more disciplined. Adversity teaches you some stuff that victories don't. "I'm at a different feeling right now. "What happened in the past has made me into who I am today. Today is a dangerous, hungry young fighter who is willing to take it all and just wants success. "So for me this is a different phase from last year. I'm more mature, more hungrier and more confident." Fundora won last year's epic bloodbath on a split decision after Tszyu was left half-blinded by a cut artery to his head after walking into the so-called Towering Inferno's elbow late in round two. The US jabber says he won't need to alter his game plan to prevail once more, but Tszyu is adamant he will win regardless of what his rival brings to the blockbuster sequel. Tszyu's younger, undefeated brother Nikita often says how scary it is entering the ring with his older sibling, who boasts the boxing nous and "Soul Taker" traits of the pair's Hall of Fame father Kostya. And now Tszyu believes he has the answer to anything Fundora throws at him, adamant the champion fears his awesome firepower. "Even the last time, as soon as I hit him, he started just jabbing," Tszyu said. "That's why I invite him to the war. "If he wants to bring the war, I'll land the first shot. "If he wants to come to Papa, I'll welcome him with open arms. "May the best man win and I know who the best man is." Speaking of 'Papa', a revenge victory for the son of a gun would vault Tszyu into the history books as only the second biological father-son duo to capture multiple world titles. The stakes are not lost on the challenger. "I know my dad won his first world title here," Tszyu said. "He also won his undisputed fight against Zab Judah and to create this Tszyu legacy and Australian sporting moments, it's a big responsibility. "But it's a big pleasure of mine and I can't wait to step in there and live a young kid's dream, chasing some of Australia's greatest sporting moments in history." This AAP article was made possible by support from No Limit Boxing.
Perth Now
2 days ago
- Sport
- Perth Now
'You're not Superman': Tszyu's stinging Fundora sledge
Tim Tszyu says this one is personal with the Australian superstar pledging to put Sebastian Fundora in his place and join his Hall of Fame father as a multiple world boxing champion. While Fundora is doing his best to play down any animosity between the sluggers, Tszyu is livid about the American's camp questioning his integrity ahead of the pair's world-title rematch in Las Vegas on Saturday night (Sunday AEST). Tszyu has maintained for 16 months he fought Fundora for 10 rounds bloodied and half-blinded after copping an errant elbow from the "Towering Inferno" and rupturing an artery in his head. Tszyu has been universally lauded for his courage in boxing on through the potentially fatal injury. But Fundora lit the fuse for an explosive return bout when he claimed last week, then doubled down on Thursday, that he looked Tszyu square in the eye and could see the Sydney slayer fighting, from his view, unaffected. So peeved is Tszyu that the 30-year-old former WBO super-welterweight champion says winning a second world title is secondary to taking Fundora out. "It's not the belt. It's Fundora," Tszyu said at the official pre-fight press conference at the MGM Grand. "Belts come and go. "But to beat someone who you have a history with, the fact it was my first loss, to rewrite that history, that's the challenge." Tszyu is also seriously annoyed about Fundora denying his nose was broken earlier in the opening round of the first-up bloodbath in Vegas. The Nevada State Athletic Commission ordered Fundora not to fight for six months, yet the 26-year-old on Thursday claimed there was no such break. "I don't know why they're lying," Tszyu said. "It must be his dad. Could be Sampson (Lewkowicz, Fundora's agent). Who knows. "But we all saw it. He had blood pissing down, was breathing out of his mouth. It's facts." Despite Tszyu's own horrific injury, the son of a gun only lost last year's first encounter on a split decision after being awarded the contest by one of the three judges. "I still got the win," Fundora said on Thursday. "Still went home with two titles." Living up to his old-school boxing warrior reputation, Tszyu returned to the ring barely six months later only to endure a brutal loss to Russian Bakhram Murtazaliev in Florida last October. Tszyu can't quite comprehend Fundora's confidence. "He's got some sort of cockiness around him now," he told AAP when asked about his brave front. "His vibe has changed. He's walking around like Superman. "Relax, you're not Superman." In another intriguing sub-plot to their sequel, Fundora stripped Tszyu of his WBO belt after Fundora had been knocked out by compatriot Brian Mendoza - six months after Tszyu claimed the title with a thunderous victory over Mendoza on the Gold Coast. "He's been saying I've got PTSD," Tszyu said. "But I feel he has PTSD from what Mendoza did to him. I feel like he still thinks about it. "To be knocked out cold like that, it takes a bit out of you. "Even though I was stopped by Bakhram (Murtazaliev), I made sure to get back up each time. "He wasn't up. He was gone." This AAP article was made possible by support from No Limit Boxing.
7NEWS
11-07-2025
- Sport
- 7NEWS
Tim Tszyu all focus ahead of world title rematch with American boxer Sebastian Fundora
Tim Tszyu says his eye is firmly on taking down Sebastian Fundora in their world title rematch after conceding he's previously been guilty of looking ahead at possible future fights. Tszyu will square off against Fundora in Las Vegas on Sunday, July 20 (AEST), looking to reclaim the WBC super-welterweight belt he relinquished to the American 16 months ago. The Australian star (25-2, 18KOs) suffered a cruel split-decision loss to Fundora (22-1-1, 14KOs) in the Nevada hotspot last March after a stray elbow left Tszyu fighting 10 rounds virtually blinded due to a head gash. Know the news with the 7NEWS app: Download today Undefeated then and looking to become a unified world champion like his father Kostya, a brash Tszyu was full of confidence facing Fundora, who stepped in on 12 days' notice after an injury to the Sydney slayer's original opponent Keith Thurman Jr. Tszyu's camp was reportedly already in talks for a super showdown with undisputed welterweight king Terence Crawford, regarded as the best pound-for-pound fighter on the planet. The Australian was also salivating about the prospect of a big payday against former unified welterweight champion Errol Spence Junior, who had signalled his interest. But Fundora, who is some 23cm taller than Tszyu, withstood an early barrage and then took advantage of Tszyu's second-round head wound to cause a major upset. Speaking from Las Vegas on the back of 10 weeks preparation, Tszyu said he wouldn't make the same mistake in his second chance against the awkward southpaw. 'I used to envision future fights a little too much,' the 30-year-old said. 'This time it's 100 per cent Fundora-focused. 'It's hard for anyone to adjust to Fundora's height - it's a core advantage that he's got but there's little things we have prepared for it. 'I think the fact that we know each other and have shared the ring with each other, will make us even better in the rematch. We'll both make adjustments and we'll see who makes the correct ones on the night. 'This is unfinished business for sure. I wasn't able to show myself completely the first time, and now I get to rewrite history.' The MGM Grand Garden Arena fight is the co-feature alongside Hall of Famer Manny Pacquiao against rising Mexican-American star Mario Barrios, with Tszyu well aware another loss would extinguish his dream of conquering boxing's big time. While he believed he would win by knockout, he said he needed to show patience before watching the 'Towering Inferno' go down. 'I feel like the knockout is going to come, I just have to stay patient,' said Tszyu, dubbed the 'Soultaker'. 'About a year ago I was going too much for it, and you can't do that in boxing, especially at the top level - when it comes, it comes. 'I can't wait to get in the ring so that I can punish him. I've got a lot to prove. I wouldn't say there's bad blood, but I want to take his head off.'
