by Keith Idec
TIM Tszyu was “devastated” when informed by a doctor that he should not proceed with his scheduled fight against Vergil Ortiz Jr. This news came just weeks after Tszyu suffered a severe cut during his split-decision loss to Sebastian Fundora on March 30 in Las Vegas, a traumatic incident that left him unable to fight.
Despite having only a month to recover, Tszyu had eagerly accepted the challenge of facing Ortiz. Unfortunately, his decision to rush back into the ring proved ill-timed, as the stitches on his head had not healed sufficiently. This resulted in his withdrawal from the planned matchup with Ortiz, initially set to feature on the undercard of Terence Crawford vs. Israil Madrimov on August 3 at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles.
In Tszyu’s absence, Ortiz fought Ukrainian contender Serhii Bohachuk on August 10 in Las Vegas, winning by majority decision. Ortiz (22-0, 21 KOs) showcased his resilience by recovering from two knockdowns during the match, ultimately securing the WBC interim super welterweight title, which has since elevated him to full champion status.
Now, Tszyu (24-1, 17 KOs) is focused on his upcoming match against Bakhram Murtazaliev for the unbeaten Russian’s IBF junior middleweight title this Saturday night in Orlando, Florida. As a 7-1 favorite in the fight, Tszyu hopes that a victory over Murtazaliev (22-0, 16 KOs) will pave the way for a rescheduled bout with Ortiz, potentially unifying the 154-pound titles.
“I’m always down for that,” Tszyu stated in an interview with Boxing News. “I think he did well [against Bohachuk]. He fought a hard fight. It was great to see him really engaged in the 154-pound division because he hadn’t faced the top contenders before. This was a real test for him, and I think he passed it with flying colors.”
The two knockdowns Ortiz experienced in the first and eighth rounds created a closer scoring margin in the eyes of the judges, with scores reflecting the intense competition. Judge Max De Luca scored it 113-113, while David Sutherland and Steve Weisfeld had it 114-112 for Ortiz. This match underscored the challenging nature of the super welterweight division, especially considering that both fighters are potent punchers.
“I don’t think he got hurt at any of those times,” Tszyu added. “He’s a warrior. The knockdowns just made the fight a bit closer.”
Following the bout, Bohachuk’s promoter, Tom Loeffler, sought an immediate rematch with Ortiz. However, with that not materializing, Bohachuk is set to face Uzbekistan’s Madrimov (10-1-1, 7 KOs) in a compelling junior middleweight matchup on the Oleksandr Usyk-Tyson Fury undercard on December 21 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Tszyu’s prior public disagreement with Turki Alalshikh, the chairman of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority, might complicate any negotiations for the Ortiz bout. Alalshikh played a key role in funding the Ortiz-Bohachuk fight and collaborates closely with Ortiz’s promoter, Oscar De La Hoya.
As Tszyu prepares for his main event against Murtazaliev at Caribe Royale Orlando (1 a.m. GMT; 8 p.m. ET), he reflects on the missed opportunity to face Ortiz. “I came back to Australia from America two weeks after my fight with Fundora and got my stitches out,” Tszyu recounted. “Then I got the call about Vergil Ortiz. I was completely onboard. I mean, what an opportunity! I couldn’t wait to start preparations. I booked a trip to Thailand to kick off my pre-training camp, but after training for two weeks, my doctor said the cut wasn’t healed enough for me to fight.”
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