Tim Tszyu had a night that he would like to erase from his memories and record. The Australian fighter had a chance to reclaim a title and reclaim a top spot in the light middleweight division. But he ended up being outclassed, outpunched, and outmuscled by Bakhram Murtazaliev.

Murtazaliev not only defended his IBF title but also secured a devastating win, as he picked up a third-round technical knockout win. The challenger, despite being the heavy favorite, never looked settled, as he took a knee four times at the Caribe Royale Resort in Orlando and dropped his second consecutive fight of the year.

Bakhram Murtazaliev proves his mantle against Tim Tszyu

The first hit on Tszyu came in the second round, where his leaky defense again put him in trouble and ate a left hook. Instead of trying to recover and go into a shell, he launched a counterattack. That strategy failed, as he took another left and at once went down. He took a tumble in the dying seconds of the second round, again. Tszyu’s agony was cut short in the third round, as his corner threw in the towel.

After the loss, Tim Tszyu admitted his loss and gave no excuses. He said, “The better man won tonight. No excuses. I tried my best. Boxing is not meant to be perfect. I think it was after the first shot. Things didn’t go according to plan. He’s the man at 154. He’s the champ.” Tszyu’s loss has shaken up the boxing landscape and had pros and fans taking to their social media accounts, to express their candid opinion.

Terence Crawford and pros wish for Tszyu’s speedy recovery

Caleb Plant lauded Tim Tszyu for fighting on despite the knockdowns and accepting his mistakes after the loss. He wrote, “Good man. No excuses. Real good fighter. Rest up, regroup and we’ll see you again soon @Tim_Tszyu is great for the sport and even better guy.” With another loss on the trout, Tszyu might take a break from boxing and recover from the cut that he sustained in his fight against Fundora in March and then get his confidence back.

Terence Crawford asked not to trust the fans and lauded Murtazaliev for his credentials despite not being a popular face. He declared, “This why you can’t listen to these fans. They don’t know boxing at all. Just because you never heard of a fighter doesn’t mean he’s a bum. Now everyone is high on Murtazaliev. Yall need to stop downing fighters just because yall don’t pay attention to them.” Notably, Bakhram Murtazaliev held a record of 22-0 before his fight with Tim Tszyu and defeated Jack Culcay with a comprehensive victory to win the IBF crown.

George Kambosos Jr. had a similar take as he asked for respect for fighters coming from not-so-mainstream countries. He announced, “This game ain’t easy, I hope Tim is physically ok, he’s always been a good kid, mainstream media wake up, maybe learn your lessons and stop writing bull**it every second of the day, blowing to much smoke, there’s other great fighters in the country too, god bless everyone 👏🏻.” His remark particularly referred to how in the build-up to the fight, many fans had Murtazaliev as an underdog despite being the champion and boasting an undefeated record.

Andre Berto took a jibe at Tim Tszyu’s father, boxing veteran Kotsya Tszyu, and believed his recovery would take a long time. He said, “Sh-t looked like a set up… And his father finally made it over to watch his son fight in person smh. Those are the type of shots that it might be hard to come back from… That was wild 🤦🏾‍♂️.” Tszyu, like his father, became a world champion. But with consecutive losses on a trot, he might have a long way ahead to replicate his father’s legacy.

What do you make of this fight between Tim Tszyu and Bakhram Murtazaliev? Let us know in the comments below.