Now that Artur Beterbiev-Dmitry Bivol is behind us, I’ve started to look forward to Bakhram Murtazaliev-Tim Tszyu more and more.
I’m a big fan of Tszyu. I love the way that he fights; the way that he carries himself; his willingness to fight anyone and everyone in the biggest fights possible. He’s a breath of fresh air.
Murtazaliev – who beat Jack Culcay in April – is a very tough opponent. He’s young; he’s strong; he’s big; he’s got a good right hand, and he’s got an engine that meant that he finished the fight against Culcay very strongly.
For a junior middleweight Murtazaliev is tall. He’s also very aggressive, and varies his powerful right hand. Against Tszyu – a good mover and counter puncher – that aggression could prove a blessing or a curse, because there are times he’s off-balance as a consequence of overthrowing that right hand. He really tries to hurt his opponents – he goes looking for the knockout – but his instincts also mean that he’s open to getting countered.
He doesn’t mind getting hit, so a key test will likely come in how well he can take Tszyu’s power. His footwork also suggests that he can be outmanoeuvred. He falls forward with shots; he steps through, and throws punches from awkward angles but delivers them with power – for a tactician, fighters like Murtazaliev are the hardest to figure out.
Tszyu will need to be a lot more tactical than simply fighting head to head. He also hasn’t shown a great deal of outmanoeuvring to date – he typically puts a lot of pressure on opponents by staying in front of them, and he counters them impressively, but at under 5ft 9ins at 154lbs, he fights with a disadvantage against his taller rivals.
Fundamentally, Tszyu’s a very sound fighter. He has great balance, and applies his pressure intelligently; he’s capable of standing in front of opponents but pulling straight back to counter with the right hand, and he varies his right hand beautifully. He also has a very quick, and underrated, jab. Tony Harrison, one of his former opponents, once told me: “His hands were way quicker than I expected.” And he’s dogged in his approach; he’s difficult to frustrate and take away from his game plan, as we saw when he fought Sebastian Fundora in March. He couldn’t see, but stuck to his game plan, and he was successful in a lot of the 10 rounds that followed that cut opening up.
His doggedness, regardless, can hurt him. Against Fundora he struggled to switch up, even though he was at a disadvantage because of the blood in his eyes. That discipline, focus and mentality can hurt him if he falls behind and has to make adjustments on the fly.
Psychologically, Tszyu’s very strong – I’ve little doubt he’s put the defeat by Fundora well behind him. He was ready to fight Vergil Ortiz – he’s locked in, and he’s moving forwards.
His father, Kostya, is going to be ringside at one of his fights for the first time since his professional debut in 2016. I had family members around me for my entire career, so I understand the extra pressure – and possibly the distractions – of having someone so close to you shouting instructions at you, like Kostya did to Tim that night. But the noises they’ve made suggest that Tim’s in a good place regarding Kostya being around, which is important – and it could prove a positive for him against Murtazaliev.
Tszyu agreed, a late notice after an injury suffered by Keith Thurman, to fight Fundora on the night Premier Boxing Champions and Amazon Prime were working together for the first time. He then fought on for 10 dramatic rounds with a cut when he perhaps should have been pulled out at the end of the second. PBC owed it to him to deliver for him an immediate shot at a title.
I don’t believe that Tszyu did that out of loyalty – it’s just who he is as a fighter. But I suspect PBC reflect fondly on him doing so, and wanted to reward him. Murtazaliev, also, was perhaps owed a big fight – he’d taken a lot of step-aside payments to allow other opportunities to proceed.
The circumstances surrounding Tszyu-Fundora mean that defeat didn’t really set him back. If he loses to Murtazaliev, that story will change – another defeat, to a low-profile opponent, would be disastrous, and leave Tszyu’s career requiring rebuilding.
Ultimately, I favour Tszyu. His superior fundamentals, his physicality, and how hungry he is – I expect him to be around for a long time; he’s got all of the makings to be a dominant champion – give him the edge. But it’s not going to be an easy fight.
Beterbiev-Bivol, by the way, was a great fight. It was very, very tactical, which I’d expected; both produced a masterclass in positioning and at such a high level; they manoeuvred each other all night on.
I thought Bivol edged it and deserved victory, but it wasn’t a robbery, even though I found it difficult to find a path to give Beterbiev enough rounds to win, and even though the one score of 116-112 blew my mind.
A rematch, as soon as possible, makes the most sense for all parties. The money’s there; Beterbiev will get a bigger portion as the winner, and knows what it’s like to share the ring with Bivol, which should appeal more than fighting a young, hungry lion like David Benavidez. Bivol can also get a big payday, and can get revenge.
Despite seeing Bivol as the winner in Riyadh, I’d favour Beterbiev to win a rematch. The more time he spends in the ring with anyone, the more chance he has of hurting them with his incredible power. Bivol was masterful in his defence and in slipping punches, but Beterbiev can benefit from the 12 rounds they’ve shared to find ways to hurt him if they fight again.