Former WBO junior middleweight champion Tim Tszyu can encounter Joey Spencer in Australia in April. It will be a confidence amplifier for 29-year-old Tszyu (24-2, 17 COs), who lost his last two fights. 0-2 in 2024.
Spencer will be a return fight for Tszyu to get him ready for a possible collision against Keith Thurman. This is as Thurman prevailed in his March 12 match against Brock Jarvis in Sydney. Tszyu was supposed to fight former WBC and WBA welterweight champion Thurman on March 30, but he pulled him out of the fight with a biceps injury.
a must-win fight
Before last year’s disasters, Tszyu would be seen as an overwhelming favorite to stand against Spencer (19-1, 11 COs), but no more. It should be seen as a 50-50 fight, as Tszyu has shown that he is unable to make simple adjustments during battles.
And rafael reports that Tszyu is possible against Spencer in the first quarter of 2025.
This is a must-win for Tszyu, because if he can’t beat Joey Spencer, 24, he has to think seriously about retirement because it is not a top level of 154 pounds. He was destroyed by Jesus Ramos on March 25, 2023.
Since then, Spencer has beaten three unpleasant fighters to build himself somewhat. He has not yet proven to operate at the world level capability, but it seems he is good enough to be selected as Tszyu’s return fight in April.
The Murtazaliev disaster
Tszyu was wiped out on October 19 last year in three rounds by IBF Junior Middleweight Champion Bakhram Murtazaliev into an embarrassment of four off-scale defeat at the Caribe Royale in Orlando, Florida.
After the fight, Murtazaliev revealed that he was fighting with an injured right arm and forced to use his left. That was more than enough, because he repeatedly dropped Tszyu with that fist until the referee finally blew it down in the third round.
Bakhram’s primary weapon is his powerful right hand. You can only imagine what the fight would have been if he worked for him. Tszyu may not have taken out of the first round.
Tszyu lost to the 6’5 “Sebastian Fundora on March 30 last year by a 12-round divided decision. When he went into that fight, there was talk of Tszyu who might have been fighting against Terence Crawford in what would have been a big money fight, but Fundora ruined everything.
