The career of Tim Tszyu has taken a downward spiral in 2024 after suffering the first and second defeats of his career, costing him his super-welterweight world title. Now, only one man seems to remain as a viable opponent for his next fight—and it’s an opportunity close to home.
Tszyu became the darling of Australian boxing when he claimed the WBO super-welterweight championship and defended it against Brian Mendoza, seemingly setting up an eventual showdown with either Jermell Charlo or Terence Crawford.
Yet, before either of those fights could materialise, ‘The Soul Taker’ accepted a showdown with Keith Thurman – who was then later replaced by the lanky and unorthodox contender, Sebastian Fundora.
With the help of an early cut, Fundora was able to capitalize on a seemingly unprepared performance from Tszyu, pulling off an upset to win the unified WBO and WBC world titles via split-decision.
However, it wasn’t all doom and gloom for Tszyu, as he was subsequently presented with an opportunity to reclaim the 154-lb throne against the relatively unknown IBF titleholder Bakhram Murtazaliev.
In a shocking turn, it was Murtazaliev who was able dominate Tszyu earlier this month and score an emphatic third-round TKO victory and hand Tszyu a second consecutive defeat in the United States.
Tszyu now finds himself in no-man’s-land within the super-welterweight division, with many suggesting he return home to Australia to regain form, confidence, and momentum.
Aside from his brother Nikita, however, there are few notable names in the domestic super-welterweight division to create an intriguing contest. Instead, Tszyu appears likely to target former middleweight world title challenger – and Australian pantomime villain – Michael Zerafa in a potential catchweight bout.
Zerafa bounced back from an unsuccessful world title bid against Erislandy Lara with a first-round victory over Tommy Browne in August—an injury forced Browne to withdraw after the opening round. Despite having fought only three rounds since 2022, Zerafa told Boxing Social that the timing of Tszyu’s shortcomings is ideal.
“Between me and Tszyu, there has always been bad blood. He thinks that he is the best, I think that I am the best in our divisions. Obviously, he is in a lighter division, but he thinks that he is the best in the country and I think that I am the best in the country and there is only one way to settle that and that is to fight.
“We have both cleaned out our backyards and then there is just that competitiveness that we have between each other and our personalities clash. There is nothing personal towards him.
“We are very similar, we’ve cleaned out our backyards and there is nobody left for us but each other. For me, I’m keen to fight whenever he wants to fight and I think we will be in negotiations pretty soon. His promoters are getting back from America, so I am just waiting.
“I believe that timing plays a huge role in boxing and Zerafa vs. Tszyu is now. He is coming off of two losses, whereas I’m getting my momentum back.”
Whispers of a Tszyu vs. Zerafa fight have been circulating in Australian boxing circles since their cancelled bout in 2021. Rumours that the pair could finally meet had already surfaced before the Murtazaliev defeat. However, it was previously believed that ‘Pretty Boy’ would need to defeat Tszyu’s brother, Nikita, before earning a shot at Tim.
Zerafa went on to reveal that this plan was indeed in place but that it has since gone out of the window ‘now that everything has gone sour for Tim’, before adding that he believes himself to be hungrier than the former WBO world champion.
“We didn’t actually want Nikita, they were basically shielding Tim with Nikita. They gave me Nikita and promised that if I beat Nikita then they were going to give me Tim, but now that everything has gone sour for Tim, we are going straight for him.
“Styles make fights and we are stylistically perfect for each other. I believe I bring more hunger and grit, I have a lot more to prove and that motivates me.”
Summarising the Murtazaliev battering, Zerafa then declared his belief that Tim Tszyu has a habit of overlooking his opponents and thinking too far ahead – warning that he will be handed a third successive loss if he does the same when the Aussie duo go toe-to-toe.
“Plain and simple – he [Tszyu] overlooked him. He does that every fight. He always worries about what is coming next.
“He was making t-shirts with Crawford and Canelo and Charlo’s names on it, it is clear to see that he doesn’t focus on the task ahead and just overlooked his opponent.
“I don’t think that he is arrogant, he is just over-confident and worries about the media too much and what is happening next. I just focus on what the task it and it is looking like all roads are leading towards Tim. Hopefully he focusses on me, if not, he is going to have another loss next to his name.”
It remains uncertain when Tszyu-Zerafa will take place, with many advising that Tszyu takes time away from the ring to recover from his latest setback. However, when the 29-year-old decides he’s ready for a comeback, Zerafa will be waiting.
Boxing Social is now on WhatsApp! Join our channel by clicking here and getting all the latest boxing news direct to your phone.