Tim Tszyu reacted to Sebastian Fundora’s brutal stoppage win over Keith Thurman by offering a three-word statement that sums up what it’s really like boxing ‘The Towering Inferno’.
The 28-year-old returned to the ring March 28 with a sixth-round technical knockout of Thurman, in a fight in which the veteran never found a rhythm, and suffered considerable damage to the face from all of Fundora’s punching.
It’s the kind of beatdown he’s ruthlessly given before, including on Tszyu during a particularly brutal two-fight sequence in 2024 and 2025, winning the first by split decision, before forcing a seventh-round retirement in the rematch.
Tszyu, of course, knows how Thurman would have been feeling when he woke up the morning after the fight.
“Fundora’s a nightmare.”
Elaborating, Tszyu said: “Thurman had no answer … he’s [Fundora] a hard man to fight with, you have to be ready to get in there and take a few to give a few back.
“I think he was trying to be too cautious and he was just getting hit too much.”
At the post-fight presser, Thurman — despite looking bruised and beat up — insisted he had more to give in the fight, and bemoaned what he regarded as an early stoppage from the referee Thomas Taylor.
Tszyu, though, disagreed. “The referee pulled [the fight] at the right time.”
While Thurman was Fundora’s first opponent since advancing to 2-0 in the Tszyu rivalry, the Aussie boxer Tim, meanwhile, fights for a second time following that rematch, having rebounded with a 10-round decision win over Anthony Velazquez in Sydney on December 17, 2025.
“Finally, someone my height,” the 5-foot-9 Tszyu said of Denis Nurja, after giving up nine inches of height against Fundora. “Usually I’m looking up, so it’s nice to have someone your own height.”
Nurja is unbeaten, while Tszyu has suffered three losses to date — two of which have been by knockout. Regardless, his broader body of work aged 31 includes victories over Jeff Horn, Takeshi Inoue, Terrell Gausha, Tony Harrison, and Brian Mendoza.
His determination to continue to fight with activity, rather than recover, is testament to an approach that sees him put “everything at risk” throughout his “whole career,” he said, in a statement sent to Boxing Social.
“That’s what you do in this sport. You put everything on the line every time.”
He said: “I wouldn’t say I fear losing, but it’s not a good feeling and it’s not something I want to experience again. My motivation throughout this training camp, and in life right now, is victory by any means necessary.
“The word annihilation has been in my head and repeated in my head for the last seven weeks. That’s all I want to do. My whole purpose right now is just to annihilate.”
Tszyu vs Nurja takes place atop a PBC Championship Boxing card on Prime Video. The broadcast begins April 4 at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT.
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