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Russian champion to be tested by half-Russian
A week after the blockbuster match in which Artur Beterbiev defeated Dmitry Bivol to win the undisputed world title in the light heavyweight category (up to 79.4 kg), another exciting fight with a huge “Russian component” will take place in the United States. . Russian Bakhram Murtazaliev will face International Boxing Federation (IBF) junior middleweight Tim Tszyu, the son of local legend Konstantin Tszyu, who has already made a name for himself by fighting for Australia and plans to defend the belt (up to 69.9 kg), like my father.
For those who follow boxing closely, it will come as no surprise that the actual condition of the participants before Saturday's fight in Orlando was very different from their official condition. The challenger, not the champion, was the main focus, with bookmakers pricing him much higher. But there is nothing strange about that.
The hero of the match is Tim Tszyu, the first Russian undisputed world champion (the second was light heavyweight Artur Beterbiev, who defeated Dmitry Bivol in Riyadh last Saturday). Born and represented in the ring by Australia, Tszyu Jr. is a very popular figure and has already been through a lot. Having defeated one opponent after another earlier this year, it seemed that the Australian would soon collect all the belts in his category. Moreover, the owner of them, American Jermell Charlo, left it after previously avoiding a fight with Tim Tszyu under various pretexts. Charlo was stripped of the title, and Tszyu immediately went to one of them - the World Boxing Organization (WBO).
He was due to add the then vacant World Boxing Council (WBC) belt at the end of March. However, Tszyu’s fight with American Sebastian Fundora, mentioned below, ended in shock. The Australian, badly hurt in the second round, spent much of the fight with bloodshot eyes and lost a split decision. Now he’s back with all sorts of happy predictions for him after that tragedy, insisting that a misfire shouldn’t stop the talented Tim Tszyu from finally reaching the top and admitting to himself that he’s “learned his lesson.” The loss to Fundora. Most importantly, Tszyu learned the hard way that in boxing you have to be prepared for anything.
Although the 31-year-old champion is slightly older than his rivals, he is still more of an enigma than an established and recognized figure.
Grozny native Bakhram Murtazaliev, who trains mostly in the United States, has an outstanding record. 22 wins in 22 matches, 16 early victories. But in reality, only the last one, German Jack Kulkay, can be counted among Murtazaliev’s main opponents. He won the title when Russia was eliminated in the 11th round in April. And even then, with reservations, because I had previously refrained without hesitation from including the veteran Kulkay, who was approaching his 40th birthday, in the elite. From this point of view – from the point of view of “big” performing experience – Tszyu’s superiority is enormous.
Another thing is that it is well known about Murtazaliev that some strong boxers, such as Charlo, avoided meeting him. Because of this, he waited for a title fight for several years. And they avoided suffering due to the fear of failure. Because, for example, the striking talent of the Russian is obvious. He likes to cut. And these circumstances ensure a good level of entertainment for Saturday's game. Because, as Murtazaliev rightly notes, Tim Tszyu's boxing habits are similar to his own.
There is one more nuance that may slightly correct your understanding of the match situation. Bahram Murtazaliev is a very tall boxer by junior middleweight standards. He is 6 cm taller than Tim Tszyu. And in the fight with Fundora, the Australian seemed to have all the problems due to the fact that he is much shorter than his opponent and therefore cannot adapt to this difference in parameters.