The first defeat in the professional career of Tim Tszyu has left the Australian superstar facing an uncertain future in a stacked super-welterweight division.
Tszyu survived the entire 12-round showdown with Sebastian Fundora on Sunday afternoon (AEDT) despite suffering a nasty gash on the top of his head early on.
The 29-year-old ultimately fell short in the eyes of the judges, suffering a split-decision loss in Las Vegas and losing his WBO world title in the process.
Tszyu won over plenty of admirers for his toughness inside the ropes, but his risk to take on the 197cm Fundora with less than two weeks’ notice backfired for the Aussie.
It now leaves Tszyu in a precarious position when it comes to the 154-pound weight class, especially after a post-fight meeting between Fundora and Errol Spence Jr.
Spence (28-1) is ranked among the best super-welterweights on the planet and is now looking to book a showdown with the newly-crowned WBO and WBC title-holder.
“It’s time to get it on,” he told Fundora.
“This is my first time seeing him in person, he’s got a pretty good height, but we will break him down like we always do.”
