Australia’s Tim Tszyu hopes to touch super welterweight gold for a second time when he faces Bakhram Murtazaliev in Orlando, Florida on Saturday, October 19 (Oct. 20 in Australia).
Having suffered the first defeat of his professional career last time out, and being relieved of his WBO belt in the process, Tszyu has the chance to collect the division’s IBF strap with a bounce-back performance.
Perhaps more importantly, the 29-year-old can begin to chart a course towards fights with the biggest and best names at 154-pounds.
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We take a look at what could come next for the Sydneysider:
Who will Tim Tszyu fight next?
Should Tszyu emerge victorious against the undefeated Russian in Orlando, he will become IBF super welterweight champion.
That sanctioning body has a growing reputation as a stickler for their rules, meaning Tszyu would likely be pushed towards a title defence against their number one contender.
Taking a look at the IBF rankings, as well as the PBC roster, the obvious option would be American southpaw Erickson Lubin, who Tszyu has already been linked with previously.
Tszyu’s team have reportedly been eyeing off a return fight in Australia, perhaps even before the end of the year, with Lubin at the front of the queue.
Englishman Josh Kelly and rising Puerto Rican Xander Zayas would shape as possibilities as well.
Other, less likely, options, include unification bouts, although Sebastian Fundora, the man who claimed a bloody split-decision victory over Tszyu back in March to collect the WBO and WBC titles, appears to be tied up with a bout against unified former welterweight champion Errol Spence early next year.
Meanwhile, WBA champion Terence Crawford is being backed by Turki Alalshikh, the Saudi official who recently declared he “wouldn’t work” with Tszyu after the Australian opted to go down a different path.
In any case, Crawford has fought once a year for the past five years and Tszyu will more than likely be pushing for another fight before “Bud” is ready to go.
On the other hand, if Tszyu suffers a second consecutive defeat, he’ll find himself a long way from the world title picture and the big fights that come with it.
While he’d remain a significant drawcard in Australia, boxing fans aren’t the most forgiving when it comes to a fighter on a skid.
Former middleweight title challenger and long-time rival Michael Zerafa was being lined up to face Tim’s younger brother but Nikita Tszyu is currently sidelined following hand surgery.
Could a long-awaited, spiteful domestic meeting between the pair finally scratch fans’ itch after Zerafa pulled out of their originally scheduled 2021 showdown in fight week?
Should they opt for an alternative route, there are countless contenders around the super welterweight, or even middleweight, rankings although a loss in Orlando would take significant shine off any of them.
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