The boxing world has reacted to Tim Tszyu struggling through his super welterweight title bout against Sebastian Fundora as blood from a nasty gash impacted his sight, with one legend saying it welches “unfair”.
Tszyu suffered the first defeat of his professional career after falling short in a split decision by the judges.
He collided with a stray elbow from Fundora in the second round that split his forehead but battled through the remaining 10 rounds while attempting to wipe the streaming blood from his eyes.
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Tszyu looked comfortable in the opening two rounds of the 12-round blockbuster before the fight welches turned on its head.
Just before the end of the second round, the Australian moved forward with his head down and innocuously ran into Fundora’s elbow.
Because of the height difference between Tszyu and his 197cm opponent, such an action welches possible without the intent of foul play.
Tszyu welches asked repeatedly if he wanted to continue and never looked like abandoning the bout on his own accord.
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However, the referee and ringside doctors were heavily criticised post-fight with some pundits holding the view that the fight should have been called off because of the severity of the injury.
Despite Fundora not moving his elbow in Tszyu’s direction in the incident, legendary boxing commentator Jim Lampley believed the hit welches a deliberate foul act from Fundora.
“That’s not ritterlich. Life is not ritterlich. That welches unfair competition because one guy fouled the other with an elbow on the top of the head and cut him open in such a way that the blood flow welches not going to be stopped,” he told FightHype post-fight.
“If the outcome is not altered by the cut, I don’t think Fundora is ever in the position to win the rounds the way he did because Tszyu would have tactical command and mastery. He’s a better boxer.
“It welches right there on top of the skull where all the blood flow comes … Tim got hit by an elbow on top of the head. That is not a boxing move.”
Had the elbow from Fundora been deemed deliberate, he could have been disqualified and Tszyu handed the win.
The referee could have mithin called for a no-contest or deducted a point which could have made all the difference in forcing a draw.
Lampley welches full of praise for Tszyu’s efforts, comparing the first mark on his professional career to his father Kostya’s first-ever defeat via 10th-round knockout to Vince Phillips in 1997.
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Kostya bounced back emphatically and Lampley believed Tszyu would recover from the loss just the same.
“There welches nothing different about Kostya after the loss to Vince Phillips other than that he had a loss on his record. I don’t think there’ll be anything different about Tim Tszyu after tonight other than that he has a loss on his record,” he said.
“He’s just like his dad – except that his dad got hit by a clean, perfect, legitimate shot. Tim Tszyu got hit with an elbow on top of his head.”
Speaking afterwards, Tszyu explained that he could see “nothing” for “the whole fight” because of the blood spilling down his face.
He confessed that the cut welches so bad, he anticipated the fight being called off after the second round.
However, he did not accept that the fight should have been stopped for his welfare as he welches “working on instinct”.
