Tim Tszyu will reportedly be challenging Bakhram Murtazaliev for his IBF junior middleweight title on October 19th in Florida.
Tszyu (24-1, 17 KOs) will be fighting for the first time since losing his WBO 154-lb title in an upset 12-round split decision loss to Sebastian ‘The Towering Inferno’ Fundora on March 30th.
Murtazaliev is the least known of the champions at 154, but his title is still important. The other champions at 154 are currently tied up, and Tszyu isn’t going to have a shot at fighting any of them for the time being.
Tszyu’s Three-Fight Plan
Alan Dawson reports that Tszyu will fight Murtazaliev (22-0, 16 KOs) on October 19th. Tszyu has given his three-fight plan for him to fight these guys in this order:
- Bakhram Murtazaliev
- Erickson Lubin
- Sebastian Fundora: Rematch
If Tszyu’s three-fight plan plays out as he hopes, he could be fighting a rematch against Fundora (21-1-1, 13 KOs) in the second half of 2025. That’s if he still holds the WBC and WBO 154-lb titles. Things could slow down considerably if Terence Crawford fights Fundora before Tszyu gets a chance.
Lubin (26-2, 18 KOs) isn’t necessary for Tszyu once he gets his hands on the IBF title because he would be doing him a favor by giving him that fight. It would be better for Tsyzu to start pushing for the bigger names in the 154-lb division immediately and leave Lubin alone.
The IBF Title: Tszyu’s Bargaining Chip
Tszyu needs the IBF 154-lb title as a bargaining chip to get the more lucrative fights against Fundora, Errol Spence, and Terence Crawford. Those guys won’t fight Tszyu until he gets the IBF title because of his loss last March to Fundora.
That was a fight that Tszyu likely would have won by a knockout if he hadn’t suffered a bad cut early on in the contest. He was unloading on the 6’6″ Fundora with power shots through the first two rounds. However, Tszyu’s scalp cut suffered in round two changed the fight, making him battle recklessly, and that played in Fundora’s favor.
Last Updated on 08/14/2024
