Tim Tszyu is refusing to make excuses for his loss to Sebastian Fundora.
The 29-year-old Australian took the fight on less than two weeks notice after original opponent Keith Thurman withdrew with injury.
Californian Fundora, 26, was no small task. At six-foot-six and a southpaw to boot, he was always going to present a tricky problem to solve.
But Tszyu started well enough at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, finding a home for his right hand. That was until late in the second round when Tszyu ran into Fundora elbow that opened up his head like a watermelon.
The wide cut to the left-hand side of his scalp bled profusely throughout the contest. For 10 rounds, Tszyu boxed behind a crimson mask.
The ringside physician checked in on Tszyu periodically throughout the fight. Tsyzu, who entered the ring as the WBO and junior middleweight champion and was also contesting the vacant WBC belt, never once complained about the blood clouding his vision.
Instead, Tszyu boxed on until the final bell, losing a split decision by scores of 116-112, 113-115 and 112-116.
“It was a good war,” said Tszyu 24-1 (17) at the post-fight press conference. “It started off well. We knew he was awkward, tall, rangy, flicks that jab.
“The cut, of course, played a part a bit. I couldn’t see him, but no excuses. To say I fought in this arena, I want to come back and do it again if I can. I had one weeks’ notice [after Fundora came in for Keith Thurman at late notice], it is what it is.”
He added: “My eyesight was gone. I literally couldn’t see. I was wiping my eyes non-stop. I physically felt alright, [but] you’re fighting with blurry vision. It’s not ideal.”
Tszyu, the short-priced favourite going in to the fight, was eyeing off future fights with Terence Crawford 40-1 (30) and Errol Spence Jr 28-1 (22).
Those opportunities will now likely go to Fundora.
“I’d love to fight Errol Spence as well and hopefully we can get it on sometime,” Tszyu said.
“[I’ll] have a little two-week rest and then get back in the gym. I want to fight the best, I want to make the mega-fights happen. We were able to do this at the T-Mobile Arena and it’s pretty unreal, I want the biggest fights you can imagine and I’m still chasing them. I want the very top of the tree.”
If the cut had forced the fight to be stopped before the end of the fourth round the bout would have been declared a no contest; any time after the that, it would be sent to the judges’ scorecards.
Tszyu said he never considered withdrawing from the fight despite the considerable amount of blood he was losing.
“What, so for me to tell the ref [he couldn’t fight on]? No. I took Fundora on at a weeks’ notice, I am who I am. I’m a warrior. This is what I do. A bit of blood ain’t never killed nobody,” Tszyu said.
“My role was to come here to the States, that Mexican fight style and go to war, warrior mentality, that’s what I’m all about. I wanted to appeal to this market. These are the fights you want to see.”
The former world champion added that the late change of opponent had no impact on how the fight played out either.
“It didn’t play a part,” Tszyu said. “I was able to adapt the first two rounds, it felt quite comfortable and he just came out on top. That’s all there is.
“He was the better man tonight. He won by one round, a split decision, so it is what it is. We move on. The show goes on.”
