Boxing great Shawn Porter slaps down Tim Tszyu move after Russian rival's 'stupid' act

Shawn Porter and rival Michael Zerafa have questioned Tim Tszyu's quest to chase down Terence Crawford in the ring as the Aussie has taken a shot at his opponent for a 'stupid' move. Tszyu is looking to bounce back from an 'asterisk' loss to Sebastian Fundora and is confident of defeating Russian Bakhram Murtazaliev with his father Kostya Tszyu by his side.

Tszyu is so confident he has named his list of future opponents with pound-for-pound champ Crawford and Errol Spence Jnr. However, while he is waiting to face the undefeated Russian, boxing great Shawn Porter was full of praise for Tszyu's level at 154 pounds.

Although Porter warned Tszyu for chasing the undefeated Crawford, which in his belief is a step too far for the 29-year-old Aussie. “Tim is at that level,” Porter said, of where Tszyu stands compared to Bud and Spence Jnr.

“And while I say respectfully that I don’t think he can beat Terence Crawford, Tim can beat everyone else at super welterweight.” And Porter isn't the only one to think Tszyu's insistence on chasing Crawford could backfire.

Aussie rival Michael Zerafa claimed it would be foolish for Tszyu to face Crawford at this stage in his career. While applauding Tszyu's career trajectory, Zerafa said the American would stop him in his tracks.

“I don’t think Crawford knows who Tim Tszyu is to be honest,” Zerafa said. “And when you look at how things are playing out right now, I don’t think Crawford fights him anyway.

“It would be silly for Tim too, because he gets stopped in six. In the Fundora fight, we saw there were a lot of mistakes from Tim, and what I’d call ongoing mistakes. Tim gets hit a lot."

Shawn Porter praises Tim Tszyu's activity

And while many feel Tszyu shouldn't rush into any major fights after the Murtazaliev bout, Porter was full of praise for the Aussie as he wants to fight again in 2024.

“And he should," Porter added. “Tim is the busiest fighter in boxing. He’s doing what every other fighter in the world should be doing. He’s staying busy, staying in the public eye.”

Tim Tszyu blasts rival over weigh-in drama

After the weigh-in, Tszu found out Murtazaliev came in lighter than expected. Tszyu weighed-in heavier at 153.4 pounds and said he felt like a lion. And the 29-year-old Aussie took a dig at his undefeated Russian opponent and accused him of a botched preparation for the big fight.

"Nah, I think he's not that smart. I've said it all week," Tszyu said. "He's not used to the spotlight." Earlier in the week, Tszyu also took a shot at his opponent for running while in a hoodie days out from the bout. “No I don’t think he’s struggling, I think he’s stupid,” Tszyu added.

Hall of Fame boxer Kostya Tszyu hasn't been at one of Tszyu's fights since 2016, but surprised both Nikita and Tim as the ceremonial weigh-in. The 55-year-old opted to attend Tszyu's comeback fight against Murtazaliev, but has fervently denied his appearance is for any tactical reasons.

Tszyu is coming off a loss to Sebastian Fundora after the Aussie was cut badly with an elbow, which should have stopped the fight. Tszyu was ahead on the scorecards and would have won the title, but instead he went down after struggling through due to impaired vision.

And to help him ahead of this fight against Murtazaliev, Kostya provided his son with a new item to help his preparation. "My dad has worry beads. That's what they're called," Tszyu said.

"Dad can't go a day in his life or move around anywhere without them. I remember as a young kid, he always used to ask for them. I remember he couldn't find them once and it was a big panic. So he got me some good ones and I guess I've got to start flipping them around."