Sad detail emerges in Tim Tszyu defeat as boxing legend takes brutal swipe at Aussie

Tim Tszyu is at a crossroads with his boxing career having suffered his second straight defeat with fans questioning why the Aussie took such a dangerous fight upon his return to the ring. Tszyu entered his 154 pound fight against Russian Bakhram Murtazaliev as heavy favourite with his boxing nous expected to get him back in the winning column.

Although Tszyu engaged in a firefight with the taller and faster Russian and was clobbered on numerous occasions as he found himself on the mat four times within three rounds. Tszyu's defensive deficiencies were exposed with the Aussie repeatedly dropped from Murtazaliev's left hook.

And Tszyu's corner had seen enough with the towel thrown in during the third round to hand the 29-year-old his second defeat of his career. And while it certainly isn't a death knoll to his career ambitions, the defeat could be devastating to his legacy.

Before the fight, Tszyu was talking a big game having 'looked past' his Russian opponent and entertained fights with the likes of Terence Crawford and Errol Spence Jnr. A fight with Crawford could be worth around $38 million due to the pound-for-pound champion's status. While boxing great Shawn Porter warned Tszyu of looking too far ahead, the Aussie was making big plans.

Except as has happened to so many in boxing, Tszyu's mega-fight deals have been derailed. And his career is at a crossroads. After the fight, both Crawford and Spence Jnr took to social media to laugh off Tszyu's chat about future bouts with them as his wishes of a big-money deal going up in smoke.

And the boxing community have also questioned why Tszyu and his management allowed him to jump into the ring with such a dangerous knockout artist. Tszyu has often been praised for his throwback style of fighting and his willingness to fight any opponent out there.

This has won Tszyu many of fans in Australia and abroad. Although it has now come back to hurt his title credentials with those fans potentially now disinterested after Tszyu's second straight defeat.

Murtazaliev moved to 23-0 after stopping Tszyu and the Aussie could have chosen an easier warm-up fight having only returned from a 12 round war with Sebastian Fundora a few months earlier. Fans suggested Tszyu had lost his aura after the Murtazaliev bout with his aggressive front-foot approach losing it's mystic after such a brutal stoppage.

Tszyu will have a huge career decision next on where he will go with his dream of reaching the pinnacle of the 154 pound division taking a monumental setback. Tszyu's plan to fight one more time in 2024 may have also been derailed after numerous knockdowns in his defeat.

Tim Tszyu gracious in defeat after brutal loss

Murtazaliev was simply too good for Tszyu on the night with the Aussie falling into a slugfest with the bigger Russian. And after the fight, Tszyu was all class and didn't want to offer any excuses for the defeat.

"Things didn't go to plan. The better man one tonight. No excuses...boxing isn't meant to be perfect," a devastated Tszyu said in the ring after the fight. "After the first shot, things didn't go to plan. That is part of boxing. You get hit and your reactions are a bit slower. But the victory belongs to Bakhram tonight."

However, Tszyu added he was lost for words with what was next as he was coming to terms with the defeat. "What the f*** just happened?" Tszyu added. “What did I get hit with.

“I have to regroup and .... I dunno, man. "S**t doesn’t go your way and you have to bounce back." Unfortunately for Tszyu, it was the first fight his father, Kostya, had attended since 2016. Fans will be waiting to find out what Tszyu does next, which could determine where he finishes among the greats of Aussie boxing.