Tim Tszyu rival in sad admission about 'signed' fight with Aussie amid Michael Zerafa sledge

Tim Tszyu's American boxing rival Erickson Lubin has revealed they had a fight "signed" for December that is now unlikely to go ahead after the Aussie's humbling defeat to Russian Bakhram Murtazaliev. Tszyu suffered his second straight loss after being knocked down four times by Murtazaliev inside the opening three rounds, before the Aussie's team threw in the towel.

It came after Tszyu lost his WBC and WBO junior middleweight titles to Sebastian Fundora in March, with several boxing experts suggesting the Aussie was still suffering from the mental scars of that bloody battle during Sunday's bout against Murtazaliev in Florida. Tszyu's management has been savaged across the boxing community for agreeing to take on such a dangerous follow-up fight to the first professional loss of his career.

Tszyu's loss all but sees a potential $38 million fight with pound-for-pound king Terence Crawford or Errol Spence Jnr go up in smoke, with the Aussie needing to go back to the drawing board to reestablish his credentials in the sport. And the 29-year-old Aussie has been dealt another blow after American star Lubin revealed that a fight he had planned with Tszyu in Australia in December, was now unlikely to go ahead.

Tim Tszyu fight against Erickson Lubin appears to be over

“It was signed... I’d already signed but it looks like I’ll have to make different plans now," revealed Lubin, who was sitting ringside to watch Tszyu get completely outclassed against Murtazaliev. The American praised the toughness of the Aussie but said he was surprised with how dominant the win was for the hard-hitting Russian.

“I think Tim Tszyu is too tough for his own good," Lubin added. “He’ll get up every time and keep fighting. But I also feel like Tim hasn’t really beaten anybody. So tonight he got, not exposed ... but he fought a champion and we saw (what happened).”

Lubin also echoed the thoughts of other boxing analysts by suggesting Tszyu was carrying mental baggage from the Fundora fight, in which Tszyu's head was cut open from an accidental elbow. The Aussie could be seen checking that same spot on his head for blood during the loss to Murtazaliev, in a moment that did not go unnoticed across the boxing world. And Lubin admits there has to be doubts around whether Tszyu can regain his aura in the ring after consecutive defeats.

“Tim got dropped four times so there might be some wear and tear there," he added. “It looked like he might have been in some trouble with that Fundora cut too. So Tim might be a bit damaged, we’ll have to see how he comes back from all of that... After that Fundora fight, I thought Tim was a tough dude. Thought you could hit him with the kitchen sink and he’d keep going. But he just got dropped too many times. Had his corner not called it, he would’ve got up and kept going.”

Michael Zerafa sledges Tim Tszyu as Aussie showdown looms

Lubin's comments come after Tszyu's Aussie rival Michael Zerafa took a savage shot at the 29-year-old, setting the stage for a potential showdown on Australian soil. American boxing great Shawn Porter thinks Tszyu may have no choice but to stage his next fight in Australia after the latest defeat. And with the proposed Lubin bout seemingly falling through, Zerafa has taken the opportunity to position himself at the head of the queue after some brutal criticism for his Aussie rival.

"I've been saying this for years, Tim has a bad habit of overlooking his opponents," Zerafa told The Sydney Morning Herald. "He goes on about Crawford and [Jermell] Charlo and Canelo [Alvarez] and [Errol] Spence, saying this is a hand-picked opponent and that he will smash him. Murtazaliev has just had his first title defence and has made a mockery of Tim... (and) I believe there is unfinished business for me. He's human, you take away that last name and you just have an average guy standing in front of you."