Murtazaliev overwhelms Tszyu to retain 154 title in 3rd-round TKO
Scores four knockdowns in upset, one-sided thrashing; top junior middleweight prospect Tellez stops Gonzalez in 7th round; middleweights Tapia, Saavedra slug way to knockdown-filled draw
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Bakhram Murtazaliev, a little known fighter despite holding the IBF junior middleweight world title, surely raised his profile by leaps and bounds on Saturday night at the Caribe Royale resort in Orlando, Florida.
That is because he authored a shockingly one-sided beat down of the highest order against the far more famous and heavily favored Tim Tszyu, who suffered four knockdowns before his corner threw in the towel in the third round in the main event of the first Premier Boxing Champions non-pay-per-view card since making a deal with Prime Video last December.
“When I landed that first shot, I knew how hard it was,” Murtazaliev said through an interpreter. “Tszyu is a real warrior and I would like to wish him all the best. I hope one day we can work together. He can come to our gym. We can exchange our experiences and help each other to grow.”
Tszyu, the former WBO 154-pound titleholder, was looking for redemption from his first defeat on March 30 in Las Vegas, where he lost his belt to Sebastian Fundora by split decision in a fight in which Tszyu was severely hampered by a horrific cut on his scalp caused by an errant Fundora elbow late in the second round. Blood poured down Tszyu’s face and body throughout the bout in one of the most gruesome ring scenes in years.
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