Tim Tszyu was brutally trolled by his Russian opponent Bakhram Murtazaliev following his brutal three-round victory over the Australian boxer.
The shocking defeat leaves questions about the next step in Tszyu’s career, having suffered his second consecutive defeat.
The 29-year-old, son of boxing hall of famer Kostya Tszyu, was looking to become the second father and son to win two world titles.
But on Sunday he was knocked down by the Russian, who dominated the fight from the beginning.
Murtazaliev landed some punishing blows on Tszyu in the opening minutes of the fight, before sending him to the canvas three times during the second round.
The Russian would later claim victory in the third round, knocking Tszyu to the ground with a huge left hook.
But despite the crushing blow, Tszyu valiantly tried to fight on, with Murtazaliev stepping forward to land more blows on the Australian.
Tszyu appeared to be in trouble, and his team subsequently threw in the towel and called off the fight.
It was a dominant performance from Murtazaliev, who retained his IBF super welterweight title.
Tim Tszyu (left) was defeated by Bakhram Murtazaliev (right) on Sunday in Florida.
But he appeared to throw a brief jibe at Tszyu after the fight.
As he was hoisted onto the shoulders of several members of his team, he was heard saying: “Who’s your dad now?” towards Tszyu, appearing to reference his father, the former undisputed and lineal world champion in the light heavyweight division.
Although the taunt was brutal, Murtazaliev was gracious in defeat after the fight.
Speaking in a post-fight interview, the Russian praised his Australian opponent.
‘I would like to wish him all the best. “Someday I would like to work together,” he said.
A dejected Tszyu admitted he didn’t know what happened after the fight.
‘What the fuck just happened?’ Tszyu said, who was in disbelief.
‘What did they hit me with? I couldn’t regroup and… I don’t know, man. Shit doesn’t go your way and you just have to pick yourself up, you know?
“I felt positive after Fundora.”
The result means Tszyu has lost his last two fights and the Australian admits Murtazaliev was the best fighter of the night.
Murtazaliev dominated throughout the fight, knocking down his opponent three times in the second round.
He added: “This didn’t go according to script. It was a little different. It felt amazing, to be honest with you. I felt like I had great preparation.
“So he got me, man.” He was the better man that night and we live and we learn.
Others from the boxing world have offered their views on the fight, including Terence Crawford.
‘Tim thought he had an easy one. “I took this guy lightly and I was worried about other fighters,” the American boxing star said.
While the defeat will put Tszyu back to the drawing board, it is likely that he could return to face rival Michael Zerafa after his compatriot criticized him following Sunday’s defeat.
“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 to talk about Crawford, (Jermell) Charlo, Canelo (Álvarez) and (Errol) Spence, saying that this is a hand-picked opponent and that he will crush him. Murtazaliev just defended his title for the first time and made fun of Tim .
After the fight, the Russian fighter delivered a brutal four-word insult to his opponent, referencing Tszyu’s famous boxing father.
“He’s sitting there saying he’s going to knock out Crawford and Canelo. I don’t think he has mirrors in his house. If he saw himself in the mirror, maybe he’d wake up.
‘It’s definitely not at that level. I’ve been saying it for years. I’ve said it a thousand times, but because of his last name and that winning streak, everyone is against me. Suddenly my phone didn’t stop and I became side A.
‘I think there is unfinished business for me. He’s human, you take away that last name and you have a normal guy in front of you.’
