ON July 19, Tim Tszyu gets his shot at redemption against WBC super-welterweight champion Sebastian Fundora. In the build-up, the Aussie has responded to his rival’s claims that he was unhampered when they last met.
Tszyu, 25-2 (18 KOs), and Fundora, 22-1-1 (14 KOs), went toe-to-toe in March 2024, when Tszyu was being touted as both the man to beat in the 154lb division and a possible opponent for pound-for-pound superstar Terence Crawford.
Yet, in a bloodied war where Tszyu suffered a seismic early cut due to a clash of heads, Fundora was able to pull off the upset and spoil those plans, handing ‘The Soul Taker’ a first career defeat.
Ever since, much of Fundora’s career-best display has been accredited to that unsavoury cut and the impact it had on the champion’s vision, with many believing that the Californian would not have been victorious without its aid.
However, in an interview with Main Event, Fundora refuted those claims and attempted to remove the caveat of his greatest performance by declaring that Tszyu was able to see just fine.
“The whole fight, I saw him looking into my eyes, I didn’t think that cut was bothering him at all.
“[Tszyu was] maybe removing a couple of drops from his eyes, but it wasn’t too much of a thing. I remember him looking at me straight.
“It wasn’t for a second him blind or closing his eyes, [saying] ‘I can’t see out of my eyes’. He saw the whole thing, the whole time.”
Upon hearing of Fundora’s accusations, Tszyu labelled boxing’s tallest world champion as a ‘bulls***ter’ and explained his belief that his foe is simply trying to convince himself that his win was a more genuine one.
“That just shows he doesn’t know what he is talking about. Either that, or he’s just saying it to make himself feel like he got the victory,” he told Fox Sports Australia.
“Clearly, [he is trying to convince himself that I was not compromised].”
“He’s a bulls***ter. In boxing, there is a long line of bulls***ters, and now Sebastian Fundora has joined that list.”
