Tim Tszyu will begin his comeback tonight against IBF junior middleweight champion Bakhram Murtazaliev on Prime Video in Orlando, Florida. Both fighters weighed in at 165 lbs at the second IBF weigh-in this morning. Tonight’s event, the Tszyu vs. Murtazaliev, starts at 8:00 pm ET on Prime Video.
Undercard results
– Middleweight Mateo Tapia (17-0-1, 10 KOs) and Andrew Saavedra (16-1-1, 13 KOs) fought to a draw over 10 rounds. Saavedra dropped Tapia three times in the contest, twice in the second round and once in the ninth. Tapia dropped Saavedra with a big right hand in the fifth round.
The scores were 94-92 for Tapia, 93-93 and 93-93. “I don’t understand how I can knock him down three times and not get a win,” said Saavedra. “I am very disappointed. I gave everything. Being taken away from me is very painful. I don’t know exactly where this fight should take place. Maybe in Valenzuela so they can take it away from me.”
The fight was incredibly entertaining and easily the highlight of the card. Tapia looked like a goner in the third round when Saavedra dropped him twice. In the fourth, Saavedra continued to hurt Tapia with hard shots to the head. However, Tapia turned things around in the fifth round when he dropped Saavedra with a big right hand to the head.
Tapia continued to tag Saavedra with powerful right hands in the sixth, seventh, and eighth rounds before being knocked out in the ninth. Saavedra took the fight inside and worked Tapia’s body, not allowing him the space needed to land his right hand.
– Super bantamweight prospect Gary Antonio Russell (20-1, 13 KOs) stopped Jaden Burnias (6–3, 4 KOs) in the fourth round. The stoppage time was at the 1:11 mark.
– Cuba’s 2020 Olympic heavyweight prospect Dainier Pero (9-0, 7 KOs) knocked out Willie Jake, Jr. (11-6-2, 3 KOs) in the third round.
– Undefeated super featherweight Justin Viloria (7-0, 5 KOs) Hope defeated Diuhl Olguin (16-41-7, 10 KOs) by seventh round knockout.
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It is former WBO 154-lb champion Tszyu’s first fight since losing his title to Sebastian Fundora last March. We’ll see how well Tszyu (24-1, 17 KOs) can mentally recover from that loss against undefeated big puncher Murtazaliev (22-0, 16 KOs). Tim hopes to become a two-time world champion in this fight.
Fill the Card at 8 pm ET, Live on Prime Video
Bakhram Murtazaliev vs. Tim Tszyu
Mateo Tapia vs. Andrew Saavedra
Yoenis Tellez vs. Johan Gonzalez
Dainier Pero vs. Willie Jake Jr
Rounds of Justin Viloria vs. Diuhl Olguin
Murtazaliev is facing his first top-level fighter in his 10-year professional career, and it’s unclear how he will react. It was a huge success for him to go from facing an unknown opponent to facing former WBO champion Tszyu. Is it too much of a step for Murtazaliev?
If 31-year-old Grozny, Russian native Murtazaliev talks about big shots and Tszyu’s talent, he has a chance to take his career to the top in a big way. For the likes of Tszyu, a win over Murtazaliev will catapult his career.
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