Tim Tszyu got the impressive rebound win he needed on Sunday morning in Newcastle, Australia. The former 154-pound champion started putting the building blocks back in place to make a run back at a world title with an emphatic fourth-round TKO win over Joey Spencer.
Here is a look at the all-action finish.
Tszyu’s punch accuracy, power, and overall boxing acumen proved to be too much for Spencer, whose corner threw in the towel mid-flurry.
According to CompuBox, Tszyu out-landed Spencer 81-25 during the one-sided beatdown. Veteran boxing journalist Dan Rafael called Spencer “roadkill for Tszyu.”
Tszyu improved to 25-2 with 18 KOs with the win, and Spencer fell to 19-2. The matchup was a get-right fight for Tszyu after he’d suffered the first two losses of his professional career.
In March 2024, Tszyu was scheduled to fight Keith Thurman, but the latter pulled out with an injury. He was replaced by Sebastian Fundora, who out-brawled Tszyu en route to a split-decision win that cost the latter the WBO title and a shot at the vacant WBC crown.
Following that defeat, Tszyu suffered a third-round TKO loss to IBF champion Bakhram Murtazaliev in October 2024.
Now with Tszyu back in the win column, he has some options in front of him. Ring Magazine suggested Thurman, Fundora, or Israil Madrimov as potential opponents.
A fight with Thurman, who just had a successful return to the ring last month against Brock Jarvis in Australia, makes the most sense. Thurman looked solid, but he is aging and he has the least amount of recent activity.
Thurman also has the biggest name of the three opponents, which means PBC/Amazon would likely stand to sell more pay-per-views with that matchup. Tszyu was doing color commentary for Thurman’s win over Jarvis, and the two men seemed to be eyeing a future matchup after the bout.
Chasing revenge against Fundora also has some appeal. Fundora still holds half the world titles at 154 pounds. Tszyu could potentially win the two titles he fought for with Fundora the first time and even the score with the towering Mexican.
A fight with Madrimov makes the least sense. Stylistically, Madrimov can be a problem, though Vergil Ortiz Jr. made him look a bit more beatable than the Uzbekistani fighter looked against Terence Crawford in 2024.
Still, Madrimov’s herky-jerky style and constant movement can be a challenge. Considering he is likely the least known of the three fighters, it may not be the most appealing option.
Madrimov is fighting for Matchroom, which puts him under the Turki Alalshikh umbrella, which might explain why Ring included him in the post. That said, Alalshikh could make an offer to Tszyu that would make a fight with Madrimov the most lucrative of all.
In any case, it’ll be interesting to see if he immediately chases another world title or listens to a potential offer from Alalshikh to fight someone promoted by Matchroom, Queensberry, or Golden Boy.