On a self-confessed revenge mission, Tim Tszyu is pledging to silence “dumb Russian mumbler” Bakhram Murtazaliev once and for all and join his legendary father as a two-time world boxing champion.
After an intense build-up of verbal sparring, Tszyu says he can’t wait to finally enter the ring on Sunday and snatch the IBF super-welterweight belt from the mouthy Murtazaliev and resume his quest towards global domination of the division.
Australia’s boxing poster boy declared his last-up loss to Sebastian Fundora – when Tszyu’s hopes were cruelled by a gruesome head cut in the second round – as merely a “hiccup” along the path to greatness.
“As a young kid, this is what you wish for,” Tszyu said of the Florida grudge match at the Caribe Royale resort in Orlando.
“I’m living my dream because of all the hard work I put into this. This is not just an ordinary fight, this is a vengeance fight. This is my comeback.
“I believe that I am the man at 154 pounds. I just need the time to prove it. I’m taking these guys out one by one. I want all the monsters – they don’t frighten me.”
The unbeaten Murtazaliev promised to let his boxing do the talking.
“I’m not interested in going back and forth with Tim,” he said.
“I don’t care if anyone is overlooking me. All the talking will end Saturday night. That’s all we’re concentrating on.”
Murtazaliev has spent much of the week taunting Tszyu for talking too much, but the Australian challenger on Friday hit back, claiming he could barely decipher anything the champion had to say.
“I talk Russian as well and I can’t really understand him,” Tszyu said.
“He’s like a mumbler, a Russian mumble the whole time.
“On stage I was trying to figure out, is it my Russian that’s bad or is this guy just a mumbler?”
Continuing his attack, Tszyu branded Murtazaliev “dumb” for his perceived sloppy approach to fight, including pounding the streets late at night just days out from his title defence.
“He was also eating chips the other night. It just doesn’t make any sense at all. I think he’s stupid,” Tszyu said.
“Just dumb. That’s all I see.”
For all the barbs, Tszyu has much to lose in the high-stakes encounter.
The former WBO strap holder knows it will be back to the drawing board if he suffers a second straight defeat and can’t bring a belt to the negotiation table for potential mega-money fights with the likes of Terence Crawford, Errol Spence and Jermell Charlo.
“Every next fight is the most significant,” he said.
“Boxing changes and the dynamics are very quick to change.
“So one victory can do you all the way (up) there, one loss can get you all the way (down) there.”
Should he win a second world title, Tszyu will follow in the footsteps of his father Kostya, who made a surprise appearance at Friday’s pre-fight press conference ahead of his first ringside view of his son since 2016.
“He is buzzing,” Tszyu said of Kostya’s turnout.
“The last name Tszyu will live on as the greatest boxing family that ever lived.”
#Tszyu #vows #silence #mouthy #Murtazaliev #title
