Bakhram Murtazaliev, the IBF champion in the light middleweight division, criticized those who deemed Tim Tszyu's boxing level insufficient after his recent defeat.
These people should step into the ring with Tim and let him knock them out. Tszyu has beaten three former world champions (Jeff Horn, Tony Harrison, and Brian Mendoza). In his last five or six fights, he's performed better than boxers who were ranked above me. He won those fights with confidence. That's why everyone thought Tim would easily defeat me. I can’t call Tszyu’s boxing level as weak; he just has some problems with defense.
"Before that, Tszyu had not missed such precise punches and was able to outbox his opponents. Terrell Gausha, who knocked Tszyu down, was my sparring partner before the fight with Culcay. He's a very technical and skilled fighter. He gave me good work in sparring. I also sparred with Brian Mendoza a while ago. He is also a tricky, slippery fighter, a good one. Tim has handled both of them well," Murtazaliev noted.
Recall that 29-year-old Tim Tszyu has suffered two losses this year. He lost by decision to Sebastian Fundora, and in the fall, he was stopped by Bakhram Murtazaliev. Before facing these champions, the Australian had won 24 consecutive fights.
