“This was a great tragedy,” CBS Sports' Brian Campbell wrote after Tim Tzu lost his WBO world title to Sebastian Fundora.
While the US media was in awe of Tim Tse's toughness and courage as he overcame a nasty head wound from an accidental elbow late in the second round, the legendary boxing commentator said that this It alleges that it was an intentional act of foul play by Fundora.
Fandora also received a lot of praise. Fundora went into the fight on just 12 days' notice and won Tszyu's WBO belt and the vacant WBC title, blood pouring down his face.
Here's how American boxing experts saw the fight.
“I’m not a winner” Got Twee in defeat | 03:52
blood
Brian Campbell of CBS Sports called the match “one of the bloodiest title fights in recent memory” and labeled it “a scene of horror.”
ESPN's Mike Coppinger similarly called it “one of the bloodiest battles in recent memory.”
He added: “Fandora also faced serious adversity. From the opening round he was bleeding profusely from his nose and blood was gushing from his mouth. Both fighters' faces were covered in crimson masks, reminiscent of a horror movie. It became a scene like that.”
Michael Rosenthal wrote in Boxing Junkie that it was a “horrible and bloody fight.”
Kevin Eall writes: “But then Tszyu’s face looked like he’d been run over by a lawnmower.
“Despite this, Tszyu did not stop attacking and continued to look for ways to win.”
Lance Pugmire wrote in Boxing Scene: feel ill. Still, it continued to capture the attention of everyone in attendance. ”
He added: “Tszyu's obsession with gory bloodshed was almost overshadowed by the fact that Tszyu's punch broke Fundra's nose in the first round.” His bleeding was also unsightly, creating a scene that no Hollywood boxing movie would even have the courage to recreate. ”
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TSZYU's hot start
Tim Tzu dominated the first two rounds, controlling his range well and landing a number of right crosses.
Iole wrote, “Fandora was nearly overwhelmed in the first two rounds as Tszyu came out aggressive and cornered him with ferocious hard shots.”
“The Australian got off to a strong start, fending off long jabs from his 6-foot-5-1/2 opponent and landing a few eye-catching punches that foreshadowed a strong performance from the champion,” Rosenthal wrote. ing.
“Fandora looks scared and stiff,” Campbell wrote in his live blog for the second round.
Campbell later added: “He (Tszyu) also attacked his giant southpaw opponent with hard right hands in the second round until Fundora's errant elbow left him with a nasty gash in his hairline.
“The whole atmosphere of the fight changed from there, even though in the same round Fundora's nose began to erupt and his opponent's crimson mask began to cover his entire face.”
Coppinger writes: “And it looked like Tszyu was controlling Fundora until the cut. He landed some powerful shots late, but Fundora's aggressive jab won the fight.”
He added: “[Fundora] He entered the ring as a clear underdog, losing all three cards in the first two rounds. ”
Rogue Elbow that changed the fight | 01:13
moment
Tszyu dominated in the first two rounds. Then, Rosenthal writes, “everything changed in an instant.”
Kevin Eall writes: “However, seconds before the end of the second round, Tszyu lowered his head and moved forward, literally running into Fundora's elbow. Fundora did not move it in Tszyu's direction, but it opened a brutal cut. .
“And what looked like a resounding knockout victory for Tszyu suddenly took on a dramatically different look.”
Mike Coppinger wrote for ESPN, “Given the 9-inch height difference, the likelihood of an accident like this occurring was higher than normal.”
Pugmeier writes: “Tszyu's wound was very severe and ran straight down to his eye. If he hadn't been so stubborn, the referee or the ringside doctor would have stopped the fight before the end of the fourth round. It would have been a contest.'' That would have allowed him to retain the belt and fight another day as an undefeated man. ”
It added: “However, Tse's added toughness resulted in him deceiving referee Harvey Dock and the doctor who asked him if he could see.” In the ring, he promised he could. So the battle continued. ”
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But Jim Lampley, a legendary former boxing commentator and Boxing Hall of Fame inductee who called blow-by-blow fights on HBO for 30 years, said the elbow was actually an intentional foul move on Fundora's part. I believe.
“It's not fair. Life isn't fair,” Lampley told FightHype at T-Mobile Arena after the match. One man fouled the other with an elbow to the top of the head, and the blood flow wouldn't stop. Because he cut his opponent to pieces in such a way.
“If the cut doesn't change the outcome, I don't think Fundora will ever be in a position to win rounds like he once was, because Tszyu will have the tactical command and mastery. He's the better boxer. ” he continued.
Additionally, “It was right above the skull where all the blood flow comes from…Tim got elbowed on the top of the head. That's not a boxing move.”
If the elbow was considered intentional, Fundora could have been disqualified, Tszyu could have named the winner, and the referee could have given him a points deduction or called a no-contest.
Errol Spence Jr. calls out Fundora | 02:55
gutsy effort
The elbow was ruled accidental, but it appears to have been the right decision, as both fighters showed immense toughness as they fought through the full 12 rounds.
Kevin Eall writes: “Saturday's unification bout for the super welterweight title between Sebastian Fundora and Tim Tzu at T-Mobile Arena was all about resilience.
“Both fighters showed incredible resilience and confidence and did not back down even against great odds.”
Campbell said, “Both fighters showed tremendous heart and resilience, despite multiple interruptions by ringside doctors to examine Tszyu, whose vision was severely impaired during the final 10 rounds.'' , I managed to get through the match,'' he wrote.
The cutmen in both corners did their best to stop the bleeding, and Campbell said before the 10th round that “Tszyu came out with an extreme amount of Vaseline around the cut on his forehead. It leaked non-stop. ” he wrote.
He added: “It is incredible that this battle is still going on after so much blood has been shed.”
Iol writes: “This match was an example of two guys doing things the right way, and they rewarded the audience and those who bought the pay-per-view with a competitive and entertaining match…What happens is up to anyone. I don't even know [next]But both men were proud of their efforts Saturday. ”
Tszyu vs. Fundora: Full Fight Highlights | 14:29
praise tszyu
Former commentator Jim Lampley was in the booth when Tszyu's father, Kostya, suffered his first ever loss in 1997, losing the IBF light welterweight title to Vince Phillips by knockout in the 10th round.
Kostya went on to win the WBA, WBC, IBF, and The Ring light welterweight belts, but suffered his second-ever loss to Ricky Hatton in 2005, ending his career at 31-2 (1NC). . Lampley believes Tim Tze can bounce back from defeat just like his father.
Lampley said, “Nothing has changed for Kostya after losing to Vince Phillips, other than a loss on his record. After tonight, nothing has changed with Tim Twee, other than a loss on his record.'' I don't think so.
“Tonight, he's exactly like his dad, except his dad got hit with a clean, perfect, legal shot. Tim Tzu got hit with an elbow over the head.”
Rosenthal writes: “The determination that Tszyu showed in the game will certainly carry over as he moves forward.
“He can legitimately say that bad luck, just like Fundora, played an important role in his fate, and that should ease some of the pain of his disappointment. He healed his wounds and returned to the gym. , I intend to pursue what I believe is my destiny: a special place in boxing history.”
Kevin Iall writes: “Going into the fight, he went from a 5-8 veteran right-hander to a 6-6 young southpaw. He's done that over and over again in his career, and it shows the character of this guy. He believes in himself and his ability to be as good as anyone in his weight class, and he doesn't care about changing opponents at all.
“He went out there and fought like a champion, and then he made no excuses and accepted his misfortune with class and dignity.”
“There are no excuses.” Tim is disappointed after losing all his classes | 01:31
Fundora's big changes are paying off
The win was a monumental accomplishment for Fundora, who entered the fight on 12 days' notice after suffering a knockout loss in his previous bout.
But what was most striking was the change in his style. Instead of brawling in a phone booth, he became a fan favorite but suffered a knockout loss last year, but this time he boxed smartly, using his reach advantage to jab Tszyu repeatedly. .
Rosenthal writes: “The fact that he had to fight with blood coming from his nose and mouth, that he was coming off a knockout loss to Brian Mendoza, less than two weeks after Keith Thurman withdrew from the fight. Victory seemed particularly unlikely given that he went into the match with a biceps injury.
Nevertheless, after winning Tszyu's WBO belt and the vacant WBC title, he became world champion. ”
Iore wrote: “So Fundora went ahead and entered the main event, believing in his chances to win even when the oddsmakers had him as a 7-1 underdog. And coming into Saturday, all the skeptics were wrong. I proved that.”
Brutal judge's sentence ends Tszyu | 01:25
Campbell writes: “This fight also marks a drastic change in strategy for Fundora, a fan-favorite brawler who typically uses his size advantage in favor of fights in phone booths. This style has evolved over the past four years. It was the style that cost him in his last fight of the month, when he was leading on the scorecards late, but was knocked out by Mendoza, who lost a decision to Tszyu six months later.
He added: “How different would Fundora's strategy be in this battle?” He landed eight jabs per round, compared to only three jabs per round in his previous five fights. ”
Coppinger writes: “Fandora executed a disciplined game plan, hitting Tszyu from distance with a long southpaw jab. Unlike my previous loss to Mendoza, where I was leading on the card, I didn't get caught up in the shootout.”
Bloodbath Madness! The battle goes crazy | 01:48
