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Australian Superstar Tim Tszyu Earns Decision In Slugfest
Against Former Champion Errol Spence Jr.
Australian superstar and former world champion Tim Tszyu
took home a unanimous decision victory over former unified
world champion Errol “The Truth” Spence Jr. in their
middleweight bout that headlined a PBC Pay-Per-View event
available on Prime Video and DAZN Saturday night (U.S. date
and time) from Afterpay Arena in Sydney Australia.
“Middleweight is my new division and I feel strong,” said
Tszyu. “This was one hell of a show. There were sleepless
nights where I was thinking about facing a legend like
Spence. I understand why he’s one of the greats.”
In a pivotal showdown for two fighters looking to return to
world championship glory, Spence (28-2, 22 KOs) and Tszyu
(28-3, 18 KOs) each landed big shots in round one, with
Tszyu knocking Spence off balance with a right hand before
Spence responded with a clean left hand that Tszyu appeared
to take well.
The first half of the fight saw a back and forth effort with
the two fighters trading strong rounds as Spence targeted
Tszyu’s body early while Tszyu primarily scored with right
hooks against his southpaw opponent. In his first fight in
nearly three years, Spence seemed to have trouble keeping up
his early round activity through the middle rounds of the
fight, as the younger Tszyu began to implement a body attack
of his own.
“The advice from corner was to get in there,” said Tszyu.
“I’m trying to replicate Kostya Tszyu and my trainer Jeff
Fenech. if I can be half as great as them, I’ll go down as a
great man.”
When the fight entered the championship rounds, Spence came
out looking to change the tide of the fight and fought
valiantly, but was often met with thudding shots from Tszyu,
much to the delight of his hometown Australian fans.
Tszyu punctuated his performance with a smartly fought final
round, peppering Spence with carefully selected shots to the
head and body that forced his opponent to back up again and
again. In the end Tszyu was able to pull away on the cards
and keep his family’s perfect record in Australia intact
with scores of 118-110 and 117-111 twice.
“I’d love to fight for a world title. I want Erislandy Lara
and all the champions,” said Tszyu. “That’s what I’m aiming
for. But beating a great like Errol Spence tops any world
title for me.”
After the fight, Spence addressed his future while giving
Tszyu credit for his performance.
“It was a good fight and congratulation to Tim,” said
Spence. “It’s been a great event and everyone has treated me
well. It was a good showing by Tim.
“I answered a lot of questions for myself and now it’s time
to go home with my family and start a new life. I’ve got my
faculties intact and my money is working for itself. I’m
thankful to leave this sport with my family by my side.”
The pay-per-view also featured an impressive performance
from rising lightweight Ahmad Reda (9-0, 6 KOs) as he
cruised to a unanimous decision over Australian Olympian
Paul Fleming (28-2-2, 18 KOs) after 10 rounds.
In a crossroads battle between rising prospect and veteran
contender, Reda was first to the punch throughout the action
and kept up a consistent pace that Fleming was unable to
match. Although Fleming showed off his considerable
defensive skill and movement, he was unable to put together
enough of his own offense to keep his younger opponent from
coming forward.
Reda was especially effective finishing off combinations
with his right hand, slowly battering Fleming’s left eye and
impairing his vision as the fight moved into the late
rounds. Despite a cut opening up on Reda’s cheek in the
final seconds of the fight, it was a near flawless
performance that rewarded on the judges’ cards by scores of
99-91, 97-93 and 96-94.
Also in action was rising unbeaten middleweight and
Australian Olympian Callum Peters (8-0, 7 KOs), who
continued his upward trajectory with a dominating
seventh-round TKO triumph over Argentina’s Ivan Actis
(13-1-1, 9 KOs).
Tasked with an aggressive opponent, Peters showed patience
in smartly picking his offense over the first three rounds
before breaking through in round four by opening up a cut
over Actis’ left eye. Sensing his moment, Peters continued
to pour on the offense throughout the round and looked to
have Actis hurt by the end of the frame.
Squarely in control of the fight, Peters continued to cruise
through the middle rounds, beating Actis to the punch and
doling out additional punishment. After getting a close look
from the ringside doctor before round seven, Actis continued
to take shots early in the round, eventually forcing referee
Will Soulos to waive off the fight 55 seconds into the
round.
Opening the pay-per-view was a battle of unbeaten light
heavyweights as Australian Olympian Paulo Aokuso (11-0, 6
KOs) scored a sensational one-punch knockout over the
Dominican Republic’s Luis Antonio Tejeda (12-1-1, 9 KOs) in
the 10th and final round.
Aokuso was tested by the hard-charging Tejeda throughout the
bout, with Tejeda having success pinning Aokuso on the ropes
and unloading on him with power punches. Aokuso was given
credit for a knockdown early in round five from a right
hook, although it appeared that Aokuso had actually pushed
Tejeda down.
The tide looked to be turning against Aokuso in round seven,
as both men landed big shots early in the frame, with Aokuso
seeming to take the worst of it. The final minute of the
round saw Aokuso on shaky legs and unable to keep his hands
up to defend himself from the relentless attack from Tejeda.
When round eight began, Aokuso looked refreshed and returned
his focus to the jab, which effectively kept Tejeda from
continuing his onslaught. In round 10, the increasingly
desperate Tejeda finally made a critical mistake, lunging in
and getting caught with a flush left hand from Aokuso that
quickly ended the action just 21 seconds into the final
round.
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