VERGIL ORTIZ JR. hoped previous to October 19 that his struggle with Tim Tszyu can be rescheduled.
Ortiz understandably turned his consideration to the beforehand unproven champion who totally thrashed Tszyu that evening. Larger-profile fights with Terence Crawford and Jaron “Boots” Ennis would earn Ortiz more cash and a spotlight, however he would welcome a shot at Bakhram Murtazaliev’s IBF tremendous welterweight title as properly.
“So far as the struggle between me and him, oh, in fact,” Ortiz advised Boxing Information lately. “, I like testing myself. I’m a really aggressive individual by nature, not simply in boxing, like in actually something. , I prefer to be the most effective at something. So yeah, he has a title, so positively, for certain, I might like to get a crack at that.”
Australia’s Tszyu was a 7-1 favorite (US odds) over Murtazaliev, 23-0 (17 KOs), who despatched the cussed Australian to the canvas 4 instances earlier than referee Christopher Younger stopped their scheduled 12-round, 154-pound championship match at 1:55 of the third spherical. Tszyu’s coach, Igor Goloubev, threw within the towel as Murtazaliev tattooed a disoriented Tszyu, 24-2 (17 KOs) with punishing punches.
Murtazaliev (R) lands a giant shot on Tszyu (L). (Photograph by Alex Menendez/Getty Pictures)
Tszyu took such a brutal beating that Ortiz really felt sorry for a fearless fighter he was speculated to field August 3 on the Crawford-Israil Madrimov undercard at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles. Like most onlookers, Ortiz additionally admitted he was shocked by the results of their principal occasion at Caribe Royale Orlando in Orlando, Florida.
“I imply, sh*t, he stopped him in three rounds,” Ortiz stated. “I imply, like I felt unhealthy for Tim, virtually, however I imply, that simply occurs. , boxing, it’s only a sport the place you by no means know what’s gonna occur subsequent and, I imply, I hope Tim bounces again after this. He looks like an excellent man. , congrats to Bakhram. , he confirmed the world like who he’s as a result of I don’t suppose many individuals knew who he was. , we knew who he was, however like I suppose seeing him towards one other identified fighter actually opened up individuals’s eyes.”
Tszyu withdrew from his struggle versus Ortiz late in Might, quickly after it was introduced, as a result of the ugly gash he sustained on the highest of his head towards the tip of the second spherical of his 12-round, split-decision defeat to 6ft 6ins southpaw Sebastian Fundora, 21-1-1 (13 KOs), on March 30 wanted extra time to heal correctly. Ortiz as an alternative fended off Ukraine’s Serhii Bohachuk, who dropped the theretofore good Ortiz twice, solely to lose a cut up resolution August 10 at Mandalay Bay’s Michelob ULTRA Area in Las Vegas.
Ortiz, 22-0 (21 KOs), received the then-unclaimed WBC interim tremendous welterweight title by beating Bohachuk, 24-2 (23 KOs). The Grand Prairie, Texas, native concurrently displayed resilience and vulnerability by getting up from two knockdowns throughout his victory over Bohachuk and received their fan-friendly struggle on two scorecards (114-112, 114-112, 113-113).
