Tszyu vs Murtazaliev - 5 Reasons To Watch
4 min
1. From sharing a card to sharing the ring
When Tim Tszyu made his triumphant American debut against Terrell Gausha in March 2022 in Minnesota, a fellow super welterweight named Bakhram Murtazaliev competed on the same card.
Murtazaliev (now 22-0, 16 KOs), who took part in an off-broadcast bout against Ahmad Cheikho, would go on to win a world title in his own right, and will now share a ring with Tszyu in Orlando almost 30 months later.
The winner of the IBF world title clash on Sunday will stamp their ticket in the lucrative super welterweight sweepstakes, with a slew of high-profile opportunities on the table in a talent-heavy weight class.
2. Will history repeat in Florida?
The Tszyu family has history in Florida, with Kostya Tszyu winning both of his outings in America's Sunshine State.
Back in 1994, Tim's well-accomplished father picked up a points verdict over Hector Lopez in Tampa. Kostya captured his second world title in Florida, in the form of the WBC light welterweight crown, against Miguel Angel Gonzalez in a brutal 10th-round stoppage in Miami.
A quarter of a century on, Tim aims to become the latest Tszyu to capture their second world championship in Florida.
3. Returning to the summit at 154 pounds
The super welterweight division was once ruled by Jermell Charlo, who captured undisputed status in 2022, with ownership of all four world titles.
Since then, the four belts have been separated, with new faces sitting at the top of the division, including the likes of titleholders Terence Crawford, Sebastian Fundora and Bakhram Murtazaliev, who Tszyu challenges on Sunday.
Having held and defended the WBO world title, Tszyu now has the opportunity to win the IBF world title, with the potential to unify the division in the immediate future.
4. Coming back from adversity
Boxing is filled with comeback stories of fighters who have suffered a world title loss, only to regain world champion status in their very next fight.
High-profile examples of this include Canelo Alvarez, Anthony Joshua, Mikkel Kessler and Carl Froch, with Tszyu looking to follow in their footsteps on the back of his world title heart-break in Vegas in March, and rebound as a world champion.
For Tszyu, the long-time face of Australian boxing, the comeback could be greater than the setback.
5. Fellow Aussie Mateo Tapia moves to world level
Since moving down in weight, relocated Aussie Mateo Tapia has been regarded as a dark horse at middleweight.
The Florida-based Tapia (17-0, 10 KOs), who originally hails from Sydney's northern beaches, can validate his world level credentials against Venezuelan knockout artist Endry Saavedra (16-1, 13 KOs) on the Tszyu-Murtazaliev televised undercard.
Saavedra is best known to Australian audiences for his knockout win over former middleweight contender Issac Hardman, with his violent finish stealing headlines on Sam Goodman's homecoming in Wollongong in March.