LAS VEGAS — Tim Tszyu will challenge Bakhram Murtazaliev for his IBF super welterweight world title at a venue in Florida, possibly Orlando, on October 19.
That’s according to two World Boxing News sources with knowledge of the fight agreement.
One source added that it’s part of a tentative three-fight plan which could see Tszyu run a gauntlet of top-tier fighters in the wildly competitive 154-pound weight class.
Tszyu was a must-see attraction even before his bloody war with Sebastian Fundora earlier this year, in an event which kick-started the Premier Boxing Champions era on Prime Video.
Though the fight was close, an argument could have been made that Tszyu had done enough to get the win himself.
The fact he left the canvas looking like a crime scene may have gone against him, though, as Fundora scored eye-catching damage. Fundora ultimately won by split decision.
Regardless, Tszyu’s return is a significant one as the fight with Murtazaliev is “a done deal,” per a WBN source.
We clarified this with a second source close to Tszyu, and that source said everything was ready for October 19 in Florida.
Murtazaliev won the IBF belt in April with an 11th-round knockout win over Jack Culcay in Germany to advance his pro boxing record to 22 wins (16 KOs).
The October fight would be Murtazaliev’s toughest challenge yet as Tszyu’s loss to Fundora in March followed years of wins over Jeff Horn, Terrell Gausha, Tony Harrison, and Brian Mendoza, and so he’s established himself as a battle-tested player in the division.
Though Tszyu enters the world championship bout off a loss, the IBF mandated the title fight with Murtazaliev earlier in August.
“It’s time to become a two-time world champ,” Tszyu said, according to his promoter’s official website, when it became public knowledge the IBF were mandating the bout.
He even said he’s had his eyes on Murtazaliev for years as they were first linked with one another in 2019, before he headed into the fight with Harrison.
“It’s good he’s got the title, and it’s been mandated,” said Tszyu earlier this month. “He can’t be hiding anymore.”
Tszyu’s world championship fight in October is part of a tentative three-fight plan, a source close to the fighter with direct knowledge of the situation told World Boxing News.
The three-fight plan begins with Murtazaliev, and if Tszyu is successful — and injury-free — he could fight Premier Boxing Champions puncher Erickson Lubin as soon as December.
Lubin has twice shown that it’s not about how hard you hit — and he hits hard — but how hard you get hit and keep moving forward.
This is because, after his debut loss to Jermell Charlo, Lubin gave a masterclass in how to rebound from a first-round knockout defeat by putting together six wins in a row.
He then ran into Fundora and lost a Fight of the Year contender that World Boxing News attended at a Las Vegas venue in 2022. Since that defeat, he’s beaten Luis Arias and Jesus Ramos in back-to-back fights.
Should Tszyu beat Murtazaliev and Lubin, then a rematch with Fundora becomes that much bigger, completing the third part of a three-part plan for Tszyu, our source finished. The Fundora vs Tszyu fight could take place as soon as Q1 in 2025.
The source stressed that plans are subject to change, as is often the case in a sport like boxing.
World Boxing News was with Tszyu numerous times in the build-up to, and immediate aftermath of, his fight with Fundora. And Tszyu said over and over that he’s “a throwback fighter.”
Tszyu’s resume, performance against Fundora, and plans for the near future all seem to support his statement.
Alan Dawson is World Boxing News Lead Writer, a 2 x Sports Journalist of the Year finalist, and 5 x BWAA awards winner. Follow Alan @AlanDawsonSport.
