Australian former WBO super welterweight champion Tim Tszyu has found a significant opponent to fight next as he prepares to face Russian IBF 154 lbs champion Bakhram Murtazaliev for his world title. Murtazaliev will further be defending his title for the first time following a April 6th victory over German contender Jack Culcay to win the then-vacant BF belt. The two have been set up for the main event of a PBC show set to be held at the Casino Royale Orlando in Orlando, Florida, on October 19th.
While Tim Tszyu (24-1, 17 KO’s) had reportedly been set to fight for the IBF super welterweight (154 lbs) mandatory position this month, he will now directly fight for the title after managing to reach an agreement with Bakhram Murtazaliev‘(22-0, 16 KO’s) for a title fight.
It will be Tszyu’s second match in a row involving a title fight, with his last title bout having occurred in March against Sebastian Fundora (21-1-1 ,13 KO’s) for the vacant WBC title. Unfortunately, Tim Tszyu lost the match by a close split-decision, culminating in him losing his WBO title that was put on the line during the match.
Despite Murtazaliev’s unbeaten record, Tim Tszyu appears to be the favorite according to at least one oddsmaker, which can be attributed to his experience as a former world champion―having had at least one successful title defense against American 154 lbs contender Brian Mendoza (22-4., 16 KO’s)―while also having a better resume on paper.
In comparison, Bakhram Murtazaliev is still a rather unknown commodity in the division, with his only notable win having occurred over Jack Culcay (33-5, 14 KO’s) earlier this year which also culminated in the Russian becoming the IBF 154 lbs champion.
Murtazaliev’s most prevalent advantage appears to be his height of 6’0 ft. as opposed to Tszyu’s 5’8½ ft. but that might not make too much of a difference given Tszyu had been putting up a good performance against the 6’6 ft. Sebastian Fundora prior to a gruesome and bloody cut tilting the match in favor of Fundora.
Overall, the upcoming battle between the two fighters presents a noticeable shift in the 154 lbs division that previously saw Jermell Charlo (35-2-1, 19 KO’s) stand alone as the sole reigning undisputed champion at super welterweight. Depending on how both Tszyu and Murtazaliev perform, a new champion might emerge as amazingly the 5th world champion of the 154 lbs division this year.
