- Tim Tszyu lost his world title fight to Sebastian Fundora
- Jeff Fenech was not impressed with Tszyu’s fight team
Aussie boxing icon Jeff Fenech has taken aim at Tim Tszyu’s fight team following his world title loss to American Sebastian Fundora over the weekend, describing them as ‘clowns’.
Tszyu had been hunting redemption after losing a split-decision bloodbath to Fundora 16 months ago.
Instead Australia’s former WBO super-welterweight world champ is returning to Sydney with his international career at another crossroad following a despairing seventh-round TKO defeat.
Fenech was left furious that Tszyu made the decision to not come out for the eighth round, instead of the corner calling it off.
‘They never threw in the towel – he stopped it,’ Fenech told Wide World of Sports.
‘They should have thrown in the towel and they should have taken responsibility for that.
Tim Tszyu was beaten in his world title rematch with Sebastian Fundora over the weekend
Jeff Fenech believes Tszyu’s fight team should have stopped the bout, not the fighter – and Tim will have to live with that stain on his reputation
‘These clowns made Tim make that decision. Tim after the seventh round, when he sat down and you looked in his eyes, you stop the fight for him. They let him say that he didn’t want to fight anymore and a lot of people are laughing about it.
‘I feel for Tim and the main reason why is because from round one, he went out and did exactly the same thing and nobody told him to change. They just think that this one style he’s got, which has been successful, is the only thing that he’s good at.
‘It was sad to see such a great fighter only have a Plan A with no Plan B or C. All he did was the same thing every round and when he wasn’t successful, you’ve got to change.
‘There’s levels in our sport. I feel very sorry for Tim, to see such a great talent wasted.’
Saturday night’s loss at the MGM Grand’s Garden Arena was the 30-year-old’s third from his past four bouts, after going unbeaten for his first 24 professional fights.
Tszyu (25-3, 18KOs) may consider a move up to the light-middleweight ranks, or hope Keith Thurman lives up to his word after the US star called him out after slaying Brock Jarvis earlier this year in Sydney.
‘He needs to sit down with his family and work out what they want to do – and then he needs to get the right team around him,’ Fenech said.
‘If they don’t change, the same thing is gonna happen.’
The Aussie star failed after to come out for the eighth round and the fight was stopped
Tszyu’s loss to Fundora is his third from his past four bouts, after going unbeaten for his first 24 professional fights
Former champ Shawn Porter believes Tszyu is finished by any means.
‘He’s not finished at the top level,’ Porter said on Main Event.
‘He can still get it done against elite guys; it’s gonna happen back in Australia for a little while.
‘I don’t believe Tim Tszyu is done on the world stage, primarily because he still fought very hard, very courageously, and we’re now at the stage in the sport where it’s about what you can bring to the stands, not what your status is.’
