Tim Tszyu has restored his reputation and reignited his international career with a brutal beatdown of American Joey Spencer in Newcastle – but his wife was left shocked just minutes after he recorded the fourth-round TKO win.
The referee stopped the fight two minutes and 18 seconds into the round after Australia’s former WBO world champion battered Spencer with a stunning blitz to the head and body after taking a very measured approach in the early going.
Spencer had lost only once in 19 professional fights and was expected to pose a huge threat to Tszyu’s comeback hopes.
But the Australian promised redemption and duly delivered on Sunday.
The desperately needed victory was Tszyu’s first in 18 months, following damaging world-title defeats in the US last year to Sebastian Fundora and his shocking third-round knockout at the hands of Bakhram Murtazaliev.
The impressive victory set up a likely blockbuster with Keith Thurman after the pair were scheduled to fight in Las Vegas last March, before the American great withdrew with a torn biceps muscle.
Tim Tszyu is pictured in the ring with his team and wife Alexandra after dismantling Joey Spencer in Newcastle on Sunday
Tszyu was careful in the first round before starting to dominate in the third – then he unleashed in the fourth and forced the American’s corner to throw in the towel
In his first fight in three years, former unified world champ Thurman pummelled Brock Jarvis in Sydney to prove his own global relevance, before calling out Tszyu, who is now keen for a rematch, telling Thurman, ‘Sign the contract, big boy,’ as he was interviewed in the ring straight after the win.
But his wife Alexandra was in for a shock as he kept addressing the crowd.
With the win all but ensuring Tszyu will hold his upcoming fights either in the USA or in bigger Aussie venues than his happy hunting ground in Newcastle, he was paying tribute to the local fans while warning them that he might not box in front of them anymore.
‘Hopefully when I have little kids, we can continue this thing on again,’ he told the crowd – while his wife looked horrified and waved her hands while saying, ‘No! No!’ as she stood behind him.
Tszyu’s latest conquest improved his tally to 25 wins and two defeats, while also extending his family’s remarkable record in Australia to 51-0, with his Hall-of-Fame father Kostya (18-0) and younger brother Nikita (10-0) also unbeaten on home turf.
Burnt by brazenly trying to walk through Murtazaliev in Florida in October, a watchful Tszyu barely threw a punch in Sunday’s opening round.
He caught Spencer with a nice left in the second, then took the third round with a powerful combination to have the US brawler retreating.
It was an out-of-character effort by Spencer, who was on the end of some angry words from his father and trainer Jason from the end of the first round.
Tszyu left wife Alexandra (pictured third from left) screaming ‘No! No!’ after the win as he speculated about their children one day getting into the ring
A highly anticipated bout with American great Keith Thurman now looms for Tszyu
The win over Spencer was Tszyu’s first fight since he married Alexandra in a stunning ceremony in December last year (pictured)
The highly rated American didn’t fire back often or effectively enough as Tszyu started to push him towards the ropes from the second round onwards, using a ramrod and well aimed jab to great effect and also scoring with uppercuts.
By the third, Tszyu was walking straight at Spencer with little regard for what was being fired back at him, and landing with increasingly heavy shots as his opponent looked overwhelmed physically and mentally.
Spencer’s right eye was swelling and starting to cut up by the start of the fourth, and he was monstered throughout the round before Tszyu pinned him against the ropes and unleashed a long barrage that was only broken up by one or two ineffectual return shots.
The American’s father threw in the towel with his son still guarding up and not looking groggy, but the result by then was only a matter of time as Tszyu’s punches regularly hit home on his jaw.
‘We took over the town. We named it after my last name and put on a show. Thank you,’ Tszyu said, referring to Newcastle being nicknamed ‘Tszyucastle’ when he fights there.
‘I’m blessed. A lot of fighters, they fight at different stages, but to have this type of stage, yeah, it was one hell of a fight.
‘I couldn’t do a third consecutive loss.
‘But I hope I teach people if they drop and they go on the floor and when s**t hits the fan, you can always get back up.
‘The critics, they’re always going to be there, but for me, I’ve proven to myself and I proved it to everyone in the world that I’m back.
‘I’m back, baby.’
