Tim Tszyu has apologised to Australia for his shock world title defeat to Bakhram Murtazaliev and says he wants to reconnect with his Aussie fans before launching another mission to climb boxing’s mountain.
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Speaking publicly for the first time since that title defeat, Tszyu told this masthead he spent the night after the fight vomiting and suffering concussion symptoms for the first time in his career after he was knocked down four times en route to a third-round knockout.
In a raw sit-down interview, the 30-year-old also revealed his fiancee, Alex, was subjected to vile abuse following the defeat and said he has barely spoken about boxing with his team in the seven weeks that followed.
Tszyu has kept a low profile since the second loss of his career, but has a simple message for Australia.
“I let a lot of people down,” he said.
“We’re all in this journey together, and so many people are invested in me emotionally and it was such a let down on my behalf.
“In training camp, I was on top of the world, but I came in reckless and I let a lot of people down.
“It wasn’t just a loss for me, it was a loss for Australia – everyone felt it. And I don’t want that feeling ever again, so I’ll keep working towards happiness for all of Australia.”
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Having invested heavily in two extended training camps in Las Vegas in 2024, Tszyu has only spent seven weeks at home, but wants to change that in 2025.
That means plans to relocate to America have been put on hold.
“Time will tell (if we do move to America),” said Tszyu, who will marry Alex next weekend.
“I want to take it back old school to where it all started – back to where I began.
“That means training in Sydney.
“We started going overseas and, of course, levelling up, but I want to do a camp like in the old days.
“No technology, no stats, no numbers. Just pure grind. That’s what I want to do at the start of next year.
“I want to reconnect with my Aussie fans, because I feel like I left them behind a little bit to chase the stars.
“So, I want to reconnect with Australia, then go back and chase the stars again.”
The coffee is also much better back home, he says.
“I’m just enjoying being back with my dog, my missus, breathing in the Australian fresh air and going to my local coffee shop,” he said. “Honestly, that’s what I’ve missed.
“I’m very grateful just for being in Australia. You can’t get good coffee in Vegas. The fresh air and the people as well.
“Australia’s always been in my heart.”
That’s not to say there haven’t been haters.
Plenty of them have come out of the woodwork since October 19.
“There’s been a lot of love, but a lot of people are down too,” he said.
“There’s been a few haters.
“Not for myself, I’m easy, I don’t mind when people hate – that just means you’re doing something right.
“But not to my missus, not to my family. That’s not right.
“People say things to her and stuff like that, but the fact she’s able to handle it, that shows her character.
“It’s a hard game we’re in. Everyone has bumps in life, everyone fails. Mine are just publicised for the whole world to see and talk about.”
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Tszyu hasn’t watched the Murtazaliev fight back and only has hazy memories after he was dropped for the first time by a shot high on his head and just behind his ear.
“In my head, I was like, ‘This motherf***er is going to have to kill me to get me out of here’,” he said when asked what went through his mind when he found himself on the canvas.
“I don’t know how many times I got knocked down, but no matter what, I was always going to keep getting back up.
“I couldn’t feel my legs and my brain was fuzzy. Every shot that I was hit with felt like a bomb was exploding.
“I felt like a sitting duck. But I was just thinking that he had to kill me to stop me.
“But I was ready to die in there.”
He says frustration is the overriding emotion when reflecting on the fight.
“What burns me is that I wasn’t able to show myself,” he said. “I just got humiliated and embarrassed in front of the whole world.
“It was a long night after the fight. I was in hospital with concussion, which I’ve never had. It was a weird feeling, and I wasn’t able to sleep.
“But I just need to get back in the ring, feel comfortable again and keep trying to work my way back to the top.”
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