The anticipated August 3 super lightweight bout between Tim Tszyu and Vergil Ortiz Jr. has come to an end.
Tszyu, who looked like a scene from a horror movie after his fight with Sebastian Fundora on March 30, was unable to compete due to the horrific cut suffered by the 6ft 5ins Californian. The injury added to Tszyu’s misery as he lost his WBO 154lbs title in a split decision. Fox Sports Australia boxing commentator Ben Damon tweeted early this morning (May 31) that the cut has not healed in time and is therefore out of action for the next six weeks, moving Tszyu to week two in July.
The news comes as a blow to Tszyu, who – after losing to Fundora – was given the opportunity to return to the big fight on August 3 against Ortiz Jr at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles. Terence Crawford will challenge Israil Madrimov for Kazakhstan’s WBA super welterweight title in the main event featuring a supporting cast of Andy Ruiz, Isaac Cruz, David Morrell and Andy Cruz. The Tszyu-Ortiz Jr fight was a sure crowd pleaser and was a potential candidate for Fight of the Year but will now have to take place at a different time leaving fight fans feeling disappointed.
Ortiz Jr, who had several fights with Eimantas Stanionis in 2023, could still feature in Turki Alalshik’s first US promotion. ESPN reports that the undefeated 26-year-old could face Ukrainian Serhii Bohachuk. Bohachuk put himself in contention for a world title on the Tszyu-Fundora card by decisively defeating Brian Mendoza to become interim WBC title holder.
The superweight division as a whole continues to develop into one of the toughest divisions in the sport. Recent Stateside reports suggest that new unified champion Sebastian Fundora could face former welterweight titleholder Errol Spence in the second half of 2024. Spence has been out of the ring since his heavy loss to Terence Crawford in July 2023 as ‘Bud’ became the undisputed welterweight champion after stopping his great rival in the ninth round.
