Australia’s Tim Tszyu has found himself on a troubling downward trajectory. When he stepped into the ring against Sebastian Fundora in March 2023, he had no idea how drastically his fortunes were about to change. Fighting outside of Australia for only the second time, Tszyu suffered a shocking and controversial defeat against the American. But that was just the beginning. Things were about to spiral even further out of control.

He soon faced Bakhram Murtazaliev for the IBF super welterweight title and, to the surprise of many, suffered another defeat—this time a brutal third-round knockout. Determined to turn things around, he returned to the ring in April with a dominant fourth-round knockout win over Joseph Spencer. Redemption became his mission, and a rematch with Sebastian Fundora was finally set. Slated to fight on the undercard of Manny Pacquiao vs. Mario Barrios, Tszyu looked poised for a comeback. But once again…things didn’t go as he had planned.

After a knockdown in the first round and action-packed seven rounds, Tszyu refused to answer the 8th-round starting bell, as he quit on the stool, and referee Harvey Dock declared Fundora the winner by technical knockout. Now, His Excellency Turki Alalshikh has shared his thoughts on Tszyu’s performance, making things way worse for the man from down under. “I said to you from the beginning, Tim Tszyu does not deserve to be on a Riyadh Season or Ring Magazine card,” Alalshikh wrote on X in a now-deleted tweet.

“He can be useful as a sparring partner for a champion in Riyadh Season,” he added in a rather cruel take. The fight at MGM Grand Garden Arena ultimately ended with Fundora retaining his WBC super welterweight title—the very belt he had taken from Tszyu in their previous clash. In the post-fight interview with Jim Gray, a candid Tszyu admitted he lacked the will to keep defending himself against the towering 6-foot-6 Fundora, who looked even sharper than he had in their 2023 encounter.

Tim Tszyu acknowledges Sebastian Fundora as the best 154-pounder

To Tszyu’s credit, despite getting dropped in the first round, the Aussie was landing right hands in return. Tszyu even caught Fundora in the seventh round with a left hook before blasting Fundora with a right hand, drawing a loud response from the crowd. Despite that, a demoralized Tszyu was forced to quit, as he told his cornermen he couldn’t continue. Yet, he applauded Fundora for his work. 

“He’s one tough [expletive],” Tszyu told Jim Gray after his loss during the post-fight interview. “And I tried to give it everything, but I just couldn’t do it, and the victory belonged to Sebastian Fundora, the best 154-pounder in the world. … He was just a better man. [It] was just hard to land. He’s tall as [expletive]. At times, I felt like I was shadowboxing with myself.”

Sebastian Fundora now stands on the brink of some major matchups in the super welterweight division. As for Tim Tszyu, his future hangs in the balance—unless he stages a stunning comeback that silences the critics. Still, one can’t help but wonder: did he really deserve the sharp scrutiny and harsh comments from Turki Alalshikh?