Tim Tszyu’s bloody 12-round split decision loss to Sebastian Fundora at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday has sent shockwaves through boxing. The previously undefeated Australian sensationally lost his WBO super welterweight title and, for now at least, a chance to defeat pound-for-pound king Terence Crawford.
For two rounds, Tszyu looked as comfortable as most boxing insiders expected him to look against Fundora. He timed his southpaw opponent’s advantages with strong counterattacks and targeted the body with big right hands. And then it happened.
Tszyu was caught by Fundora’s elbow, which opened a gash about two and a half inches long just above his hairline. “I looked down and it was like a fountain. [of blood]”Tszyu stated in the post-fight press conference. “I thought, ‘This can’t be good.’ My sight was gone. “I literally couldn’t see, I had to wipe my eyes non-stop.”
When the bell rang for the third round, the referee called time and called the doctor to examine the champion’s cut. The signs were not good. After cleaning up the blood, the doctor shook his head at referee Harvey Dock, obviously alarmed by the depth and severity of the laceration. Almost reluctantly, the couple agreed to let the fight continue.
For 10 full rounds, the cut bled profusely from bell to bell. Tszyu, a renowned sniper, had difficulty landing accurately and could not judge the distance. As expected, Fundora took advantage, boxing smartly from distance and racking up points en route to the biggest victory of his career to date.
However, one wonders what was allowed to happen in Las Vegas.
What are the rules for stopping a fight due to cuts?
- If a cut is caused by a punch, then the fighter who was not cut wins by technical knockout.
- If a cut is caused by an accidental foul, the judges will decide the result after four full rounds have been completed. Before that, the fight would be declared a technical draw.
For the most part, the cuts open around the eyes. If the wound is under the eye, it is usually passed as insignificant. However, if a fighter has a cut above the eye, the situation is much more dangerous.
A boxer’s poor vision puts him at risk of being caught more often than normal. For that reason, fights being canceled due to cutbacks are common.
So what happened to Tszyu? Well, first of all the injury was to the head, which seemed to skew the entire decision-making process. If that much blood came out of the eyebrow, then it is very likely that the fight would have stopped.
What is the difference? Tszyu’s vision was still hindered and the cut had a detrimental effect on his performance. After taking the damage, he was not as effective as he was precut and Fundora also marked him more. These are the circumstances that often lead to cutback-induced gridlock.
Ultimately, the decision whether or not to stop the fight fell to referee Dock, who allowed the fight to continue.
What can corner use to stop bleeding from cuts?
As acclaimed trainer Joe Goossen explained during the Amazon Prime Video broadcast, the legal substances allowed in the corner to help with cuts are avitene, thrombin and adrenaline (1:1000). These are medications that work together to reduce blood flow.
Whatever was being used in Tszyu’s corner was not working.
What would have happened if Tszyu vs. Founder?
Before four rounds were completed, this fight would have been declared a technical draw because the damage Tszyu suffered was caused by an accidental elbow. The Australian would have thus retained his WBO title, while the WBC version, which was also up for grabs, would have remained vacant.
After four rounds, the fight would have gone to the cards and this is where the Australian team ran into trouble. Starting in the third round, Fundora began the banker rounds, so Team Tszyu would have felt obligated to continue rather than risk losing a technical decision on the cards.
Does Tim Tszyu have a rematch clause?
According to Tszyu’s promoter, George Rose of No Limit Boxing, there was a rematch clause in the original contract.
“[Fundora’s promoter Sampson Lewkowicz] He knows there is a rematch clause,” Rose said. “If we want to accept it, we will accept it. I would love to see Tim take that and get those belts back.
“I’m happy the next rematch is happening and good luck trying to get out of it.”
However, Lewkowicz appeared to avoid an immediate sequel. “I think the promoter needs to maximize the interest of the fighter,” said the Sampson Boxing director, who also stated that Tszyu would have to “wait for at least one fight.”
Contracts aside, Fundora entered this world title fight on 12 days’ notice after original opponent Keith Thurman was injured. You could call that strange luck. When you add that along with Tszyu’s injury, Fundora should feel compelled to fight him again.
Will we see Fundora vs. Tszyu 2, or will the new unified champion take a different path?
