Fights
Tszyu coolly punished the impudent American. Were you written off early?
Tim Tszyu and Anthony Velasquez / Photo: © Matt King / Stringer / Getty Images Sport / Gettyimages.ru
First defeat in Anthony Velasquez’s career.
Australian boxer Timofey Tszyu defeated American Anthony Velasquez and did it without any fuss. The son of the legendary champion Kostya Tszyu fought an even fight, controlled the course of it, confidently brought it to the final gong and closed the unsuccessful chapter after the summer defeat. In Sydney, he returned to the basics – discipline, constant work and high accuracy of strikes, which brought results.
Pre-fight words and weigh-in
Before the fight, the fighters exchanged rather calm, but significantly different statements. Anthony Velasquez emphasized that he did not see anything extraordinary in Tszyu, called him “another opponent for the resume,” and also spoke about his motivation to break into the title race. The American also noted the difficult flight and fatigue before the battle of views.
— I was very tired before the battle of glances with Tim. My team and I spent about 15 hours on the plane. Tim turned out to be an ordinary guy. Just another opponent for my resume. On paper, he can be considered my most serious opponent. But I met many world champions in the ring. Let’s see what Tim shows in the fight. If I win, I will be among the contenders for the belts. “I’m motivated to prove that I can stand on a par with the best of the best,” Boxing Scene quotes Velasquez as saying.
Tszyu was more restrained and specific. He admitted that Velasquez defends well and uses the “Philadelphia block,” but at the same time emphasized that an opponent has never faced such pressure and power as his.
“He’s good, but he’s never faced an opponent like me.” Pressure, strength… He has a “Philadelphia block”: holds his hands high, tight defense. Yes, it won’t be easy. I will have to expose his weaknesses,” the ex-champion said in an interview with BoxingScene.
At the official weigh-in, Timofey showed 70.82 kg, Velasquez – 71.04 kg. The battle of views passed without incident – tension was present, but without unnecessary emotions.
Progress of the battle
The opening round passed at a slow pace. Tszyu worked with a jab, aimed his left blows and did not force things. Velasquez looked stiff and focused more on defense. In the second and third rounds, Tim began to gradually increase the pace. The blows to the body went well, and the American retreated more and more often and resorted to the clinch. Tszyu confidently cut corners, pinned his opponent and hit him in the head in series.
Towards the equator of the battle, the Australian’s advantage became obvious. Velasquez pressed himself more and more against the ropes, where Tszyu methodically worked on the floors, finding gaps in the defense. The American was mostly busy withstanding the pressure.
In the second half of the match the picture remained almost unchanged. Tszyu seriously shook his opponent with his right hand several times, but did not take any risks and continued to act calmly. In the sixth round, Velasquez suffered a cut under his eye, and at the end of the fight, Tim was superior to him in the number and quality of blows.
The tenth round was already under Tszyu’s complete control. He reduced his aggression, but even in this mode he confidently took the segment. The judge’s decision was uncontested – 100-90, 100-90 and 100-91.
After the fight
After the fight, Tszyu noted that he deliberately abandoned the pursuit of a knockout and relied on calm, confident work.
“I just wanted to feel comfortable.” I wanted to get in the ring and not try to knock him out, I didn’t want to behave recklessly. This is what has let me down in the past. I didn’t want to rush, I used a jab. “I have all the skills, I just need to apply them,” Tszyu is quoted as saying by FOX Sports Australia.
The victory over Anthony Velasquez was an important step for the 31-year-old Australian after losing his rematch with Sebastian Fundora. He now has 26 wins and three losses. As for the American, this is the first defeat in his career – previously he had 18 wins (15 by knockout) and one draw.
Source: Sportbox
Hi, my name is Jayden James. I am a writer at Sportish, and I mostly cover sports news. I have been writing since high school and have been published in various magazines and newspapers. I also write book reviews for a website. In my free time, I enjoy playing soccer and basketball.