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Australia’s Tim Tszyu is back – and ready to start his push back to world title stardom.
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In a fight billed as the most important of his career, Tszyu looked outstanding as he needed just four rounds to finish dangerous American prospect Joey Spencer – whose team threw the towel as he was caught against the ropes getting pummelled.
The win was a huge result for ‘The Soul Taker’, especially after consecutive world title defeats over the past year against Sebastian Fundora and Bakhram Murtazaliev.
“Tszyucastle,” the fighter screamed afterwards.
Cue huge cheers.
“You know what, we took over the town and put on a f show.
“I’m blessed.
“To have this stage, it’s a hell of a ride.
UNDERCARD: Heavyweight gets revenge but shuts down all-Aussie trilogy
Tszyu v Spencer – Full Fight Highlights | 06:12
At which point Main Event commentator asked him about the pressure of this fight?
“No pressure, man,” he said, at which even the crowd laughed.
“Actually there was a bit of pressure,” Tszyu continued grinning.
“I couldn’t do a third consecutive loss.
“I hope I teach people that when s*** hits the floor you can get back up again.
“I proved to everyone in the world, I’m back baby … I’m back.”
Tszyu also said he had learned from his most recent loss against Murtazaliev, when he came out incredibly aggressive in the first round – only to be dropped four times in three rounds before younger brother Nikita threw the towel.
“I learned form my mistakes,” he said. “You don’t go in like a hot head and abandon everything.”
Tszyu also praised Spencer afterwards, before adding he was “blessed to share the ring with him”.
Along with his Hall of Fame father Kostya and younger brother Nikita the Tszyu’s are now on an undefeated run of 51 straight fights on Australian soil.
Tim breaks down brutal Spencer stoppage | 01:27
And Tszyu will look to continue that in July, when he almost certainly takes a bout with brash American superstar Keith Thurman, who only last month celebrated his own comeback against No Limit stablemate Brock Jarvis.
Asked about Thurman, Tszyu laughed: “Sign the contract big boy. Sign the contract.
“If the fans want it and we can bring a megashow to Australia … the boys at No Limit you know who to contact.
Taliva’a gets his revenge with SAVAGE KO | 01:27
On a huge afternoon in Newcastle, Tszyu walked out to Land Down Under and, somewhat surprisingly, wearing camouflage trunks, the colour traditionally worn by his American rival.
Spencer, meanwhile, was loudly booed during the ring announcements by Steve Peios but, as had been the case all week, looked untroubled with being an outsider in every sense.
Then, in the words of referee Chris Condon, “lets rock and roll”.
Unlike his most recent world title loss, when brutally kayoed by Bakhram Murtazaliev, the first round showcased a cautious Tszyu who, while walking forward, did so with more care.
In the second, it was Tszyu who landed early and, with Spencer switching to southpaw, continued to control the round – with the American causing a gasp from the crowd when he went down late, albeit from a slip.
In the third, Spencer went back to orthodox, and Tszyu went to work, landing heavy as a Tszyu-ca-stle chant broke out, with then Sydneysider then continuing to land consistently.
By the fourth, Tszyu was landing heavy on his rival.
Furst time, Spencer nodded. Next time, shook his head. Didn’t matter. Tszyu continued to land.
As the round extended, so did Tszyu.
Getting his rival against the ropes and throwing so heavy Spencer’s corner threw the towel.
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FULL FIGHT CARD WRAPPED
Main card
Brutal KO revenge in all-Aussie heavyweight scrap
Liam Talivaa has avenged his brutal 2023 Knockout of the Year loss – and punched his way into an Australian heavyweight title showdown – with a massive stoppage win against Brandon Grach.
Fighting in the same Newcastle venue where Grach brutally iced him on a Nikita Tszyu undercard, Talivaa earned the ultimate redemption by downing the Novocastrian early in the fifth with an explosive barrage of vicious punches.
The end finished off a brutal performance for the western Sydney fighter who also wobbled Grach early in the third and then dropped him with a massive counter right hand.
While the previously undefeated heavyweight recovered, it would be finished two rounds later.
“Man, I just want to give all glory to my heavenly father,” Talivaa said afterwards.
“Without him I wouldn’t be here to redeem myself.
“To show everyone who I am.
“I know what I possess.
“Know what I’m capable of.
“God wouldn’t put these challenges in front of you without something behind it.”
Back in 2023, the two Australian punchers engaged in a war as brutal as it was brief – with Grach recovering after being dropped in the first round to eventually land a brutal left hook that earned him No Limit’s Knockout of the Year.
While both men have fought, and won, once each since, there still exists plenty of bad blood as has evidenced right throughout fight week, and in a fiery Main Event ‘Face Off’ interview.
While both men now have one win each, Talivaa stressed there was no need for a trilogy fight, branding his first loss a “mistake”.
“There’s no need to be trilogy,” he told Main Event commentator Ben Damon.
“I boxed his ears off and dropped him in the fifth.
“I’m on to bigger and better things
“But big ups to Grach. It takes a lot of balls to get into this ring
The fight doubled as an eliminator for reigning Australian heavyweight champion, Stefan Ivic.
Bizarre stoppage as Saavedra wins WBO title
Venezuela’s Endry Saavedra has continued his successful, and incredibly unique, run with Australian promoters No Limit – winning the WBO international middleweight title in Newcastle.
Saavedra initially dropped Mikkel Nielsen, from Denmark, twice in the eighth round and then what appeared to be a third time, with referee Chris Condon not calling it but then waving the fight off almost immediately after Nielsen got up.
After initially upsetting Queenslander Issac Hardman on a No Limit show in March last year, 33-year-old Saavedra then surprised again with a majority decision against Sydneysider Mateo Tapia – that time on the undercard of Tim Tszyu’s world title loss to Bakhram Murtazaliev.
New Aussie champ calls out Nikita Tszyu after bounce back win
Koen Mazoudier is the new Australian super welterweight champion – and has called for a rematch with Nikita Tszyu – after dethroning Dan Hill through a gutsy 10-round performance in Newcastle.
After spending part of this camp as a sparring partner for Tim Tszyu, Mazoudier has now gone and called for another shot at The Soul Taker’s younger brother – who he fought in what was eventually voted No Limit’s 2024 Fight of the Year.
“I want that rematch, “Mazoudier said afterwards of Nikita Tszyu. “I want all the big names.
“Any time, anywhere, any one.”
Mazoudier produced a dominant performance that saw him drop Hill in just the third round and eventually take it all three scorecards, 98-91, 100-89, 99-90.
However Hill fought gamely right through all 10 rounds in a performance much more entertaining than the scorecards suggested.
The fight was Mazoudier’s first since losing to Nikita Tszyu via 9th round TKO last August.
Aussie Olympian’s rise continues
Australian Olympian Callum ‘50 Cal’ Peters has confirmed himself as one of the nation’s hottest prospects after earning the second first round finish of his hyped professional career in Tszyucastle.
Only a week after winning an amateur fight Adelaide, Peters doubled down in sensational fashion on the Tim Tszyu undercard – stopping Melbourne’s William Lenehan in just over two minutes.
The win comes only four months after the rising Adelaide super middleweight did the same on debut against Mitch Holden, and told Fox Sports Australia he would like to fight four more professional fights this year.
The 22-year-old also called out fellow Aussie super middleweight Max Reeves in the ring immediately after his win.
After initially pushing Lenehan into a corner with several big right hands, 50 Cal then exploded, with another right then dropping his rival into the ropes as referee Chris Condon stepped in for a good stoppage.
Asked by Main Event’s Ben Damon what was next for him professionally, the fighter who plans to continue switching between the amateurs called out Reeves.
All action in first bout of main card
Sydneysider Isaias Sette has credited the ability to keep his emotions in check – coupled with a violent right uppercut – for spoiling the party of hometown favourite Brent Walton in Newcastle on Sunday.
Despite being rocked late in the first round, Sette eventually punched his way to an incredible gutsy decision win over Walton – which included dropping his rival with a right hand in the third.
The third round itself was an absolute belter, with Walton, after being dropped, then regaining his feet and giving plenty back himself. It was a theme through all five rounds that all three judges eventually gave Sette the fight, 48-46.
“Christ is king,” the winner shouted into the microphone afterwards.
Soon after, Sette continued: “He was a tough fighter but I was better as you now know
“The biggest thing for me is not letting my emotions get the better of myself
“That’s been my biggest downfall
“Now we move forward.”
Prelims
Boilover rocks the final fight of undercard
Australian middleweight Blake Wells has caused a huge boilover on the undercard of Tim Tszyu’s Newcastle headliner, upsetting former world title challenger Andrei Mikhailovich by split decision.
Despite coming into the fight as a $5.40 underdog — and being seriously cut near his right eye in the third — Wells edged the judges’ scorecards through a brutal six rounds that also left him nursing a large welt over his left eye.
While Mikhailovich was taking his first fight back since being stopped by IBF world champ Zhanibek Alimkhanuly, and paying just $1.19 with bookmakers, it was Wells who got the decision on two scorecards – 58-56, 56-58, 59-55.
Speaking afterwards, the Melbourne southpaw confirmed most of the damage to his face had been caused by head clashes.
“They were head clashes,” he said.
“We bumped heads a fair bit, which happens with southpaws and orthodox guys.
“Most of my fights, I go out there and try to take people’s heads off.
“So (this fight) I wanted to try and box a bit smarter, compose myself.
“He likes it rough and tough and it ended up being a bit sloppy at stages, so I did what I had to do and kept working.”
Midway through the fight, Wells’ cut was inspected by a ringside doctor, who eventually let the fight continue, which prompted the fighter to raise his fist in the air.
Asked if he had feared it might be called off, he continued: “You never what they’re thinking.
“So when we get to keep fighting, I’m a happy man.”
Aussie ready for next big fight after TKO statement
Australian middleweight Cody Beekin has declared himself ready for a big money domestic showdown after scoring an emphatic second round win at Newcastle Entertainment Centre.
Hailing from the Central Coast, Beekin handed rival Ryan Daye the first loss of his professional career thanks to a convincing stoppage that started with a crunching left hook that is quickly becoming his signature.
While Daye regained his feet, the Coastie swarmed and the fight was soon waved off.
While Beekin was himself cut beneath the left eye early, he quickly proved too strong for a rival who came into the bout on a run of six straight wins.
“I knew he was a good boxer,” the fighter said afterwards of Daye. “He was tough, caught me as you can see from under my eye … f*** him, he kept coming
“But I caught him with the left hook
“And kept throwing it
“They call it the ‘Beekin Left Hook’.”
While not calling out any Australian rival specifically, the father of two young boys said he was ready for any number of high profile Australian middleweights.
‘He will be a champion’: Tszyu’s stablemate stuns with brutal debut win
Australian super lightweight Cooper O’Connell has been hailed a future world champion after earning a brutal professional debut win on the Tim Tszyu undercard at Newcastle Entertainment Centre.
The son of longtime Aussie boxing queen, ‘Shotgun’ Shannon O’Conell, 18-year-old Cooper required less than two rounds to finish hometown product Benjamin Amos on the opening card of the day.
With mum watching from ringside alongside manager Glen Jennings – whose clients also include Tszyu brothers Tim and Nikita – O’Connell dropped his rival twice in the first round, including with a brutal right hand.
While Amos bravely got up each time, he was clearly struggling after the second and it wasn’t long before referee Chris Condon waved it off.
Already, O’Connell has won a world youth title and his fighting mum insists the teenager — who sports a similar rats tail to Hall of Famer Kostya Tszyu — can now do the same as a professional.
“It was amazing,” she started. “Amateur world champion, he will be a pro world champion as well.”
Interviewed inside the ring afterwards by Main Event’s Ben Damon, O’Connell, the fighter, said of his win: “Amazing, it felt like home”.
But as for being as nervous as mum appeared?
“I wasn’t too nervous,” he said. “I’ve had 60 amateurs fights … it’s normal.”