Bakhram Murtazaliev - Tim Tszyu live online, round by round, stats and updates
Murtazaliev vs Tszyu LIVE!!!
Between rounds Tellez’s corner tells him to work orthodox this round, so that stance switch is part of a strategy.
As the round starts he is listening to them working on the right side. Both fighters are now flicking that jab out trying to stay compact and not overreach.
Gonzalez catches Tellez dipping and follows up his jab with a nice three punch combo. At the moment he is out working Tellez.
Gonzalez is working very well, landing double and triple jabs. They're starting to have an effect as Tellez’s left eye is showing signs of a cut.
Tellez comes out in the southpaw stance with Gonzalez working from the right. Both fighters are quick to get off mark and snapping those jabs out. Gonzalez is not hesitant and follows his jab with two and even three shots, well Tellez is a little more thoughtful.
Gonzalez gets a little too greedy and Tellez reaches that right hook around the guard.
In the final minute Tellez switches to the orthodox stance.
Yoenis Tellaz vs. Johan Gonzalez [super welterweight]
Now we have a cracker on our hands as Cuba's Yoenis Tellaz takes on Venezuela's Johan Gonzalez in a ten round super welterweight bout for the North American Latino title.
Cesar Mateo Tapia and Endry Saavedra in a Majority Draw!
The judges saw it as:
94-92 Tapia
93-93
93-93
Majority draw! The crowd are not happy with that and there are boos ringing out in the arena.
You have to feel that Saavedra won that fight even if Tapia took that last round, and it was definitely close, there's three knockdowns that seemed to have swayed it in my view towards Saavedra.
Of course the only opinions that matter are those of the ringside judges.
As we head into the final round this fight was dead even before that knocked down in the last round. You have to feel that Saavedra has a commanding lead here and Tapia needs at least a knockdown if not a knockout to win this.
Saavedra is staying on the front foot pushing forward. Tapia is coming back with that hard right hand that has served him so well and just as the momentum looks to change, yet again Saavedra throws that beautiful left uppercut that just shakes tapia to the core.
There's still a minute to go and they are clinched and struggling. They trade body shots and Saavedra lands a heavy right hand. He is really swinging for that home run shot and he rocks Saavedra who's now stumbling on his feet.
They exchanged left hooks and as the clock winds down they stand against the ropes and just trade. The bell goes and they embrace! What a fight!
Saavedra comes out and is really working the body and tapia is in real trouble here. He's trying to hold on but Saavedra is just staying on him with a flurry of body shots and he drops him with a minute and a half to go!
Tapia is holding on for dear life here! He manages to get back up and beat the count but he is shattered! Saavedra stays on top of him, a real dog and just going to work on the body.
Tapia is holding on for dear life and he manages to see the end of the round.
As they come together at the beginning of the round they are twisting away as that right hand of tapia hits the back of Saavedra’s head. It draws a stern word from the referee, but Saavedra looks as if he needs a few more seconds to shake this off. The referee calls time and lets him get ready before starting the fight again.
That seems to have woken Saavedra up and he is really bullying Tapia this round, pushing him back, getting him onto the ropes and having his way with him.
Tapia comes to life with a minute left and starts to work Saavedra’s body. A huge left uppercut from Saavedra catches Tapia just before the bell and snaps his head back. What a great round by Saavedra!
We're over the hump here beyond halfway and this fight is now switching again. Tapia started really well and then Saavedra chopped him down in the middle before Tapia coming back. Every time you think he has nothing left to give he sits back and unloads that right hand that is just doing nuclear level damage to Saavedra.
Saavedra is still trying to stay on the front foot, marching forward, walking his man down. Tapia seems to be happy working off the back foot, sitting underneath that right hand.
Ohh! Sabedra leans forward to work the body, landing three shots and Tapia delivers a short right that really shakes Saavedra right to his socks!
Both fighters have been dropped now and this is really wide open. Tapia may not have fully regained his composure but he is certainly back in this fight.
They stand in the middle and trade and while Saavedra continues to chip away at the body Tapia looks to have his legs back underneath him again.
Those head clashes early did some damage to tapia but now it looks as if there's some swelling under Saavedra’s right eye as well. Tapia steps back and throws another huge right hand. He's sitting back and really loading up on that punch. So far Saavedra has really taken it well but another one here lands and Saavedra is wobbled. His knees turned to Jelly there for a second but he was able to hold on and regain his legs.
Right as the round is coming to a close a good three punch combo to the body and a big right hand by Tapia and Saavedra is looking like he has nothing left to give.
That cut under Tapia's right eye is beginning to swell. That could become important as this fight continues. Saavedra continues to pepper Tapia's body and it looks like a question of when not if.
Tapia lands a big right hand but Saavedra comes back and stumbles him with a huge left hook of his own. He has been chopping him down with the shots to the body and it looks as if it's going to pay dividends. Tapia is absolutely shattered.
In the final minute, Saavedra lands a nice right hand and pushes Tapia back onto the ropes yet again. With ten seconds to go in the round Tapia lands a huge right that drops Saavedra! That came out of nowhere! Saavedra beats the count and as the fight continues the bell comes in and really saves him there. What a huge shot by Tapia!
Saavedra comes out and really wants to end this here. Tapia is not quite finished and he catches Saavedra with a short right. They clinch and Saavedra is working Tapia's body, pushing him onto the ropes.
Another body shot and Tapia is in a lot of bother here. Great exchange and Tapia seems to have come off the worst for it. Saavedra lands an overhand right that stumbles the Australian backwards.
A better round from Tapia but at the moment he is just surviving.
Tapia is still pushing forward trying to keep the fight on the inside working the body of Saavedra. A beautiful short right by Saavedra on the inside really snaps Tapia's head back.
There's another clash of heads. This looks like it's going to be the way this fight it's going to play out because both are pushing in hard.
Ohh! Great shot from Saavedra pushes Tapia back and his man jumps on him pushing the advantage! Tapia is bleeding from under the eye as well as on top of the head. Saavedra really unloads lets his hands fly and drops Tapia!
He manages to beat the count but he's in real trouble here! Saavedra jumps straight back onto him and he's dropped again! Tapia is in a ton of trouble! The referee warns him that if he's knocked down one more time the fight is going to be stopped. He allows it to continue now and Tapia saved by the bell.
Tapia comes out working in the second round a little quicker than he did in the first. He lands a nice one too and then goes downstairs with a beautiful left hook.
Saavedra comes forward and swats with that jab rather than a straight poke he sort of swats the lead hand out of the way and lands are nice straight right that pushes Tapia backwards.
A lovely one-two from Saavedra and he gets a little greedy. Comes forward and gets caught with a counter hook that stops his attack dead in his tracks. Tapia was let off the hook a little bit there, but this is much better from the Venezuelan.
Tapia is pushing the fight inside working in close and there must have been a clash of heads because there is a knot and a little bit of blood coming from the very top of Tapia's head. A very nice round by Saavedra.
Both men come out working from the orthodox stance, quiet, probing, testing each other with tentative jabs. Neither is willing to go too soon, wary of the other's counter punching ability.
Saavedra comes forward with a three punch combo but Tapia wraps him up. When they break, Tapia comes back with a sharp one two to the body before ducking out of the way of what was coming back. Nice work by the Australian.
Saavedra manages to get inside and deliver a solid right hook that pushes Tapia back.
Cesar Mateo Tapia vs. Endry Saavedra [middleweight]
We get things going with a great middleweight matchup between Australia's Cesar Mateo Tapia and Venezuela's Endry Saavedra. This bout is scheduled for ten rounds.
Preliminary results
Justin Viloria vs. Diuhl Olguin [super featherweight]
Justin Viloria gets the TKO in the seventh round over Diuhl Olguin to improve to 7-0 with five KOs.
Daintier Pero vs. Willie Jake Jr. [heavyweight]
Dainier Pero KOs Willie Jake Jr, bringing his record to 9-0 with 7 knockouts.
The Full Card
Main Card
Tim Tszyu vs. Bakhram Murtazaliev [IBF super welterweight title]
Cesar Mateo Tapia vs. Endry Saavedra [middleweight]
Yoenis Tellaz vs. Johan Gonzalez [super welterweight]
Daintier Pero vs. Willie Jake Jr. [heavyweight]
Justin Viloria vs. Diuhl Olguin [super featherweight]
Preliminary card
Carlos Jackson vs. Ryan Lee Allen [super bantamweight]
Daniel Blancas vs. Marco Delcado
Gary Antonio Russell vs. Jaden Burnias
Jocksan Blanco vs. Angel IIarrazo
Roberto Raul Rivera Gomez vs. Jenn Gonzalez [featherweight]
Michael Garcia vs. Carlos Aguilera Martinez
The main undercard is set to get underway at 8pm ET / 5pm PT.
Tale of the tape
Bakhram Murtazaliev
Age: 31
Country: Russia
Stance: Orthodox
Height: 6ft 0in
Reach: 73”
Record: 22-0-0
Tim Tszyu
Age: 29
Country: Australia
Stance: Orthodox
Height: 5ft 8.5in
Reach: 70.5”
Record: 24-1-0
WELCOME!!!
Welcome to Diario AS USA’s live coverage of the IBF junior middleweight title bout between Bakhram Murtazaliev and Tim Tszyu at the Caribe Royale Resort in Orlando, Florida.
Tim Tszyu's path back to the top is anything but smooth. After a tough loss to Sebastian Fundora, he's now staring down another serious challenge in Bakhram Murtazaliev. This Saturday, Tszyu will step into the ring to face Murtazaliev, the reigning IBF junior middleweight champion, hoping to regain the momentum he lost earlier this year.
2024 hasn’t been kind to Tszyu. His first setback came when his original opponent, Keith Thurman, withdrew due to injury just before their March 30 fight. With little time to adjust, Tszyu found himself up against the towering and dangerous Sebastian Fundora instead. Fundora’s awkward style and significant height advantage gave Tszyu all he could handle, and to make matters worse, Tszyu suffered a nasty cut early in the fight. The bloody battle went to the judges, who handed Fundora a split decision victory, costing Tszyu the WBO junior middleweight title.
Following that loss, Tszyu aimed to rebound in August, with a fight lined up against Vergil Ortiz Jr. But that plan fell apart when Tszyu’s injuries from the Fundora fight hadn't fully healed. By September, it seemed Tszyu’s shot at redemption would come against Erickson Lubin in an IBF eliminator. Then, Lubin pulled out due to a hand injury, forcing the IBF to order the fight between Tszyu and Murtazaliev.
The stakes are high, and the future remains uncertain. There’s talk that the winner might face Lubin in early 2025, but Tszyu can’t afford to look past the task at hand. He knows he’s in for a tough fight. "Murtazaliev is a dog. That always presents a tremendous task. He's strong and he's got a competitive edge. I'm looking forward to fighting someone like that," Tszyu said during a recent workout. Reflecting on his loss to Fundora, he added, "Could've, would've, should've, my last fight is all in the past. I just have to move on and look for answers another way."
Murtazaliev, with an undefeated record of 22-0 and 16 knockouts, is not someone to overlook. His rise to the IBF title was delayed, but when he finally got his shot against Jack Culcay in April, he showed grit and determination. Fighting while fasting due to Ramadan, Murtazaliev seemed to lose some steam as the fight wore on. But in the 11th round, he unleashed a barrage of punches that secured a late stoppage and the IBF belt. That kind of resilience is what makes him dangerous against a fighter like Tszyu.
This fight isn’t just about Tszyu’s redemption; it’s about Murtazaliev proving that he belongs among the elite. His power and aggressive style are a real threat to Tszyu, especially with the possibility of reopening the cut from the Fundora fight, which required 15 stitches to close. Murtazaliev has shown he can push through adversity, and that makes him a live underdog in this bout.
But when Tszyu is on his game, he’s a force. His offensive output can overwhelm opponents, and his power is nothing to scoff at. If he can shake off the setbacks of this year and avoid the mistakes he made against Fundora, he should have the tools to handle Murtazaliev. Still, it’s not going to be an easy night for either fighter.
With both men having something to prove, this fight could end up being one of the most exciting of the year. It’s the kind of bout where anything could happen, and Tszyu, hungry to get back on track, will need to weather some storms to reclaim his place among the champions.