American boxing Hall of Famer Timothy Bradley has delivered a sensational takedown of rebounding Australian star Tim Tszyu – stressing the former world champ is “done”, a worse fighter than Nikita, and set to be knocked out cold by Errol Spence Jnr.
The huge spray comes as another US great, Paulie Malignaggi, has also given his own take around the impending showdown, while American fight writer Sean Zittel has claimed “punch-for-punch, Tim Tszyu is sharper”.
As revealed only last week, Tszyu is set to face Spence sometime later this year for a huge showdown against Spence, the former pound-for-pound star who has not fought in the three years since losing to Terence Crawford.
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Tim Tszyu to fight Errol Spence Jnr | 00:35
While June is the month being mentioned, no date or venue has yet been confirmed.
Currently, Tszyu is bunkered down in Miami, Florida with new coach Pedro Diaz.
The Sydneysider intends to have what will effectively be a four-month build to the Spence fight, and include a ‘warm up’ in late March.
As revealed by Fox Sports Australia, that first bout is being slated for the same card as Liam Paro’s IBF world title showdown against Lewis Crocker in late March — with a fellow Aussie fighter almost certain to be given the chance to play spoiler.
From there, Tszyu will then move immediately into the Spence showdown.
Yet speaking on his YouTube channel this week, Bradley suggested Australia’s longtime pay-per-view king is set to once again be stopped in a marquee fight, just as he was against world champions Sebastian Fundora and Bakhram Murtazaliev.
In a shock spray, the Hall of Famer also suggested Tszyu can no longer take a punch after too many wars inside the ring.
“Errol Spence know how to fight,” Bradley started. “And he gunna let them hands go.
“He gunna take it to Tim Tszyu.
“And Tim Tszyu is one of those guys, he stands right in front of you.
“He ain’t one of those guys who picks up his feet and moves.
“Tim Tszyu’s little brother is better than him.
“He [Nikita] has probably been whopping his ass in sparring. Yeah, he been whoopin’ his ass. I already know he do.
“He’s a leftie, moves his head side to side, I know he be whoopin’ his ass in the gym for real … but they don’t be talkin’ about it.”
Timothy Bradley Jr.Source: Getty Images
So as for a prediction?
“Errol Spence gunna knock Tim Tszyu out,” Bradley continued.
“Tim Tszyu is done. He’s 31, he’s done.
“Too much wear and tear.
“He’s got his ass knocked out a couple of times.
“It seems like he’s strong mentality and he wants it.
“But his body is not responding like it should be.
“Lot of big knockouts and wars for Tim Tszyu, man. He been getting hit too much.
“And when you get hit too much, s***, your time is up real fast.
“So I got Errol Spence in that fight.
“Errol gunna stop his ass … Errol gunna stop your ass Tim Tszyu.”
Soon after, Bradley went again, continuing: “Tszyu ain’t clickin’
“And everybody got his damn number
“Punch with his ass, he can’t take it on the chin.”
Still on Tszyu, and American boxing analyst Paulie Malignaggi has added his own take on the impending Spence megafight.
Only weeks after first breaking the news about Tszyu/Spence during a trip Down Under, Malignaggi has discussed the fight with Chris Algieri on their BoxingScene podcast.
“Errol has had a lot of long layoffs in his career,” Malignaggi started.
“And sometimes that works out, sometimes it doesn’t.
“I mean, you see [Terence] Crawford comes off long layoffs and fights well.
“Keyshawn Davis just did it.
“[But] There’s a hit or miss with that long layoff stuff. You get rusty in terms of not having the timing.
“But for us conspiracy theorists, you also have time to dope up.
“I’m just saying.
“I’m starting to see more and more of these long layoffs happening. Or semi-retirements and whatnot …”
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Meanwhile, American boxing journalist Sean Zittel has also given his take on Tszyu over the weekend — which included some high praise for the Aussie.
Speaking on his Youtube channel, Zittel started: “I don’t think Tim Tszyu is a shot fighter.
“But his vitality as a fighter has been evaporating before our eyes in these last three out of four fights.
“The first and second Fundora fight, you could tell Fundora got better … but you can also see from Tszyu that his punch resistance has been fading, being stopped in two of his past three fights.
“And Bakhram didn’t exactly then set the world on fire against Josh Kelly.
“But styles make fights too and Kelly is a much different style to Tim Tszyu … but this is a good fight.”
Later, Zittel added: “I give credit to Tszyu in that second Fundora fight, man.
“Seeing it person, [watching] on television doesn’t quite do justice to how he went for broke in that last round before he had to retire on the stool.”
Then comparing Tszyu and Spence specifically, the popular US journalist said: “Spence is certainly the more decorated fighter.
“Certainly has more volume and the better jab than Tim Tszyu.
“Is the better decorated amateur, too.
“But I think punch-for-punch, Tim Tszyu is sharper.
“And I think Tim Tszyu moves his head off the line more than he does, and with a little bit better reflexes with what he does.
“Put all that together, and it’s an interesting crossroads fight.”
Elsewhere, Bradley also suggested he could not back against Spence, who has already fought back from serious eye issues and a horrific 2019 car accident in his hometown of Dallas, Texas.
“Errol Spence is back,” Bradley said. “He’s back.
“He ain’t the big fish no more … but it looks like the rest was good for his body.
“When you’ve been training since you were a little boy, training all those years, having that time off I’m sure did wonders for his damn body.
“Done wonders for his damn brain as well.
Tim Tszyu.Source: Getty Images
“And I’ll tell you this: I ain’t ever gonna doubt a motherf***er who gets thrown out of a car going 175 miles an hour or whatever the speed was … and came out with a scratch.
“Yeah, I know he had some internal s***, but I’m just sayin. That man is still livin’. And there is a reason why.
“This dude is a miracle, man
“Errol Spence is a walking miracle.
“So I ain’t going to doubt nobody strong like that.”
Speaking with Fox Sports Australia over the weekend, Team Tszyu also explained the fighter’s decision to roll the dice on a ‘warm up’ fight for Spence as crucial to his upsetting the American.
Asked about risking the Spence opportunity in an all-Australian bout, Tszyu’s manager Darcy Ellis said: “Tim is over there in Miami with Pedro Diaz and absolutely flying at the moment.
“He’s great physically, absolutely no problems at all.
“We’re looking to take another fight because it gives Tim more time to continue making those changes with Pedro on his style and so on.
“For their first fight together against Anthony Velazquez in December, they only had seven weeks to prepare.
“And you just can’t move mountains in that amount of time.
“But having another fight [before Spence] now gives Tim the time to make those necessary adjustments.”