TIM TSZYU is looking to bounce back from a bloody defeat to Sebastian Fundora in March and was immediately given the opportunity to win the world title again, but standing in his way is undefeated IBF champion Bakhram Murtazaliev.

Both have a combined record of 46-1, of which 33 victories came in the distance – but which victory in each competitor’s CV is the best? We take a look at their top three.

TIM TSZYU THREE BEST WINS

3. Jeff Horn, 26/08/2020, Townsville – TKO 9

It could easily be considered a victory in which Tszyu, who was 15-0 at the time, truly announced himself as the next dominant force in Australian boxing by defeating and brutally stopping Jeff Horn.

Horn, of course, etched his name into the country’s boxing folklore by defeating all-time great Manny Pacquiao for the welterweight title three years earlier. However, he had no answer to Tszyu’s attack at 154 pounds. Horn trailed in innings three and seven before failing to come out in the ninth. “I just want everyone to know this,” he said later. “My name is Tim, not Kostya’s son.”

2. Carlos Ocampo, 18/06/2023, Broadbeach – TKO 1

With a 35-2 record, Carlos Ocampo was seen as something of a step up for Tszyu, who would face some recent challenges at the hands of the experienced Mexican.

However, he made fun of the pre-fight predictions by steamrolling Ocampo in just 72 seconds against the knockout of the year contender. First, he dropped him with a gigantic right hand, which Ocampo only just managed to recover from.

However, the recovery was short-lived as Tszyu attacked him and brutally ended the fight with a left hook, leaving Ocampo left icy on the bottom rope.

1. Brian Mendoza, 15/10/2023, Broadbeach – UD 12

It wasn’t the pop, bang, bang present in many of Tszyu’s stoppage victories, but in his first defense of his WBO welterweight title, the Australian boxed brilliantly en route to a clear defeat over Brian Mendoza.

For many, it was the No. 1 against the No. 2 in the division, and Mendoza entered the fight on the back of knockout victories over Jeison Rosario and Sebastian Fundora. However, Tszyu neutralized this strength and dominated the second half of the fight, winning by scores of 117-111, 116-111 and 116-112.

BAKHRAM MURTAZALIEV THREE BEST WINS

3. Fernando Carcamo, 4/8/2018, Atlantic City – TKO 1

After finishing his first two 10-round fights in the fifth round, Fernando Carcamo (then 23-8) was expected to offer a similar level of resistance to the Russian punch. Murtazaliev, however, had a different idea and stopped it in just 41 seconds.

It was the fastest break in his career. Murtazaliev took advantage of the early pressure and staggered Carcamo with a keen left hook that sent him sliding back towards the ropes.

Clearly in no mood to move on to the second round, Murtazaliev stepped up and eventually dropped his opponent with a right hand for the first and last time. He stood up at the count of 10, and referee Eddie Claudio immediately waved his hand.

2. Jorge Fortea, 11/02/2019, Las Vegas – UD 12

It wasn’t the most explosive performance of Murtazaliev’s career, but it was an eliminator against a good opponent from Fortea, who did well to spoil a lot of the Russian’s work.

Still, Murtazaliev showed diligence and patience, outworking the Spaniard and landing cleaner, stronger shots throughout the match, securing a unanimous decision in his first 12-round match.

Lisa Giampa gave him a 120-108 victory, while Tim Cheatham (119-109) and Steve Weisfeld (118-110) came a little closer to victory at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.

1. Jack Culcay, April 6, 2024, Falkensee – TKO 11

The victory over Fortea was supposed to be an eliminator for the world title fight, but Murtazaliev, although he remained undefeated, had to wait until April this year to finally fight for the belt.

Murtazaliev surrendered the home advantage to his opponent in what was by far the best win of his career to date as he traveled to Germany to face Jack Culcay. By the time they reached the 11th card, he had the advantage in two of the three cards, but he was in no mood to leave it in the judges’ hands and instead called it quits at 2:50.

Murtazaliev hurt Culcay repeatedly in the 11th round and it was remarkable that he was still on his feet with 10 seconds left in the round, but thanks to one final, crushing right hand, Culcay went down and lost, and Murtazliev was crowned the recent IBF 154-pound champion .

LAST week in Riyad, Saudi Arabia, was supposed to be the highlight of Ben Shalom’s career.

With Fight of the Year likely at the top of the list, Shalom managed to dominate the undercard with his fighters. Furthermore, he also worked with fellow promotional rivals Eddie Hearn and Frank Warren, despite previously struggling to establish a working relationship with them.

What could go wrong?

It all started at the weigh-in between Chris Eubank Jr. and Kamil Szeremeta when Ben Shalom and Frank Warren appeared to have a falling out. Ironically, similar events had occurred between Shalom and his other rival, Eddie Hearn, on the Riyadh Season Wembley Edition card three weeks earlier.

Nevertheless, Shalom is used to it; he repeatedly emphasized that his priority was fighters, not any amiable relations with enemies.

Significant damage occurred on the night of the fight.

Firstly, internet sensation Ben Whittaker was expected to claim victory over Liam Cameron. However, the fight ended unexpectedly after a bizarre ending to the fifth round when both fighters went over the top rope, leaving Whittaker with an apparent ankle injury and unable to continue.

The fight ended in a controversial draw after a technical decision, leaving Whittaker’s opponent, Cameron, feeling aggrieved and convinced that he had won. Not only did Whittaker’s performance raise questions, but the way the fight ended left many questioning the fighter’s heart.

Shalom’s night briefly improved when Chris Eubank Jr lightly hit Kamil Szeremeta, knocking his fighter down four times before forcing a stoppage in the seventh round. Conor Benn then stormed into the ring, coming face to face with his rival – which was hilariously supervised by Neymar.

Jai Opetaia was another man who admitted defeat to one of Shalom’s warriors. He completely dominated Jack Massey, forcing Massey to take him out of the corner in the sixth round.

The worst moment of the night for Shalom came during the co-main event. The highly anticipated rematch between Frazer Clark and Fabio Wardley was expected to mirror the 12-round war they fought in March.

Despite this, the fight ended brutally when Wardley knocked out Clarke in the first round. Shalom didn’t even get a chance to watch the main event as he drove to the hospital with Clarke.

It has now been confirmed that Clarke suffered multiple facial fractures.

Regardless of the different fight results, the re-teaming of Eddie Hearn and Frank Warren may have resulted in some form of relationship between the British promoters.

Like the Night of Shalom, there still doesn’t seem to be one, or if there was one, the situation has gotten worse.

In an interview with , Eddie Hearn said: “The bet is that we’re all working together, but not quite yet.”

Moreover, during the media rounds, Frank Warren referred to Boxxer and Ben Shalom as “a nightmare to deal with.”

However, a defiant Shalom repeated in his interviews: “We (Boxxer) will continue to try to work with the promoters. We will continue to try to fight the best fights we can. We are really reasonable people.”

While just performing on a card the size of last Saturday’s was a huge moment for the youthful British promoter, it ultimately wasn’t a good week for him and he may have to endure a complex few weeks as he prepares to work with future rivals again.

Boxxer and Shalom return tonight when youthful prospect Adam Azim takes on the experienced Ohara Davies in a super lightweight fight at the Copper Box Arena in London.

IT WAS just before Christmas 2021. Dennis Hobson’s fight night in Sheffield. Evening at Forge Ponds. Nicola Hopewell was hunting for pastures novel. Hopewell was finding her way now that her venerable boxing world was finally left behind. A long overdue and much needed transition to a more accepted side of the sport. At the time, Hopewell had no manager. She had no promoter. Hopewell actively pursued both.

Covid restrictions were still in place in the country. Masks were to be worn indoors during public events. The then government again issued an order to cover the mouth and nose again. Truth be told, few people cared about this night. We later learned that those who made all these endless and ever-changing rules didn’t care much either.

Hobson struggled with a lot this week. The fighting stopped. Card ruined by endless tardy cancellations. But somehow the show was saved. From what I remember, it was a four-fight card. Local flyweight Tommy Frank won a decision over Charles Tondo. By the way, Frank, a die-hard Sheffield United fan, has a story.

Hobson was set on Frank at the time. Before Covid, he was on a roll. When boxing returned, he was one of the first victims. Two unexpected defeats stopped his momentum. In the fight before Tondo, Frank won the British title. Hobson kept the faith and supported his man. He has a habit of doing just that.

Hopewell was there for that show. She was looking for guidance as her professional career was about to begin. The Worksop player met Hobson after the performance. Terms were offered. Hobson wanted to sign a contract with Hopewell. He liked what he saw and thought he could do something with her.

Hopewell, however, went elsewhere. Although ironically that professional debut eight months later was on Hobson at Bramall Lane. Like Tommy Frank, Hopewell spends his time supporting the red and white people of the city. She called it a dream debut. In many ways it was. Hopewell won by stoppage in the final round. The reluctant opposition barely struck a blow. Hopewell landed virtually everything she threw. Now she was on her feet.

Hopewell has six fights under his belt. In 2023, she lost her undefeated record in a Commonwealth title fight against super flyweight Emma Dolan. A fight from which many lessons were learned. Moving up to flyweight gave Hopewell a second chance to win Commonwealth gold earlier this year.

A tough but deserved victory over Gemma Ruegg in April gave Hopewell her first professional title. However, like many others, Hopewell has been inactive recently. She hasn’t fought since her victory over Ruegg. A possible double title clash with European champion Chloe Watson was lost when the fight seemed obvious. A lost opportunity worth returning to.

Nicola Hopewell needed something or someone to take her to the next stage. Wandering around various promotions is a fight without a plan. No direction. Hopewell needed both. It had to be treated as a priority.

Hobson never lost interest in Hopewell. Virtually every time I saw him in concert, Hopewell was mentioned in conversation. You had a feeling that at some point they would end their cooperation. And they have.

Hopewell returns to Skate Central in Sheffield this Saturday live on Fightzone. The first defense of the Commonwealth title against the uncompromising Nigerian Mary Aina Abbey. A fight that will finally get Hopewell and Hobson on the same page. The experienced promoter is delighted with the novel acquisition.

“Nicola should have signed me from the beginning, but she did,” Hobson told Boxing News. “I’ve gotten to the point where I don’t have to work with anyone I don’t want to. I think she’s a lovely girl and I’ve always thought so. We can do much more with it.

“Nicola can move up and down in several weight classes, depending on the opportunities that lie ahead of her. Without blowing my own horn, I’m as good as anyone at manipulating people. Nicola has such a good attitude. She will fight anyone. But sometimes they need to be protected from themselves. It’s about taking the right fights at the right time.

“But it’s nice that he has such a positive attitude. She’s not a diva. Nicola has such a wonderful personality and I want to aid her succeed and I want her to succeed. I want to collect some titles with her.”

Hopewell is also excited about what lies ahead. At the age of 33, he is entering the most vital stage of his career. The athlete was clearly relieved to have some much-needed structure in her career.

“I’m really content to sign Dennis and have the opportunity to be lively over the next few months,” says Hopewell about signing Hobson. “I met with Dennis and we discussed the possibilities, which I’m excited about.”

Abbey won’t be an basic first defense for Hopewell. She has a win over Laura Pain and has only one loss in thirteen recognized fights. “It’s a test, but if Nicola wants to get on the world stage she’s going to have to beat girls like her,” Hobson says of the Nigerian import, which will give the promoter an immediate idea of ​​how far she could potentially go with her novel acquisition.

A three-fight deal will keep them in harmony with each other and hopefully result in more titles. Hopewell always believed she was capable of winning a world title. Hobson believes he can give her that. I want us to win the world title with her in the next two years.

They both now hope that this is how their story will end. A short-term contract that could be much longer if things go well for all parties. It started that Friday night in Ponds Forge, almost three years ago. It took a while, probably longer than it should have, but they finally got there.