Tim Tszyu defeated Errol Spence Jr by unanimous decision in a 12-round middleweight blockbuster in Sydney on Sunday.
The 31-year-old Australian fighter (28-3, 18 KOs), rebranded as 'The Phoenix', entered Afterpay Arena before a sellout crowd knowing his career was on the line following three crushing world-title losses in America to Sebastian Fundora and Bakhram Murtazaliev. Tszyu lived up to his pre-fight promise to take the fight to Spence, sending his rival into retirement.
Tszyu earned the victory with judges' scores of 118-110, 117-111 and 117-111 against Spence, a generational talent and former unified welterweight champion of the world. The triumph was Tszyu's first since appointing legendary trainer Jeff Fenech, restoring the Sydney fighter's global reputation.
Spence threw more punches in the 12-round battle, but Tszyu landed the most telling blows. Retired pound-for-pound king Terence Crawford watched from the crowd as Tszyu set up potential future mega-money fights and another world-title attempt in the United States.
"I want to win a world title, but beating a great like Errol Spence beats any world title for me," Tszyu said after the bout. "It was one hell of a show and I understand why he's one of the greats. Let's go party."
Family Record and Spence Retirement
The victory preserved the Tszyu family's 31-year unbeaten record in Australia. Tszyu has won all 26 of his fights on home soil, while his Hall of Fame father Kostya holds an 18-0 record and his younger brother Nikita stands at 12-0 for a combined 56-0 tally in Australia.
"Sydney, Australia, the Tszyu legacy is continuing," Tszyu said. "I told you so."
Spence announced his immediate retirement following only the second defeat of his Hall of Fame career. Questions had surrounded the 35-year-old Texan since his 2023 loss to Crawford, which occurred four years after the southpaw survived a horrific car accident where he was ejected at speed from his Ferrari.
"I asked a lot of questions for myself, now it's time to go home with my family and start a new life," Spence said. "It's been a great time for myself, but it's time to be with my family and live that family life. I've got my faculties intact. Everything's good, man. I've got a beautiful family."
Round by Round Action
Spence was the busier fighter early in the bout. However, Tszyu took the opening round after landing a big overhand right to Spence's head late on. Spence responded in the second round with a heavy straight left and continued peppering Tszyu with his signature jab in round three.
Tszyu hit back in the fourth round with a combination and a right uppercut to place Spence on notice. Spence remained relentless, throwing twice as many punches as Tszyu, but the hometown hero delivered another huge blow to his rival's head as tensions rose.
Spence had only been dropped twice in his career, both times in his loss to Crawford. Tszyu almost put the Texan on the canvas again in round seven with a thunderous right hand. Both fighters began to tire after the helter-skelter encounter, but both continued searching for a knockout that never came.
