Bakhram Murtazaliev’s impressive win over Tim Tszyu just became even more remarkable. The undefeated IBF junior-middleweight champion knocked down Tszyu four times, leading to a stoppage in the third round, but it has now been revealed that Murtazaliev entered the fight with a broken right hand.
Murtazaliev’s coach, Roma Kalantaryan, shared that the Russian fighter broke his right hand during his final sparring session just a week before the bout. Despite the injury, Murtazaliev chose to fight on, relying heavily on his powerful left hook, which accounted for all four knockdowns.
“Our game plan was at 50% going into the fight because Bakhram didn’t have his right hand,” Kalantaryan explained. “We focused on throwing more open right hooks instead of straight rights, only when needed. I’m sure Tszyu was expecting more right hands from us.”
Even though Murtazaliev barely used his right hand until the fight itself, his dominance was clear, and his power left Tszyu’s corner with no choice but to throw in the towel. Kalantaryan added, “It doesn’t matter how hard the fight is. If Bakhram lands, it’s fireworks.”
Looking ahead, Murtazaliev is eyeing unification bouts against champions like Terence Crawford and Sebastian Fundora, making his future in the 154-pound division very promising despite the adversity he faced.
Image Credit: PBC