Tim Tszyu Unfazed By Opponent Change

Tim Tszyu isn’t letting the change of opponent impact him at all.

Tszyu was supposed to box Keith Thurman on Saturday, but Thurman was forced out of the bout and was replaced by Sebastian Fundora. Once Tszyu was told that Thurman was out, he wasn’t worried about who the replacement would be as all he wanted to do was fight.

“Last time I got bitten by a dog two weeks out,” Tszyu said (via BoxingScene). “I was in hospital, under full anaesthetic. Now I’m sweet. It’s just a change of opponent. It’s a completely different opponent, but to be great, you’ve got to do things that no one else does, and that’s exactly what I’m doing. ‘Thurman’s out. Bicep tear.’ ‘Alright. So what now?’ ‘Fundora or [Erislandy] Lara. But most likely Fundora.’ ‘Let’s get it on. Simple.’ What else can we do? The first 12 hours [after Thurman’s withdrawal] was a whirlpool. Once everything settled – focus shifted – it’s a good learning curve. The past is the past. Only growth happens from experiences like this.

“I was [in a rented property in Las Vegas when I found out]. My manager [Glen Jennings] came along – I saw [in his face] there was a bit of depression. I was like, ‘What’s wrong with you guys?’, and then I got told the news and I was like, ‘F*** – mother-‘. You know what? I had a feeling about it. ‘Imagine if something happens to [Keith] Thurman – I got a feeling that he’s not going to make it for some reason.’ There you go. Just a little intuition I felt.  The dog bite was more of a worry. This one made me pissed – like a wake-up call. Completely zoned in – I’m glad this happened, because I was getting a bit relaxed with Thurman. I love this feeling. This is not a setback. I’m focused; zoned in; healthy. I got another two spars against tall southpaws. Fight night I just adapt to whoever they put in front of me,” Tszyu continued.

Tim Tszyu enters this matchup as the betting favorite and if he gets his hand raised, he should get a big-time fight next time out.

Do you think Tim Tszyu will win?