Tszyu is trying to replicate the Sebastian Fundora playbook, but the comparison exposes exactly why his new vs. old logic feels so flawed.
On March 28, Fundora successfully defended his WBC title by stopping Keith Thurman in the sixth round. Fundora used a big-name, inactive veteran to legitimize his reign, and Tszyu is clearly attempting to do the same with Errol Spence.
“Look what happened with Thurman. Errol Spence is sort of in that generation, and that’s what I want to do, bring the new with the old now,” said Tszyu to Brian Custer’s site.
When Fundora beat Thurman, he was a champion defending a belt. When Tszyu talks about doing the same to Spence, he’s doing it as a contender who lost to Fundora twice. Fundora used a veteran to consolidate power. Tszyu is using a veteran to reconstruct a shattered reputation.
If he beats a 36-year-old Spence who hasn’t fought in three years, it only proves he can beat a legendary welterweight who stayed away too long.
In the current 154-lb division, the “new” guys are Xander Zayas and Vergil Ortiz Jr. At 31, with a recent 2-3 record in high-level fights, Tszyu is closer to the “old” generation he claims to be replacing.
Tszyu is banking on the Spence name to act as a reputation eraser. He hopes that if he knocks out a legend, everyone will forget he was dropped multiple times by Murtazaliev and out-pointed/stopped by Fundora.
Beating a faded Errol Spence won’t give him the height to deal with Fundora’s reach or the chin to withstand Murtazaliev’s power if they meet again. It’s a massive payday, rumored at $15M, but as a statement of dominance, it’s more of a marketing illusion than a sporting reality.
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