Tim Tszyu in line for shock early return against Vergil Ortiz Jr feared knockout artist

After having his hopes of a rematch with Sebastian Fundora dashed, Tim Tszyu has secured his comeback fight– but it has come with another warning from a worried Jeff Fenech.

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – MARCH 30: WBO junior middleweight champion Tim Tszyu enters the ring for his title defense against Sebastian Fundora at T-Mobile Arena on March 30, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Steve Marcus/Getty Images/AFP (Photo by Steve Marcus / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)

Vergil Ortiz Jr jumped at the chance to fight Tim Tszyu in August and says he has a huge amount of respect for the ‘Soul Taker’ after his bloody battle with Sebastian Fundora in March.

Meanwhile, Australian boxing legend Jeff Fenech has warned Tszyu about coming back too quickly against such a dangerous opponent.

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News broke on Wednesday morning that Tszyu is close to locking in a comeback fight against Ortiz Jr, provided he gets past Thomas Dulorme unscathed this weekend.

The 154-pound showdown between two hard-hitting fighters is slated to take place on the undercard to Terence Crawford’s world title blockbuster with WBA super-welterweight world champion Israil Madrimov in Los Angeles.

Tim Tszyu (L) his bloody showdown with Sebastian Fundora. Picture: Getty

Ortiz Jr was sounded out about replacing Keith Thurman against Tszyu before Sebastian Fundora stepped in, and he jumped at his second chance at fighting the Aussie.

“Nothing’s official yet, but I really hope it happens,” Ortiz Jr told the 210 Boxing TV YouTube channel. “I respect him as a fighter, he’s a great fighter, and if we do fight, we’ll bring out the best in each other.

“It’s gonna be a fight you’re not going to want to miss.”

Oritz Jr said his admiration for Tszyu only went up after watching his bloody split decision defeat to Fundora in Las Vegas.

“He got a really bad cut, and what I took away from it is that he has heart,” he said.

“He’s not going to quit.

“That was a lot of blood coming out into his eyes. He wasn’t complaining, even after. He just fought through it.

“It says a lot about his character.”

Ortiz’s comments come as Fenech warned Team Tszyu about the danger 20-0 American faces.

Ortiz has won all 20 of his fights by stoppage, and moved up from welterweight to super-welterweight in January.

“This is a bloody tough fight against Ortiz,” Fenech said.

“Look, I think it’s a huge risk.

“It’s great to be confident. You have to have that self-belief as a fighter, but Tim is coming off a tough loss, physically he has to recover from that cut.

Tszyu’s first fight since the Fundora bloodbath won’t be a walk in the park. Picture: Getty

“I think Tim could have had an easier fight coming back. Ortiz has 20 knockouts from 20 fights, he is a very good fighter with serious power.

“Ortiz is at the top of the tree. The more guys like him watch Tim, the more they will look for his weaknesses and pick things out.

“If there is someone easier to fight, Tim should have taken that to get his momentum back. But if he beats Ortiz, it’s a huge scalp, so I wish him all the best.”

Fenech also questioned the role of Tszyu’s corner in the handling of his cut in the Fundora defeat.

“I love Tim Tszyu and I really admire what his team has done, but they should have known the rules in Vegas and they should have got that fight stopped,” he said.

“There is no doubting Tim’s toughness. He takes every fight. He is a warrior, but why did he have to go through what he went through against Fundora?

“Imagine what he could have made if he kept his belt.

“That decision has cost him around $10 million, but I won’t be too critical because I love Tim as a fighter and I hope he ends up being better than his father and better than me.”

Jeff Fenech says Tszyu’s defeat to Fundora cost him $10m. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Peter Lorimer.

EARLIER: TSZYU IN LINE FOR SHOCK EARLY RETURN

Tim Tszyu could be back much sooner than expected, with a bout against unbeaten knockout artist Vergil Ortiz Jr in the works for the August undercard of Terence Crawford’s showdown with Israil Madrimov.

The news comes less than 24 hours after Tszyu’s hopes of a rematch with Sebastian Fundora were dashed when the WBO ruled the ‘Towering Inferno’ must defend the title against the Crawford-Madrimov winner, who will become the sanctioning body’s interim champion.

This masthead understands No Limit has been working closely with American promoters PBC to lock in a blockbuster return for Tszyu following his bloody world title defeat to Fundora in March.

ESPN first reported the news that Ortiz Jr is in the mix, with the 20-0 American just needing to get past the 26-6-1 Thomas Dulorme this weekend unscathed.

“A lot can change in a matter of days in boxing,” No Limit CEO George Rose told this masthead on Tuesday of Tszyu’s possible return.

Tim Tszyu looks to have landed his next fight. Picture: Getty

“For Tim, easy fights don’t exist anymore.

“Every fight he takes is another opportunity to advance, it won’t be an easy fight by any means.

“We want entertaining fights, title fights and opportunities.”

Tszyu is serving a six week suspension following his split decision defeat to Fundora, and his team is monitoring the bad cut on his forehead closely.

Tszyu doesn’t want to wait for Fundora, and is understood to be less concerned about winning back his WBO world title than he is about making the biggest fights possible.

“Tim’s whole version of boxing doesn’t necessarily spin around belts,” Tszyu’s manager Glen Jennings told this masthead. “He wants the biggest fights and the best tests all the time.

“We actually have to pull him back.

A bloodied Tim Tszyu went down to Sebastian Fundora in Las Vegas. Picture: Getty

“He just wants the big boys, the big fights and the best challenges.

“Tim’s an elite level fighter and that’s where he’ll stay until he finishes.

“There’s no backward step, no sideways step. Any opponent needs to be a sufficient challenge for him to get out of bed.

“It’s going to be exciting.”

The 26-year-old Ortiz has finished every one of his 20 opponents via stoppage.

He won the WBO international welterweight title in 2021 with a seventh round KO of Maurice Hooker, and defended the title twice before illness derailed his career.

He moved up to super-welterweight in January, knocking out Fredrick Lawson inside one round.

The August 3 (August 4 in Australia) Crawford-Madrimov card will take place in Los Angeles and is being organised by new boxing kingpin Turki Alalshikh.

Originally published as Tim Tszyu in line for shock early return against Vergil Ortiz Jr feared knockout artist