‘He disrespected me’: Tim Tszyu caught in fiery exchange of words with team Fundora
Just days out from Tim Tszyu and Sebastian Fundora’s mega fight, Tszyu has been caught in a war of words with fight promoter Sampson Lewkowicz.
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Tim Tszyu has engaged in a fiery, foul-mouthed back-and-forth with Sebastian Fundora’s promoter, Sampson Lewkowicz, at Friday’s press conference at the MGM Grand, just days ahead of their world title fight.
Lewkowicz has been raging about Team Tszyu overlooking Fundora by planning for a mega-fight with Terence Crawford.
Tszyu hit back during the week, labelling Lewkowicz ‘a weasel’, before they finally met face-to-face moments before the main press conference started.
Tszyu v Fundora + Zerafa v Lara LIVE from Las Vegas | SUN 31 MAR 11AM AEDT | Exclusive to Main Event, order on Kayo Sports. No Kayo subscription needed.
“The way you said it to me, man, I felt disrespected,” Tszyu told Lewkowicz in footage captured by this masthead. “Don’t go coming up to me, saying all this shit.
“There’s certain respect. I’m a fighter.”
Lewkowicz appeared to be attempting to apologise to Tszyu, but the Aussie wasn’t having it.
“It was that he disrespected me,” Tszyu said later. “He said, ‘When we beat you, we’ll come down to Australia’.
“I said that ain’t happening. That’s why I started calling him the weasel, because he is the weasel.
“He’s trying to play it cool. He’s just a typical old school promoter with his fat, gold chain.
“Stuff him.”
Lewkowicz put the disagreement down to something lost in translation.
“It was a misunderstanding. I have the utmost respect for the fighters,” Lewkowicz told this masthead. “I said he’d get knocked out this Saturday night, that’s my opinion.
“I believe Fundora will knock him out.
“If there’s a rematch, I would never predict a rematch. I can predict this Saturday.”
Tszyu’s promoter, Matt Rose, revealed he confronted Lewkowicz about the blow-up before the press conference began.
“I said to Sampson, ‘Go and worry about Fundora’,” he said. “I have no idea why he wants to make an issue, he should be thanking Tim.
“He gave Fundora the chance as champion, and he has given Fundora all the advantages under the sun in terms of preparation.
“The arrogance blows me away. Sampson and his team should leave Tim alone and stay in their lane.”
Meanwhile, the list of fighters calling Tszyu out continues to grow, with former welterweight champion Errol Spence joining Crawford in attempting to line up a title shot.
Spence announced on X (formerly Twitter) that he will be ringside in Las Vegas this weekend, and will call out the victor.
Headed to Vegas 🦈 I want the winner!! #TszyuFundorapic.twitter.com/XctU3liENh
— Errol Spence (@ErrolSpenceJr) March 28, 2024
“I’ve wanted Errol Spence for a long time,” Tszyu said in response. “We’ve had history and he’s called me a few things.
“I’d love that fight as well.”
Comeback kid Brian ‘La Bala’ Mendoza also wants a rematch with Tszyu, and said he’d even be willing to travel back to Australia to get it.
Tszyu beat the ultra-tough Mendoza by decision on the Gold Coast in October, and the American is fighting Serhei Bohachuk for the interim WBC world title on this weekend’s card.
A win would see Mendoza become the WBC’s mandatory challenger, and he’s already planning his revenge mission.
“It’s all about the belts, and if you have belts, you have the leverage,” Mendoza told this masthead. “I’m already becoming the mandatory for the winner of Tim and Fundora’s fight, and it would be an honour to share the ring again with him one day.
“I’m an honorary Aussie, so there’s no issue going back down there, but if we can it over here, we will.”
Having seen two undisputed world title bouts against Jermell Charlo fall through in the last two years, Tszyu is now relishing his role as boxing’s marked man.
“Come to papa,” he said of the ever increasing list of fighters calling him out.
“It feels good. That’s the reason we went down the path of getting the belts because then they all come to you.
“I was in a position of chasing, chasing, chasing Charlo. Now they’re coming to me.”
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