Battered Tszyu’s telling admission after Fundora thumping

Tim Tszyu’s doctor has praised the star’s “preservation over valour” mentality and has declared he’ll be back with a vengeance.

Tim Tszyu leaves the ring after his match with Sebastian Fundora. (Photo by Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Tim Tszyu’s Gold Coast-based fight doctor says the boxer is down but definitely not out after his devastating defeat in Las Vegas last weekend “and will come back, no doubt”.

Dr Bill Anseline, a celebrity medico who has been with Team Tszyu for decades and looked after Tim’s legendary dad Kostya, also revealed the younger Tszyu was set to spend time on the Coast “processing” his loss to American Sebastian Fundora.

Dr Anseline, an Australian tour doctor for the likes of the Rolling Stones, Queen, Fleetwood Mac, Elton John and Ed Sheeran, returned home to the Coast on Wednesday after the crushing Vegas vanquish.

Speaking exclusively to The Courier-Mail, he told how he took a beaten Tszyu to hospital for precautionary scans after the fight and asked him: “What happened, dude?”

“He just said ‘I ran out of gas … that’s it, I simply ran out of gas’,” the doctor said.

Tim Tszyu with his Gold Coast-based doctor Bill Anseline.

“It was a tough fight. He was fighting a preying mantis, a giant. We have weight divisions in boxing but not height divisions, and Tim didn’t get to the point where he could take advantage of the fact he was punching up.

“With a height disadvantage like that, it’s probably a lot harder to land clean shots to the head, and it takes extra effort to reach the chin and temple, which are the prime knockout zones.

“But the better man won on the night and Tim makes no excuses. No-one wants to fly home without a (championship) belt, but that’s the reality of boxing.”

Dr Anseline said Tszyu had correctly chosen “preservation over valour” in throwing in the towel against Fudora after the 7th round of their WBC super welterweight bout.

“His decision to withdraw was not a sign of weakness - it basically reflected, in my opinion, a deeper understanding that true strength sometimes lies in choosing preservation over valour,” he said.

“As his doctor, I really commend him for putting his health and his future first. He made all the right decisions. He knows his body, and I’m just so glad as a doctor that he put his hand up.

Tszyu went to war with Fundora for a second time. Picture: No Limit Boxing

“I don’t want him to seek the glory of going 12 rounds and come out of it with a brain injury.”

Dr Anseline flatly rejected suggestions that Tszyu’s psychological wounds might be far worse than the minimal physical injuries he suffered in the bout, saying the boxer was already back in the gym.

He said “the greatest fighters the world’s ever seen”, including Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier and Manny Pacquiao, had all lost multiple fights and bounced back.

“I certainly wouldn’t write Tim off,” he said.

“He’ll come back, no doubt. He just needs to sit down, breathe and process. I think he’ll come to the Coast to spend some time. It’s his second home.”

Dr Anseline said Team Tszyu would now focus its attention on Tszyu’s younger brother Nikita, who is making his comeback next month after almost a year recovering from hand surgery.

Originally published as Battered Tszyu’s telling admission after Fundora thumping