Changing trainers twice in half a year doesn’t usually scream “I’ve found the solution.” It screams, “I’m trying to find anyone who can tell me I’m still 24k gold.” If Fenech can’t magically install a defensive shell in three months, that Spence fight might just be the iceberg that sinks the ship for good.
For a guy whose career was supposed to be a steady march toward greatness, this looks like a fighter in a full-blown identity crisis.
Sacking your long-term team, Igor Goloubev and Glenn Jennings, after the Sebastian Fundora and Bakhram Murtazaliev disasters was understandable. It was a search for answers. But dumping Pedro Diaz after just two wins against Anthony Velazquez and Denis Nurja suggests that Tszyu doesn’t like what he sees in the mirror.
On paper, Tszyu’s 10-round decision over Denis Nurja on April 5 looked like the kind of rebound fight meant to rebuild confidence. He won comfortably, controlled long stretches, and got rounds in after difficult defeats.
Yet only weeks later, his team has been moved aside ahead of talks for a possible fight with Errol Spence Jr.
That timing points to concern inside the camp. Tszyu won the fight, but he was still getting hit more than he should against a limited opponent. The same habits that hurt him against Sebastian Fundora and Bakhram Murtazaliev were still visible. He came in upright, accepted exchanges too freely and left openings after punching.
Against Nurja, those mistakes were survivable because the other side lacked the power and finishing ability to turn moments into damage. Against bigger punchers or sharper offensive fighters, the ending could have looked very different.
Changing trainers can improve preparation and tighten flaws, but it does not erase years of instinct in one camp. Tszyu remains dangerous because of his pressure, toughness and willingness to engage. He also remains hittable against men who can punish him.
Tszyu didn’t look improved on April 5th against Nurja. He was still getting clipped by a guy who had no business touching him.
Hiring Fenech, who has been publicly trashing Diaz’s training methods as “s***,” feels like a reactionary move. It’s a back-to-basics play, but doing it right before a potential date with Errol Spence Jr. in July is the definition of high-risk.
The “B-level” tag that fans have given Tszyu is the ultimate insult in boxing, but the evidence is mounting that being the case.
During Tszyu’s rise, he was knocking over guys like Dennis Hogan, Tony Harrison, and Carlos Ocampo. Those were solid names, but all were either past their prime or stylistically tailor-made for him.
There is a real possibility that the sledgehammering Tim took from Murtazaliev changed his chemistry. When a pressure fighter who relies on toughness starts losing his whiskers or second-guessing his defense, the decline is usually steep and ugly.
If Tszyu was exposed by Fundora’s length and Murtazaliev’s power, Errol Spence Jr. provides a different kind of nightmare: elite ring IQ. Even a diminished Spence isn’t going to let Tszyu ‘Terminator’ his way through 12 rounds.
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