Former WBO junior middleweight champion Tim Tszyu has unveiled a new nickname ahead of his July 26 fight against Errol Spence Jr. in Sydney, Australia, saying “The Phoenix” reflects his climb back toward the top after one of the toughest stretches of his career.
“‘The Phoenix’ came in. I was in the ashes, and it’s about rising up from the ashes and getting back to the top,” said Tszyu to Premier Boxing Champions about the new moniker.
“The rebuild stage began two fights ago, and it’s still going on.”
Tszyu’s career has been in rebuild mode since his rough 2024, when he lost his WBO junior middleweight title to Sebastian Fundora and was later stopped by Bakhram Murtazaliev.
Since then, Tszyu has begun rebuilding his career with consecutive victories over Joseph Spencer and Joey Spencer, restoring some of the momentum that made him one of the division’s biggest attractions.
The 30-year-old now faces another major test against former unified welterweight champion Errol Spence Jr., who is returning after a lengthy layoff and making his debut at 154 pounds. For Tszyu, a victory would strengthen his case for another run at a world title and validate the “Phoenix” nickname he believes represents the latest chapter of his career.
“When I got the cut, I was like, ‘Damn,’” said Tszyu about the cut he suffered underneath his left eye from a clash of heads in his last fight against Denis Nurja last April. “From the Fundora first fight that we had, that was nothing compared to what I went through.
“So, I took it as a little starter compared to what I had as a big entrée. Of course, and I was able to see the whole time,” said Tszyu when told that he was lucky the cut was underneath the eye. So, it was not a problem at all.”
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Last Updated on 2026/07/09 at 3:52 AM
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