Joey Spencer Believes Fighters Push Tim Tszyu to Fight ‘Fire with Fire’

As the fighters traded words at the “Face Off,” Ben Damon asked Tszyu if fans will see a more conservative version of him during the fight. And Tszyu, being his typical nonchalant self, nodded and announced that he was planning to “fight fire with fire.”

This statement piqued Spencer’s interest, and he responded without skipping a beat, “He’s going to have to. Because at the end of the day, he keeps saying he came out fighting more conservatively…He has been saying that. He came out during the Bakhram (Murtazaliev) fight, letting his hands go. But at the end of the day, Bakhram brought that out of you. That’s what I feel.”

Spencer pointed out that Murtazaliev hit Tszyu with clean shots, and sensing the energy of a fighter who did not “dance around” pushed him to fight more conservatively. “You came out and fought fire with fire because you had someone who came out and was willing to swing with you,” he said.

On the other hand, Tszyu nodded in agreement and mentioned that he is not a “one-dimensional” fighter and believes he can bring many things out.

“I Am Still World-Class”

Tszyu’s loss against Murtazaliev and Sebastian Fundora instilled doubts in Eddie Hearn’s mind about his position in the big leagues. In Hearn’s words, Tszyu has always folded in the presence of “world-class” opposition. However, the former WBO junior middleweight champion hopes that his future performances will prove he is still at the top of his game.

“Coming into the Orlando fight, I was in unreal shape. I’m just devastated that I didn’t get to show myself,” he said, “On Sunday, I get to show myself. I’m King. Forget about what you’ve done in yourself and focus on what just happened. I respect Eddie Hearn. I’m here to show all the critics that I am still world-class.”