Tim Tszyu was brutally trolled by Russian opponent Bakhram Murtazaliev following his brutal three-round victory over the Australian boxer.
The shock defeat leaves questions hanging over Tszyu’s next career move, having suffered his second successive defeat.
The 29-year-old, who is the son of boxing hall of famer Kostya Tszyu, had been looking to become the second father-son to win two world titles.
But on Sunday he was demolished by the Russian, who dominated the fight from the off.
Murtazaliev would land some punishing blows on Tszyu in the opening few minutes of the fight, before sending him to the canvas on three occasions during the second round.
The Russian would subsequently clinch victory in the third round, knocking Tszyu to the floor with a huge left hook.
But despite the crushing blow, Tszyu gallantly attempted to fight on, with Murtazaliev stepping forward to land more punches on the Australian.
Tszyu appeared to be in some bother, with his team subsequently throwing in the towel, calling the fight off.
It was a dominant performance by Murtazaliev, who retained his IBF super welterweight title.
Tim Tszyu (left) was beaten by Bakhram Murtazaliev (right) on Sunday in Florida
But he had appeared to deliver a short jibe to Tszyu after the fight.
Being hoisted up onto the shoulders of several of his team, he was overheard saying: ‘Who’s your daddy now?’ towards Tszyu, appearing to reference his father, the former undisputed and lineal world champion in the light heavyweight division.
Though the jibe was a brutal one, Murtazaliev was gracious in defeat after the fight.
Speaking in a post-fight interview, the Russian lumped praise on his Australian opponent.
‘I would like to wish him all the best. One day I would like to work together,’ he said.
A dejected Tszyu admitted he didn’t know what happened after the fight.
‘What the f*** just happened?’ Tszyu, who was in disbelief, said.
‘What did I get hit with? Couldn’t regroup and… I don’t know man. S*** doesn’t go your way and you just have to bounce back you know.
‘I was positive after Fundora.’
The result means Tszyu has now lost both of his last two fights with the Australian conceding that Murtazaliev was the better fighter on the night.
Murtazaliev dominated during the fight, knocking his opponent down three times in the second round
He added: ‘This didn’t go according to script. It was a little bit different. I felt unbelievable, to be honest with you. I felt I had a great prep.
‘So he got me, man. He was the better man on the night and we live and we learn.’
Others from the world of boxing have offered their views on the fight including Terence Crawford.
‘Tim thought he had an easy one. Took this dude lightly and was worried about other fighters,’ the American boxing star said.
While the defeat will send Tszyu back to the drawing board, it is likely that he could come back to take on rival Michael Zerafa after his countryman called him out following Sunday’s defeat.
‘I’ve been saying this for years, Tim has a bad habit of overlooking his opponents,’ Zerafa said to The Sydney Morning Herald.
‘He goes on about Crawford and [Jermell] Charlo and Canelo [Alvarez] and [Errol] Spence, saying this is a hand-picked opponent and that he will smash him. Murtazaliev has just had his first title defence and has made a mockery of Tim.
After the bout, the Russian fighter delivered a brutal four-word put down to his opponent, referencing Tszyu famous boxing father
‘He’s sitting there saying he will knock out Crawford and Canelo. I don’t think he has any mirrors in his house. If he saw himself in the mirror, he would maybe wake up.
‘He’s definitely not at that level. I’ve been saying it for years. I’ve said it a thousand times, but because of his last name and that winning streak, everyone is against me. All of a sudden my phone hasn’t stopped and I’ve become the A-side.
‘I believe there is unfinished business for me. He’s human, you take away that last name and you just have an average guy standing in front of you.’
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