TIM TSZYU EARNS DECISION IN SLUGFEST AGAINST ERROL SPENCE JR.

Australian superstar and former world champion Tim Tszyu took home a unanimous decision victory over former unified world champion Errol “The Truth” Spence Jr. in their middleweight bout that headlined a PBC Pay-Per-View event available on Prime Video and DAZN Saturday night (U.S. date and time) from Afterpay Arena in Sydney Australia.

“Middleweight is my new division and I feel strong,” said Tszyu. “This was one hell of a show. There were sleepless nights where I was thinking about facing a legend like Spence. I understand why he’s one of the greats.”

In a pivotal showdown for two fighters looking to return to world championship glory, Spence (28-2, 22 KOs) and Tszyu (28-3, 18 KOs) each landed big shots in round one, with Tszyu knocking Spence off balance with a right hand before Spence responded with a clean left hand that Tszyu appeared to take well.

The first half of the fight saw a back and forth effort with the two fighters trading strong rounds as Spence targeted Tszyu’s body early while Tszyu primarily scored with right hooks against his southpaw opponent. In his first fight in nearly three years, Spence seemed to have trouble keeping up his early round activity through the middle rounds of the fight, as the younger Tszyu began to implement a body attack of his own.

“The advice from corner was to get in there,” said Tszyu. “I’m trying to replicate Kostya Tszyu and my trainer Jeff Fenech. if I can be half as great as them, I’ll go down as a great man.”

When the fight entered the championship rounds, Spence came out looking to change the tide of the fight and fought valiantly, but was often met with thudding shots from Tszyu, much to the delight of his hometown Australian fans.

Tszyu punctuated his performance with a smartly fought final round, peppering Spence with carefully selected shots to the head and body that forced his opponent to back up again and again. In the end Tszyu was able to pull away on the cards and keep his family’s perfect record in Australia intact with scores of 118-110 and 117-111 twice.

“I’d love to fight for a world title. I want Erislandy Lara and all the champions,” said Tszyu. “That’s what I’m aiming for. But beating a great like Errol Spence tops any world title for me.”

After the fight, Spence addressed his future while giving Tszyu credit for his performance.

“It was a good fight and congratulation to Tim,” said Spence. “It’s been a great event and everyone has treated me well. It was a good showing by Tim.

“I answered a lot of questions for myself and now it’s time to go home with my family and start a new life. I’ve got my faculties intact and my money is working for itself. I’m thankful to leave this sport with my family by my side.”

The pay-per-view also featured an impressive performance from rising lightweight Ahmad Reda (9-0, 6 KOs) as he cruised to a unanimous decision over Australian Olympian Paul Fleming (28-2-2, 18 KOs) after 10 rounds.

In a crossroads battle between rising prospect and veteran contender, Reda was first to the punch throughout the action and kept up a consistent pace that Fleming was unable to match. Although Fleming showed off his considerable defensive skill and movement, he was unable to put together enough of his own offense to keep his younger opponent from coming forward.

Reda was especially effective finishing off combinations with his right hand, slowly battering Fleming’s left eye and impairing his vision as the fight moved into the late rounds. Despite a cut opening up on Reda’s cheek in the final seconds of the fight, it was a near flawless performance that rewarded on the judges’ cards by scores of 99-91, 97-93 and 96-94.

Also in action was rising unbeaten middleweight and Australian Olympian Callum Peters (8-0, 7 KOs), who continued his upward trajectory with a dominating seventh-round TKO triumph over Argentina’s Ivan Actis (13-1-1, 9 KOs).

Tasked with an aggressive opponent, Peters showed patience in smartly picking his offense over the first three rounds before breaking through in round four by opening up a cut over Actis’ left eye. Sensing his moment, Peters continued to pour on the offense throughout the round and looked to have Actis hurt by the end of the frame.

Squarely in control of the fight, Peters continued to cruise through the middle rounds, beating Actis to the punch and doling out additional punishment. After getting a close look from the ringside doctor before round seven, Actis continued to take shots early in the round, eventually forcing referee Will Soulos to waive off the fight 55 seconds into the round.

Opening the pay-per-view was a battle of unbeaten light heavyweights as Australian Olympian Paulo Aokuso (11-0, 6 KOs) scored a sensational one-punch knockout over the Dominican Republic’s Luis Antonio Tejeda (12-1-1, 9 KOs) in the 10th and final round.

Aokuso was tested by the hard-charging Tejeda throughout the bout, with Tejeda having success pinning Aokuso on the ropes and unloading on him with power punches. Aokuso was given credit for a knockdown early in round five from a right hook, although it appeared that Aokuso had actually pushed Tejeda down.

The tide looked to be turning against Aokuso in round seven, as both men landed big shots early in the frame, with Aokuso seeming to take the worst of it. The final minute of the round saw Aokuso on shaky legs and unable to keep his hands up to defend himself from the relentless attack from Tejeda.

When round eight began, Aokuso looked refreshed and returned his focus to the jab, which effectively kept Tejeda from continuing his onslaught. In round 10, the increasingly desperate Tejeda finally made a critical mistake, lunging in and getting caught with a flush left hand from Aokuso that quickly ended the action just 21 seconds into the final round.

For a closer look at Spence vs Tszyu, check out our fight night page.