Tim Tszyu vs Takeshi Inoue Live Fight 2021

 ‘Heard him squeal’: Tim Tszyu brutalises ‘brick wall’ in vicious world title statement

Tim Tszyu’s gamble paid off on Wednesday night as the Australian boxing superstar overcame Takeshi Inoue in convincing fashion inside Qudos Bank Arena.

While Inoue was supposed to represent a risk to Tszyu’s world title bid, the ranked Japanese opponent never came close to challenging the Australian, who moved to 20-0-0 after a unanimous decision win.

Tszyu took the fight 120-107, 119-108, 120-107 on the scorecards; hearing what the judges had to say for the first time since 2019 after a streak of five straight finishes came to an end.

Tim Tszyu vs Takeshi Inoue Fight

The win means Tszyu, a mandatory challenger for WBO champion Brian Castano, will most likely fight for a world title next.

Tszyu was patient and composed through the 12 rounds, executing a clinical gameplan comprised largely of his trademark work to the body, a swarm of uppercuts, and right hands around Inoue’s high guard.

There was room for improvement, certainly - after the first few rounds, Tszyu often failed to punch in combinations, instead loading up on his uppercut in the hunt for a killer blow. It never came, nor did it look all that likely due to the remarkable toughness of Inoue.

The Japanese star had never been knocked down before he met the Australian, and it took until the final round for him to touch the canvas - albeit in a knockdown that was largely due to his foot sliding away from h m on a slippery floor.

Tszyu was full of praise for the ‘warrior’ who lasted until the final bell.

“It was a great experience,” Tszyu said. “The guy’s built like a brick wall. F***ing hit him with anything and he doesn’t go down.”

He added: “I don’t think any heavyweights can drop him. Hands up to him ... I’m sure he’s going to be sore tomorrow. Man, what a warrior! In all honesty, I heard him squeal 20 times and he still wouldn’t go down.”

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