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Mike Coppinger, ESPN Boxing Insider
Tim Tszyu has been forced to withdraw from his Aug. 3 fight against Vergil Ortiz on the advice of his doctor, who said the former champion can’t yet resume full-contact sparring following the gruesome scalp cut he suffered in an upset loss to Sebastian Fundora in March, promoter George Rose announced.
The highly anticipated junior middleweight fight was set to take place on the undercard of the Terence Crawford-Israil Madrimov title fight in Los Angeles, the first Riyadh Season event outside Saudi Arabia.
Tszyu, the son of Hall of Fame boxer Kostya Tszyu, suffered a split decision defeat to Fundora in one of the bloodiest fights in recent memory. The 29-year-old Australian suffered a deep gash on his hairline in Round 2 following an accidental elbow, a cut that affected his vision the remainder of the bout.
“We are bitterly disappointed with the setback, and Tim is extremely frustrated after a great precamp with Kostya,” Rose, the CEO of No Limit Boxing, said. “He showed everyone that he’ll fight through anything against Fundora, but this decision was taken out of his hands to be honest. Ultimately, it was his body and medical professionals telling him he wasn’t ready yet.”
Tszyu (24-1, 17 KOs) is ESPN’s No. 2 junior middleweight. Ortiz (21-0, 21 KOs) is No. 4 at 154 pounds. He will remain on the undercard against a replacement opponent, sources said.
Serhii Bohachuk, ESPN’s No. 6 junior middleweight, is in the running to replace Tszyu. Bohachuk scored a career-best win on the Tszyu-Fundora undercard, a decision victory over Brian Mendoza.
“Serhii is in a great position as the WBC interim champion and mandatory challenger, but is definitely interested in the fight with Vergil,” Bohachuk’s promoter, Tom Loeffler, told ESPN. “Serhii lives and trains in L.A. as does Vergil, so it would be the perfect L.A. fight if the fight can be made.”
Ortiz, a 26-year-old Texan, made his 154-pound debut in January with a first-round TKO victory against Fredrick Lawson. That was Ortiz’s first bout in 17 months.
Since March 2022, Ortiz has withdrawn from three fights because of health issues related to rhabdomyolysis, a condition that occurs when damaged muscle tissue releases its proteins and electrolytes into the blood. He returned in April with another first-round KO, this time against Thomas Dulorme.
The Riyadh Season main event between Crawford and Madrimov still will be supported by a compelling slate of fights. Isaac Cruz defends his WBA junior welterweight title vs. Jose Valenzuela, and Andy Ruiz takes on Jarrell Miller in a heavyweight bout.
Source: www.espn.com