Notes on Tszyu-Horn, Sandro Mazzinghi and More

Former WBO welterweight champion Jeff Horn said he planned to “ragdoll” Tim Tszyu. The peachy word that Horn invented turned out to be a pretty good description of what Tszyu did to him. Tszyu dominated the junior middleweight contest from the start. Many thought the fight should have been stopped well before the bell ending round eight, whereupon Horn’s corner, at the encouragement of the referee, finally pulled him out.

It was a masterclass against an opponent who isn’t easy to look against, but Tszyu (16-0, 12 KOs) was better in every phase of the game. After the fight, he said, “I just want to let everyone know my name is Tim, not the son,” referencing his famous father.

Tim Tszyu, 25, has never said a bad word about his father, but there is undoubtedly some tension between them. Kostya Tszyu wasn’t there as his son was growing up and purportedly has attended only one of Tim’s fights. Kostya eventually left Tim and his mom and Tim’s two siblings, returning to his native Russia where he remarried and started a new family.

Tim Tszyu may never escape the long shadow his father, an all-time great, but today he became the face of Australian boxing and instantly one of the most talked-about young boxers on the planet.

Mazzinghi

The longer a prominent athlete lives, the shorter his obituary becomes, unless he was a true giant in his field. Sandro Mazzinghi was a two-time world champion at 154 pounds, but he wasn’t exactly a giant so it’s no surprise that his death last week at age 81 was largely ignored by the media in the English-speaking world. But make no mistake; Mazzinghi was a huge star in Italy. His saga inspired biographies and memoirs, two of which he wrote himself.

Born into poverty in the Valdera region of Tuscany in a town that suffered heavy damage from British and U.S. bombers during World War II, Mazzinghi followed his older brother Guido – a bronze medalist in the 1952 Helsinki Olympics – into the squared circle. He fought from 1961 to 1970, compiling a record of 61-3 (42 KOs) and then returned after a seven-year absence to append three more wins to his ledger.

Two of his three losses were to countryman Nino Benvenuti, a future Hall of Famer. Benvenuti was 56-0 heading into their first meeting and Mazzinghi, making his fourth world title defense, was riding a 24-fight winning streak. This was Italy’s Fight of the Century. It was staged in a soccer stadium in Milan.

Mazzinghi suffered a great tragedy prior to his first title fight with Benvenuti. Leaving a restaurant in Florence on a wet and foggy night, he lost control of his BMW and slammed into a tree. The accident killed his wife of seven days and left him with a fractured skull.

Mazzinghi began a second run as the 154-pound world title-holder in 1968, out-pointing South Korea’s undefeated Ki-Soo Kim. He lost the belt in the most curious fashion, having it stripped from him after a bout with Freddie Little that was declared a “no-contest.”

Little, a very underrated fighter, was having all the best of the milling when he opened a bad cut over Mazzinghi’s right eye in the eighth frame with what the incompetent German referee deemed to be an illegal punch. He disqualified Little, but his verdict was later changed to NC.

Fourteen months after this incident, after one intervening bout, Mazzinghi made his first and only appearance in the United States. He fought on a club show at the Silver Slipper in Las Vegas, opposing journeyman Cipriano Hernandez who was dressed with a 19-5 record that was undoubtedly closer to the 12-8 mark that currently appears in BoxRec.

There had to be a back-room deal that brought Mazzinghi to Las Vegas; it certainly wasn’t the money as his purse was only $1,200. The fights at the Silver Slipper were promoted by the late Bill Miller who managed Freddie Little and won the purse bid to stage the Massinghi-Little rematch, a fight that never happened.

Regardless, the Silver Slipper rolled out the red carpet for the Italian like no visiting fighter before him and although this was late in Mazzinghi’s career, he looked very sharp, taking out Hernandez in the second round before leaving the ring to a standing ovation.

Many European fighters aren’t nearly as skilled as their inflated records would indicate, but don’t put Sandro Mazzinghi in this category. He was very good as he attested in his second meeting with the great Benvenuti, a very close fight that went the full 15 rounds.

As a young man Mazzinghi dreamed of owning a vineyard. Boxing enabled him to achieve that goal. We here at TSS send our condolences to his loved ones.

Lomachenko – Lopez

Bob Arum told ESPN that there remains a possibility that the Lomachenko-Lopez fight could move out of the MGM Grand Bubble and into the MGM Grand Garden with fans in attendance. For this to happen, approval would have to come from the Governor who would, of course, act in concert with his medical advisors.

The Lomachenko-Lopez fight is signed for Oct. 17. Pre-COVID 19, this would have definitely been a pay-per-view event but as it now stands it will air live on the flagship channel of cable giant ESPN which reportedly reaches 86 million households. If the fight is as good as many anticipate, it will be great boon to the sport.

Arum had originally hinted at parking the fight at Allegiant Stadium, the new home of the former Oakland Raiders. It was obviously no coincidence that Arum chose the date of Oct. 17 as the Raiders have a bye that weekend.

Wednesday’s fight between Jeff Horn and Tim Tszyu at Townsville, Queensland, Australia, was parked in a stadium with attendance capped at 16,000 for social distancing purposes. The new home of the Raiders is a 65,000-seat venue, capable of expanding to 71,835 for a Super Bowl. By taking seats and rows out of commission, it could still accommodate a large crowd, even with social distancing protocols. Yes, I know there are other issues. How do we keep fight-goers six feet apart at the entrances and exits, or when lining up at the restrooms and the concession stands? But Bob Arum is a very resourceful fellow and he will figure it out if given the opportunity.

Many big fights over the years have been icebreaker events at new stadiums. Perhaps it’s a pipe dream (and yes, I’m biased because I would love to be there), but a big stadium fight is just what Las Vegas needs right now and I believe there is still a shot that it may happen.

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