Nikita Tszyu is ROCKED by desperate punch from Ben Horn just SECONDS from the final bell as Australian young gun almost sees win slip through his fingers in gutsy battle in Sydney
- Nikita Tszyu’s young career almost suffered a big blow against Ben Horn
- The 24-year-old was rocked by a big right hand in the closing seconds of Round 6
- Tszyu had dominated the contest before the final flourish from the underdog
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Nikita Tszyu threw 93 crunching body blows during his gutsy six-round battle with Ben Horn, but it was a huge overhand right from the stubborn underdog that almost derailed the young prospect’s journey.
Tszyu entered Wednesday’s contest the heavy betting favourite to defeat his 32-year-old rival in Sydney, with the bout expected to finish well inside the scheduled six rounds.
However, the youngster was met by a commendably resilient foe in Horn, who was the subject of a relentless onslaught to the body and it appeared only a matter of time before Tszyu would finally get his man.
Yet with 30 seconds remaining of the final round, it was Horn who almost secured an unlikely win. With the knowledge that he had little to no chance of winning on the judges’ scorecards, Horn threw an incredible right hand that crashed into Tszyu’s temple, putting the Aussie on wobbly legs.
The 24-year-old covered up as the fatigued Horn threw rained down desperate, weak punches on his rival, before the final bell sounded to hand Tszyu a reprieve.
Unsurprisingly, the judges all awarded the contest in Tszyu’s favour, with all but one official scoring every round to the youngster.
‘That was the perfect fight to have,’ Tszyu said. ‘These are the ones you learn the most from.
Nikita Tszyu’s young boxing career almost suffered a heavy blow against Ben Horn in Sydney
The 24-year-old was rocked by a big shot with just 30 seconds remaining of the fight
Tszyu saw out a wide victory on the judges’ scorecards against his stubborn opponent
‘Ben is tough, as tough as they get and it was a pleasure to share the ring with him. He can take a shot, all credit to him, he is incredibly tough, a great learning experience.
‘I told you guys it would be an entertaining fight and what is more entertaining than war.’
Horn said that he was confident he would take the fight the full distance and even revealed that he taunted his rival in the last round.
‘I always knew it was going to go the distance. Funnily enough in the sixth I was telling him is that all you got.
‘He is a top dude, top fighter and I can see him going all the way, I would love to see him win a world title.
‘I am well conditioned to the body, honestly, I did not get hurt by his body shots.’
