Tim Tszyu vs. Anthony Velazquez Keys to Victory: Breaking down tactics of each fighter

Tim Tszyu has hit a rough patch.

The 31-year-old Australian has lost three of his last four fights and needs a win to redirect and rebuild his career. Tszyu will try to get just that on Wednesday when he clashes with undefeated Anthony Velazquez at the TikTok Entertainment Centre in Sydney, Australia.

After losing a split decision to Sebastian Fundora and suffering a third-round TKO at the hands of Bakhram Murtazaliev in 2024, Tszyu (25-3, 18 KOs) produced a fourth-round TKO of Joseph Spencer, but was stopped by Fundora in their rematch three months apart this year. He would like nothing more than to end this year on a winning note.

To do that, Tszyu will have to defeat Velazquez (18-0-1, 15 KOs), who has three victories over the span of roughly five months this year, having last defeated Terry Chatwood by knockout in July.

Will Tszyu resurrect his career by handing Velazquez his first pro loss? Or will Velazquez send the Australian’s career into a whirlwind of doubt with a victory in Sydney? DAZN News analyzes the Keys to Victory for both Tszyu and Velazquez.

Tim Tszyu’s Keys to Victory

Pressure forward behind the jab

Tim Tszyu pressures off the front foot effectively with methodical movement behind the jab.

Asserting the educated stick could give him the confidence needed to control the pace of the bout on his home soil.

Whip hooks around the guard as combinations

At his best, Tszyu is excellent at whipping hooks around opponents’ guards as part of combinations. It could be a jab upstairs, a stab to the body, and hook around the guard. During other sequences, Tszyu is leading his combos with a hook and finishing it with the same weapon as a bookend.

His hand speed and Anthony Velazquez’s lack of head movement at times should encourage Tszyu to uncork the slicing shot even more.

Launch the uppercut

Although Velazquez maintains a pretty high, tight guard, Tszyu’s uppercut is too potent a shot for him not to detonate.

Against a Velazquez who stands nearly two inches taller and does not move fluidly around the ring, Tszyu’s uppercut can be a fight-altering shot that the Australian needs most to get back on track.

Anthony Velazquez’ Keys to Victory

Stalk forward, cut off the ring

It is nothing fancy, but Anthony Velazquez stalks his way forward and cuts off the ring effectively. If he can take over the ring real estate on Wednesday, it is incumbent on the 29-year-old American to unload on Tim Tszyu’s body with pounding deposits.

That body work could slow the Australian down and soften him up enough for Velazquez to unleash something more severe.

Let hands go

Tszyu is going to be pointed with his output but tender a significant volume.

In preparing for the distance, Velazquez cannot be content with Tszyu cranking the volume way up in front of an Australian crowd.

Velazquez must make a concerted effort to generate a high output of punches to be successful — and perhaps go viral — at the TikTok Entertainment Centre.

Resort to the clinch, force phone booth action

Tszyu is going to want to pot-shot in style, wrap hooks around the guard, and score points en route to battering Velazquez.

Perhaps, the biggest key to victory for the unbeaten American is to resort to the clinch and outmuscle Tszyu on the inside to force phone booth action.

Muddying up the fight could serve a two-pronged effect in empowering Velazquez to unload compact shots in the clinch and take away from Tszyu’s offense, frustrating him along the way.

It might be his best strategy to play spoiler on Tszyu’s home turf.

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