The highly anticipated clash between former junior middleweight titleholder Tim Tszyu and undefeated contender Vergil Ortiz, scheduled for August 3, has been canceled. The cancellation is due to a lingering cut Tszyu suffered during his loss to Sebastian Fundora earlier this year, according to boxing reporter Dan Rafael, citing an anonymous source.
”Doc ruled him out due to terrible cut suffered vs. Fundora not being healed enough for him to fight,” Dan Rafael posted on X.
The bout was set to take place on the undercard of a high-profile event in Los Angeles, funded by Saudi royal adviser Turki Alalshikh. The main event features Terence Crawford challenging junior middleweight titleholder Israil Madrimov. The undercard also includes David Morrell vs. Radivoje Kalajdzic in a light heavyweight bout, Isaac Cruz defending his junior welterweight title against Jose Valenzuela, and a heavyweight clash between Andy Ruiz and Jarrell Miller.
Tszyu vs. Ortiz was expected to be a thrilling action fight. However, concerns about Tszyu's severe cut, sustained during his March 30 bout against Fundora, led to the fight's cancellation.
In that bout, Fundora had stepped in as a late replacement for Keith Thurman. The cut occurred at the end of the second round when Tszyu collided with Fundora’s left elbow, resulting in a large gash above Tszyu’s hairline.
The cut hampered Tszyu's vision throughout the fight, which streamed blood down his face. Despite the injury, Tszyu's team did not call a halt to the fight before the fourth round, leading to a split decision loss to Fundora. This defeat marked Tszyu's first career loss.
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