If an injury to his right hand contributed to Bakhram Murtazaliev prioritizing the left hook that contributed so much to Tim Tszyu being stopped in three rounds on Saturday, the Russian had long expected to stop the first challenger to his IBF junior-lightweight title.

Murtazaliev, 31, won the vacant title when he defeated Jack Culcay in Berlin, Germany in April, and he improved considerably to make his biggest statement as the underdog against Tszyu at the Caribe Royale in Orlando, Florida.

His trainer Roman Kalantaryan later told BoxingScene that Murtazaliev had broken his right hand, but even before he had been given little choice but to focus on throwing his left, between them they had expected him to stop Tszyu, from Australia and 29 years old.

“The fight pretty much went the way I expected,” Murtazaliev said. “I was thinking that he would probably stick around a little bit longer than three rounds. I had mentioned in interviews prior to the fight that I thought I would stop him, but I didn’t know when we would stop him. We did also prepare for 12 rounds.

“I don’t want to wait too long for another fight since I am 31 years old. I would love to unify the titles – so that would mean whoever comes first with another belt. Another option would be to go get a champion at middleweight. If that doesn’t work out, we will take anyone in the top 10, but again, first option is unification – under fair circumstances, and as long as the fight makes sense. 

“I had been waiting three or four years to get the title shot. I eventually did get the chance at the world title but the circumstances surrounding that title fight were terrible. I had to train during Ramadan times [at night] and the fight and fight-week activities were in the Berlin city limits, and they stuck us in a hotel way outside the city.”

“Since his right hand was broke, he was using lots of left hooks, and not the right hand,” Kalantaryan reiterated. “That right hand is deadly and most of the time that’s how his knockouts come. 

“The thing was, it was so close to the fight and camp was great and we didn’t want to have any excuses. That’s why we were throwing so many left hooks, which is how the knockout came.”