Even before Terence Crawford planted his flag at 154 pounds, the normally blue waters in the junior middleweight division were soaked in blood.

Erickson Lubin, Brian Castano, Jesus Ramos, Sebastian Fundora, and a long list of contenders brawled for the division’s top spot but Jermell Charlo held that position. While he continued dominating, Tim Tszyu was quietly making a name for himself.

Wins over Terrell Gausha, Tony Harrison, and Brian Mendoza left The Ring’s No. 7 rated junior middleweight in a position of power. However, after back-to-back losses to Fundora and more recently, Bakhram Murtazaliev, Tszyu (24-2, 17 KOs) is now in no-man’s land, needing to rebuild after a forgettable twelve months.

Eddie Hearn might have no promotional ties to Tszyu, but the Matchroom chief is bemused by his latest run of results and performances. The former WBO titleholder may have nearly 10 years of pro experience under his belt, along with the distinction of being a former champion but Hearn isn’t sure just how good Tszyu actually is.

In an interview with Jai McAllister, Hearn posed the question by saying: “I think the unknown on Tim Tszyu is, is he really elite level? He’s a world-class fighter but is he really of that level? Maybe. I think the jury is out.”

Tszyu’s first career defeat to Fundora appeared a bit fluky. With the former WBO titlist suffering a brutal cut, he fought through bloody vision all night long. A few months later, the goodwill Tszyu had built up from adverse conditions evaporated in a destructive display by Murtazaliev, dropping him en route to a third-round finish.

The Australian's persona was a macho one. Simply put, when all else fails, he'd go out there and break his opponent's will. Heart, determination, and violence may have worked for most of his career but to take his game to the next level, Hearn believes both Tszyu and the 30-year-old's team need to take a different approach.

“I’m a big Tim Tszyu fan, think he’s a great fighter. I think sometimes you can believe your own hype a little bit, think they [his team] felt that Tim was unbeatable. You can’t just walk through people at that level. Tim has been built off that.”