Former junior middleweight title holder Tim Tszyu had a forgettable 2024 campaign by all accounts.

In March, the Australian junior middleweight suffered a crushing split decision loss to Sebastian Fundora in a bloodbath due to a gash on his forehead. Tszyu took the fight against the tougher Fundora on short notice after original opponent Keith Thurman pulled out of the fight due to injury.

Tszyu was then supposed to fight Vergil Ortiz Jr. in August, but the cut did not heal in time, so the mouthwatering matchup was scrapped altogether. Instead, Tszyu decided to take on WBO 154-pound titleholder Bakhram Murtazaliev in October, and the Russian wound up bulldozing through Tszyu in just three rounds, dropping the 29-year second-generation star three times for the stoppage win.

It’s back to the drawing board – and back home to Australia – for Tszyu (24-2, 17 KOs), who’s currently ranked No. 7 by Ring Magazine at junior middleweight.

“In my head, I was like, ‘This motherfucker is going to have to kill me to get me out of here,’” Tszyu told Fox Sports Australia. “I couldn’t feel my legs and my brain was fuzzy. Every shot that I was hit with felt like a bomb was exploding. I felt like a sitting duck. But I was just thinking that he had to kill me to stop me. I was ready to die in there. I don’t know how many times I got knocked down, but no matter what, I was always going to keep getting back up. It was a long night after the fight. I was in hospital with a concussion, which I’ve never had. It was a weird feeling, and I wasn’t able to sleep.

“What burns me is that I wasn’t able to show myself. I just got humiliated and embarrassed in front of the whole world. In training camp, I was on top of the world, but I came in reckless and I let a lot of people down. It wasn’t just a loss for me, it was a loss for Australia – everyone felt it. And I don’t want that feeling ever again, so I’ll keep working toward happiness for all of Australia. It’s a hard game we’re in. Everyone has bumps in life, everyone fails. Mine are just publicised for the whole world to see and talk about.”

Tszyu is getting married later this month, so not all was lost in 2024.

But after trying to make a major breakthrough in the United States – going as far as branding the takeover as Tszy-USA – it appears the star from New South Wales will work on rebuilding his career back home before giving it another go.

“I want to take it back old school to where it all started – back to where I began. That means training in Sydney,” said Sydney. “We started going overseas and, of course, leveling up, but I want to do a camp like in the old days. No technology, no stats, no numbers. Just pure grind. That’s what I want to do at the start of next year. I want to reconnect with my Aussie fans, because I feel like I left them behind a little bit to chase the stars.

"So, I want to reconnect with Australia, then go back and chase the stars again. I just need to get back in the ring, feel comfortable again, and keep trying to work my way back to the top.”