16 months on from his first defeat, Tim Tszyu’s much-hyped rematch with Sebastian Fundora has once again ended in defeat.

Tszyu was dropped by the American in the first round and left bloodied not long after, and despite a gutsy fightback in later rounds, was never able to recover.

The Australian’s camp threw in the towel at the end of the seventh round to hand Fundora a TKO victory that sees him retain his WBC super welterweight world title.

“He’s one tough motherf–ker,” a gracious Tszyu said after the fight.

“I tried to give it everything and I just couldn’t do it. The victory belongs to Sebastian Fundora … he was just the better man.

“He’s very hard to land, he’s tall as f–k.

“At times I felt like I was shadow boxing with myself.”

Tszyu had been hunting redemption after losing a split-decision bloodbath to Fundora in March 2024.

Instead Australia’s former WBO super-welterweight world champ will return to Sydney with his international career at another crossroads following a despairing defeat.

Saturday night’s loss at the MGM Grand’s Garden Arena was the 30-year-old’s third from his past four bouts, after going unbeaten for his first 24 professional fights.

Tszyu also endured a crushing world-title loss last year to big-hitting Russian Bakhram Murtazaliev before Fundora sportingly offered him a rematch after the Sydney slayer knocked out fellow American Joey Spencer in March.

Tszyu (25-3, 18KOs) may even consider a move up to the light-middleweight ranks, or hope Keith Thurman lives up to his word after the US star called him out after slaying Brock Jarvis earlier this year in Sydney.

More immediately, Tszyu must digest another sapping defeat at the hands of “The Towering Inferno”.

Sebastian Fundora punches Tim Tszyu to a seventh round technical knockout during their WBC super welterweight title fight. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)

Last time around against his gangling 197cm opponent, Tszyu had to fight for 10 rounds half-blinded after walking into Fundora’s elbow and suffering an horrific cut to an artery at the top of his head.

In the return bout, Tszyu fought with more patience but couldn’t stay with the near two-metre tall rival.

Fundora made a spectacular start, dropping Tszyu in the opening round with a thunderous straight left to the head.

Tszyu’s cut man Mark Gambin was again under immense pressure after Fundora landed a flurry of punches to open up a nasty wound above the Australian’s right eye in the second round.

Struggling to cope with Fundora’s massive height and reach advantage, Tszyu looked in peril before catching the American with a huge over-hand right in round four.

But the Californian, the tallest world champion in all of boxing – continued to throw and land more punches than Tszyu.

Tszyu needed to conjure something special.

Showing supreme courage to stay in the contest, Tszyu found some joy with his body shots before the fight exploded in a ferocious round seven.

Despite hurting Fundora and maybe even breaking the champion’s nose, Tszyu told his corner he could not return for round eight.

© AAP