Tim Tszyu needed that.

The crowd roared and jumped on their feet. Following two bad losses to Sebastian Fundora and Bakhram Murtazaliev, they knew that Tszyu’s career was hanging in the balance. Luckily for the Aussie and his fans, he came up clutch.

Tszyu’s emotions were clear as day but so was Joseph Spencer’s. So, in order to prove that he was the man again, he went out there and placed a beating on the former highly ranked prospect.

From the beginning, Tszyu (25-2, 18 KOs) pushed the pace and asserted himself. He pumped out a consistent jab. Spencer, as smooth as ever, danced on his toes and attempted to avoid those shots at all costs.

Offensively, Spencer (19-2, 11 KOs) was a mess. He also seemed unsure of his abilities. There were times, just like the third, when he looked like he belonged. Still, despite his fast hands making an appearance, Tszyu remained calm.

In the same round, things got bad for Spencer. The right hands he was eating during the period formed swelling under the right eye of his man. Lefts, rights, uppercuts, and all of the above got the job done.

The official end didn’t come, however, until the fourth. Although Spencer remained on his feet, his corner, namely his father, sat in gut-wrenching pain as his son had no answers. Eventually, at the 2:18 mark of the round, he saw enough, throwing in the towel and handing his boy the reprieve he desperately needed.

With the Newcastle Entertainment Centre in Australia, as loud as ever, Tszyu gave them a clear message.

“I’m back baby,” said Tszyu. “I’m back.”

As for what’s next, that was an easy one. Tszyu was initially set to defend his junior middleweight throne against Keith Thurman in 2024 before back-to-back defeats sidetracked him. Now, however, he’s feeling confident and at the top of his game. So is Thurman who picked up a win against Brock Jarvis recently.

Now that they’ve shown face and proven that they can compete at the highest level, Tszyu wants to end their rivalry.

“Sign the contract big boy,” continued Tszyu. “Sign the contract.”