Tszyu dominates Tackie

19 May, 2002 - Showtime

One of only three undisputed world champions in boxing today, Kostya Tszyu (Photo: Tom Casino/Showtime) methodically picked apart Ben Tackie for 12 rounds to win a decision and successfully defend his WBC/WBA/IBF 140-pound world titles Saturday on Showtime. In the co-feature, WBO No. 6 junior middleweight contender Kuvanych Toygonbayev won a lopsided 10-round decision over former NABF welterweight champion Oba Carr.

Tszyu (29-1-1, 23 KOs), of Sydney, Australia, by way of Serov, Russia, used a persistent two-fisted attack to batter the IBF No. 1 contender by the near-shutout scores of 120-108 twice and 119-109. The first undisputed junior welterweight champion since Paul Fujii in 1968, the talented Tszyu was making his first defense since adding the IBF belt to his wardrobe with a sensational second-round TKO over previously undefeated Zab Judah Nov. 3, 2001, on Showtime. Tszyu, who was making his 15th appearance in a world title fight, won for the 11th consecutive time.

Tackie (24-3 15 KOs), of Accra, Ghana, entered the bout having won three straight and six out of his last seven. Tackie, who's NABF junior welterweight title was not at stake, tried hard and forever moved forward, but he was outclassed by Tszyu and rarely was able to land more than one punch at a time.

Toygonbayev (18-1, 12 KOs), of Andizhan, Uzbekistan, won by the scores of 100-87 and 99-88 twice. In a dominant performance, he scored the bout's lone knockdown when he dropped Carr with a right hand in the seventh. It was the sixth consecutive victory for the up-and-coming Toygonbayev, who lives in Las Vegas, Nev.

Carr (54-6-1, 31 KOs), of Detroit, lost for the second straight time. A three-time world title challenger, Carr fought the last few rounds with a cut over his right eye. Carr had two points deducted for fouls - one for hitting low in the third and the other for holding in the sixth