In a recent interview, renowned cutman Jacob “Stitch” Duran provided insight into why Tim Tszyu’s fight-ending cut against Sebastian Fundora could not be stopped once it occurred.
According to Duran, Tszyu suffered a injury to a major vein near his eye after being struck with an elbow by Fundora. “He got cut on that big vein that we have right there,” Duran explained. “If you pop it, you’re not going to stop it.”
Duran emphasized the importance of having an experienced cutman in the corner to prevent such a scenario from unfolding. “It’s important to have a good corner with you because they should stop that before the start of the fifth round,” he stated.
Without proper treatment early on, Duran believes Tszyu was essentially “doomed” once the vein was cut open by Charlo’s elbow. He lamented the techniques used by Tszyu’s corner team, stating, “I felt bad that all the techniques that were being used on him were not the proper techniques on how to handle a cut.”
Duran cited a similar situation the previous night involving a female fighter from Costa Rica who suffered a bad cut that her corner could not properly address.
While acknowledging the unfortunate outcomes, Duran expressed sympathy for both fighters, wondering where they “would have been if they would had a proper cut man.”
The veteran cutman’s comments shed light on the critical role that experienced cornermen play in managing cuts and preventing fight stoppages due to excessive bleeding. His insights suggest that with better guidance, Tszyu’s fate could have been different after the pivotal elbow strike from Charlo.