‘Summit fever’: Tszyu intent on climbing to top again

Darren Walton | July 24, 2025

A climbing expert claims Tim Tszyu has fallen victim to a classic case of “summit fever” following the Australian’s latest world-title defeat in the US.

Tszyu is vowing to punch on in “pursuit of greatness”, despite calls for the former WBO super-welterweight world champion to put away the gloves for the sake of his welfare.

After being dropped only twice in his first 24 professional fights, Tszyu has been knocked down five times and heavily concussed in two bloody losses to Sebastian Fundora either side of a brutal beat-down from Bakhram Murtazaliev in the past 16 months.

“When I first started this sport, what I said was that I wanted to get to the very, very top and I didn’t mind crashing and burning on the way up,” a battered and blue Tszyu told fans in a social media post.

“Sitting here now, we did crash and burn.

“But we still move forward. Some things go your way, some things don’t.

“What happened last weekend, it didn’t go my way, but we still move forward.”

But Ben Donnan, who has been studying climbing all his life after his uncle lost his to “summit fever” trying to scale Papua New Guinea’s highest mountain 54 years years ago, says Tszyu’s obsession to “move forward” so hastily is behind his dramatic fall from grace.

“In the mountain climbing industry, the aim is to climb to a series of camps to get to the top and come back down alive,” Donnan told AAP.

“You’ve got to go to base camp and then you’ve got camp three, camp two, camp one and then you’ve got summit camp – the most important camp.

“It is the harshest climbing you could possibly do and it usually means you’ve got to be up before everyone else because everyone else wants to climb too.

“Everything needs to be right too, making sure that the window’s right, so the weather window, making sure your team’s right, everyone’s healthy and ready to climb.

“You’ve got all your packing, your oxygen, food, medical equipment and all the checks are right, meaning you’re ready to go to the very top, plant the flag and and then get the hell back down without dying.

“And most importantly, if you encounter a storm on the mountain – and a storm can also mean an injury, a broken leg, whatever – you need to retreat immediately, even if it means going all the way back to base camp and aborting the entire operation.”

Donnan maintains Tszyu’s “storm” was walking into Fundora’s elbow in their first fight in March, 2024, and suffering an horrific head gash that his corner could not stop bleeding.

“An injury for a climber can be devastating – fatal – and Tim copping an accidental elbow should have meant his whole team descending,” he said.

“He hit a storm, massive turbulence. He should have ended his season last year instead of rushing back to ascend again to plant his flag at the summit.

“All he needed to do was go back down, deacclimatise and then go back through the process of climbing to the top of the mountain.”

Donnan believes Tszyu has all the skills to reach the top again, but hopes the 30-year-old takes his time.

Tszyu insists he will continue trying to climb the ranks again, but his No Limit Boxing promoter George Rose also says the fighter’s health must come first.

“Then get back on the bike and decide what route he wants to take,” Rose said.