BN Preview: Tim Tszyu rolls the dice against Tony Harrison, the only man to have defeated Jermell Charlo

WHEREAS for many individuals Christmas Day is a day for giving and for smiling a little bit wider and for being a little bit nicer, Australia’s Tim Tszyu found that Christmas Day 2022 was, sadly, going to be a break from custom.

For it was on that day Tszyu discovered {that a} world super-welterweight title battle against Jermell Charlo, set for January, had been postponed due to an harm suffered by Charlo in preparation. It was subsequently that day Tszyu’s plans for 2023 fell aside simply as he was permitting himself to get excited. Empty-handed, he had no presents to converse of and was as an alternative left with the sinking feeling of somebody who had woken up anticipating to obtain one explicit reward only to discover that merchandise on their want checklist had for some motive been ignored.

He smiled by way of the ache, after all, however it couldn’t have been simple for Tszyu to take into consideration getting into 2023 together with his plans upended. It was little question a aid, then, that it didn’t take lengthy for his staff to set about cheering him up, lobbying first to the WBO for a vacant interim title shot in Australia, after which, as soon as that had been granted, in search of an opponent to give Tszyu the type of check he had been anticipating from Charlo.

This led Team Tszyu to the door of Tony Harrison, the only man who has thus far managed to defeat Charlo, who agreed to battle Tszyu on March 12 in Sydney no before the alternative was introduced to him. Similarly, Tszyu, regardless of the temptation to look forward to Charlo to get better, didn’t want to be requested twice when provided Tony Harrison as a possible alternative opponent.

“Every fight you take is all on the line,” Tszyu mentioned. “You’re one punch away from going again to the very backside. It’s all on the line and a chance, however that is what I do.

“He (Harrison) was the next best available option. I’m at that stage of my career where I really don’t care who is in front of me. I’m ready to take them all out.”

Certainly, one will get the sense Tszyu is a man impatient and a man fed up with ceaselessly being often known as Kostya’s son and merely a fantastic prospect. At 28, and with 21 professional fights beneath his belt, he feels the time is now, each to announce himself on the world stage and in addition uncover for himself simply how far he can go on this journey to replicate the feats of his legendary father.

To date, and with loads of consideration on him, Tszyu has hardly put a foot fallacious, impressing many together with his cool, calm and unflappable manner. No matter the measurement of the shadow from which he seeks to escape, Tszyu seems the similar each time he fights and has made continuous step-ups with out ever trying like coming undone.

Only in his final battle, in actual fact, again in March 2022, did Tszyu, 21-0 (15), present indicators of fragility and, maybe, frustration. Indeed, it was final 12 months against Terrell Gausha, one other American, Tszyu discovered himself knocked down in the first spherical by way of a stiff proper hand, after which he struggled to assert his traditional dominance, indicated by the eventual scorecards (114-113, 116-111 and 115-112). Very not like Tszyu, who is often so measured and warranted, Gausha managed to rattle him early after which field effectively for a lot of the battle, all the time on the retreat however ready to cowl up effectively and get off together with his personal counterpunchers from time to time.

Lesson discovered, Tszyu, a 12 months later, now goes into this battle against Harrison figuring out he’ll want to be higher than he was against Gausha. Because Harrison, though stopped 3 times as a professional, is a man famend for his relentless strain, his unbreakable spirit, and his capability to spring an upset.

His 2018 win against Charlo, a battle during which he outhustled a champion whose file learn 31-0, demonstrated all that makes Harrison such a nuisance and delivered the Detroit native the WBC super-welterweight belt. Fighting arduous from first bell to final, he refused to give Charlo a second’s relaxation and was a deserving winner after 12 rounds, taking the belt by scores of 115-113, 115-113 and 116-112. That win not only confirmed Harrison as a power to be reckoned with however was well-earned, too, following a troublesome profession which had seen him rebound from losses against Willie Nelson in 2015 (TKO 9) and Jarrett Hurd in 2017 (TKO 9).

All he had to do now was repeat the victory over Charlo in the pair’s rematch, but, sadly for Harrison, this he wasn’t ready to do. Instead, Charlo, a 12 months later, got here out stronger in the return, dropping Harrison in the second spherical after which twice extra in the eleventh, the spherical during which the battle ultimately ended.

From there, with wounds licked, Harrison, 29-3-1 (21), returned with a draw against Bryant Perrella in April 2021 earlier than a 12 months later scoring a strong 10-round resolution win against Sergio Garcia, the former European super-welterweight champion from Spain. Now, nearly 12 months on from that, Harrison steps up as soon as once more, hoping to this time fare higher than he did against Charlo second time round.

“I am the only world championship fighter he has fought,” the 32-year-old American mentioned of Tszyu. “I’m the first one and I’m most likely going to be the final as a result of he’s going to return to the backside and have to rebuild these things again up.

“He’s not a weak kid but to say he’s like Kostya Tszyu, I think we’re giving him just a little too much.”

That could also be true, and undoubtedly evaluating Tim and Kostya, whereas only pure, runs the danger of sounding untimely, significantly when coping with achievement. However, the new Tszyu has proven sufficient in his 21 fights to date to be assured of including Tony Harrison to his checklist of victims and, with the backing of each his father and residential assist, one expects him to come by way of this check – the greatest of his profession – by resolution.

On the Sydney undercard, in the meantime, unbeaten super-bantamweight Sam Goodman, 13-0 (7), will get one other first rate check in the type of TJ Doheny, 23-3 (17), who, whereas 36 years of age and nearing the finish of his profession, has by no means been stopped in an 11-year professional profession and will present the fast-rising Australia with some resistance over the 10-round distance.