By: Sean Crose
Tim Tszyu may not be fighting Jermell Charlo anytime soon, but he’s got himself a dangerous foe in his next fight nonetheless. After a Charlo injury prevented the two men from fighting this coming weekend, as had been planned, Tszyu may have gone for a tuneup. Rather than take an easy, stay busy fight, however, Tszyu will be taking on former world titlist Tony Harrison. This is not the sort of battle that’s a virtual sure thing for the red hot 21-0 Tszyu. In fact, welterweight titlist Errol Spence took to Twitter on Sunday to state his belief that Harrison will pull off the win. “I’ll bet 10,” he stated, “on a Tony Harrison upset.” He might not be the only one.
Boasting a record of 29-3-1, Harrison has been a pro since 2011. His biggest win was a very impressive 2018 victory over Charlo, who he lifted the WBC junior middleweight world title off of in the process. Charlo returned the following year to crush Harrison in the rematch via 11th round stoppage. Harrison has only fought twice since that time, drawing with Bryan Perella in 2021 and decisioning Sergio Garcia last April. Still, the Detroit fighter can be an awkward and frustrating foe. What’s more, he’s far more experienced in the ring than the popular Tyzyu and has faced far better competition.
Tzsyu, on the other hand, is nothing if not a fighter on the rise. Boasting a perfect record of 21 wins and 0 knockouts, he’s long been considered a major challenge for Charlo. The son of boxing royalty Kostya Tszyu, the 28 year old Aussie is looking to follow in his father’s footsteps. With that in mind, he’s certainly leaving his mark by having the courage to face Harrison. The move clearly shows that Tszyu is confident. And indeed, it’s easy to see why he will probably be the betting favorite walking into the fight.
With plenty of speed and accurate punch placement, the man has shown himself to be nothing if not formidable against his previous 20+ opponents. Those opponents, however, haven’t been Harrison. Tszyu is a man interested in testing himself, and he’s now going to have quite a test in Harrison. This could be a good one, for it’s a quality pairing on paper. The Tszyu-Harrison bout will be for the interim WBO junior middleweight strap. The fight will go down in Australia, though an exact location has not been decided.