Tim Tszyu simply could’ve waited.
With his shot at Jermell Charlo’s four junior middleweight titles secure, no one would’ve criticized the Australian contender had he stayed patient until Charlo’s hand injury healed and their 12-round, 154-pound championship match was rescheduled. Tszyu didn’t want to extend an already lengthy layoff and instead demanded to fight for the WBO’s interim title while Charlo recovers from two fractures in his left hand that he suffered while sparring a few days before Christmas.
Charlo’s injury necessitated an indefinite postponement of their fight, which was scheduled for January 28 in Las Vegas. Tszyu now will face the only opponent who has beaten Charlo, Tony Harrison, for the WBO interim crown Sunday at Qudos Bank Arena in Tszyu’s hometown of Sydney.
It’s a risky fight for Tszyu (21-0, 15 KOs), who admits Harrison (29-3-1, 21 KOs) is clearly the best opponent he will have fought during his six-year professional career.
“I don’t wanna rely on people,” Tszyu told BoxingScene.com. “I’ve never been that type of guy. Whatever opportunities there are, you’ve just gotta take it. And the opportunity with Jermell came, and I took it with both hands. I was ready to go. It fell through. What do I do? I’m not gonna wait.
“Who knows what goes through his head? What happens if he doesn’t wanna fight anymore? Or he wants to move up? My life isn’t gonna be based on what he’s doing. So, I wanted to take the biggest fight out there and that’s Tony Harrison, a fight that everyone’s talking about, a fight that’s got everyone interested. So, I jump on every opportunity.”
Detroit’s Harrison has called Tszyu’s decision to fight him “stupid,” but Tszyu contended that he has a different mindset than the former WBC super welterweight champion.
“Tony is happy to stay on the sideline, chill out, train a few fighters, do a few pads,” said Tszyu, who was the mandatory challenger for Charlo’s WBO belt. “I’m different, man. I actually like to fight all the time, and that’s the difference. And again, I jump on every opportunity. I’m 28 years old. He’s not the same age as me. He’s a bit older, but it’s a bit different, man.”
The Tszyu-Harrison winner is expected to challenge Charlo (35-1-1, 19 KOs) on an undetermined date in July, assuming Charlo’s recovery continues as planned.
Showtime will televise Tszyu-Harrison on Saturday night in the United States. That one-bout broadcast is scheduled to start at 10:45 p.m. ET.
Tszyu-Harrison will headline a FOXTEL Main Event pay-per-view show in Australia, where their fight will take place on Sunday afternoon.
Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.