Fight Week: Tim Tszyu, Tony Harrison to face off in key 154-pound fight in Australia
FIGHT WEEK
Unbeaten Tim Tszyu is scheduled to face fellow 154-pound contender Tony Harrison on Saturday (Sunday in Australia) in Sydney.
TIM TSZYU (21-0, 15 KOS) VS. TONY HARRISON (29-3-1, 21 KOS)
When: Saturday, March 11 (March 12 in Australia)
Time: 10:45 p.m. ET / 7:45 p.m. PT (main event later in show)
Where: Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney, Australia
TV/Stream: Showtime
Division: Junior middleweight (154 pounds)
At stake: No major titles
Pound-for-pound ranking: None
Odds: Tszyu 2½-1 favorite (average of multiple outlets)
Also on the card: Sam Goodman vs. TJ Doheny, 10 rounds, junior featherweights; Koen Mazoudier vs. Ben Mahoney, 10 rounds, junior middleweights; Paulo Aokuso vs. Yunieski Gonzalez, 10 rounds, light heavyweights; Issac Hardman vs. Rohan Murdock, 10 rounds, super middleweights
Prediction : Tszyu KO 9
Background: Tszyu was scheduled to challenge undisputed 154-pound champion Jermell Charlo on Jan. 28 in Las Vegas but Charlo had to pull out because of a broken hand. Enter Harrison, who doesn’t have the all-around ability of Charlo but is a slick, experienced boxer. Tszyu, the son of Hall of Famer Kostya Tszyu, is coming off the most important victory of his career. The Aussie survived a first-round knockdown to defeat respected Terrell Gausha by a clear unanimous decision in March of last year in Minneapolis, his only fight in the U.S. Tszyu isn’t a special technician and doesn’t have unusual power but he has excellent all-around skills and is tough. No one questions Harrison’s technical ability but he has had an up-and-down career. He was knocked out by then-154-pound titleholder Jarrett Hurd in 2017 but stunned the boxing world by outpointing Charlo four fights later to capture his only world title the following year. He was stopped by Charlo in 11 rounds in the rematch in 2019 and then drew with Bryant Perrella after a 16-month break in 2021. He last fought in April of last year, when he easily outpointed Sergio Garcia on the Sebastian Fundora-Erickson Lubin card in Las Vegas. The Tszyu-Harrison fight is for the WBO’s “interim” title, which Boxing Junkie doesn’t recognize. The winner is expected to challenge for Charlo’s titles. Saturday’s fight is scheduled to take place around noon in Australia so it can be showcased in prime time in the U.S.
ALSO FIGHTING THIS WEEK
FRIDAY
Evelin Bermudez vs. Tania Enriquez, junior flyweights (for vacant IBF and WBO titles), Buenos Aires, Argentina (no TV in U.S.)
SATURDAY
Lawrence Okolie vs. David Light, cruiserweights (for Okolie’s WBO title), London (no TV in U.S.)
Diego Pacheco vs. Jack Cullen, super middleweights, Liverpool, England (DAZN)
Tony Yoka vs. Carlos Takam, heavyweights, Paris (ESPN+)
