Pound for pound: Tim Tszyu one victory away from joining best in business
It’s not quite time to give Tim Tszyu pound-for-pound consideration but that could come the next time he fights.
Tszyu (22-0, 16 KOs) delivered an attention-grabbing ninth-round knockout of veteran Tony Harrison in a scheduled 12-round 154-pound bout over the weekend in Sydney, Australia, Tszyu’s hometown.
That sets up the opportunity of his career, a shot at No. 9-ranked Jermell Charlo’s undisputed championship in the next fight for both men, as early as summertime.
Tszyu has already knocked out former 147-pound titleholder Jeff Horn, outpointed capable Terrell Gausha and stopped another former beltholder in Harrison.
However, a victory over a pound-for-pounder on the rise like Charlo would allow Tszyu to follow in the footsteps of his famous father — Hall of Famer Kostya Tszyu — and claim a place among the best handful of boxers on the planet.
Of course, defeating Charlo (35-1-1, 19 KOs) would be no easy task, but most would give Tszyu a better chance after watching him disassemble Harrison (the only man to beat Charlo) than they would’ve beforehand.
Let’s hope negotiations go smoothly.
Next pound-for-pounder up: Honorable Mention David Benavidez, who fights Caleb Plant on March 25 in Las Vegas.
Here’s what the list looks like at the moment:
BOXING JUNKIE
POUND-FOR-POUND
Terence Crawford – Ordered by the WBO to defend his 147-pound title against Alexis Rocha but no agreement is in place. Also reportedly talking to No. 4 Errol Spence Jr. about a title-unification showdown.
Naoya Inoue – Scheduled to challenge 122-pound titleholder and Honorable Mention Stephen Fulton Jr. on May 7 in Japan.
Oleksandr Usyk – Reportedly near a deal to face No. 6 Tyson Fury in a heavyweight title-unification bout but no agreement is in place.
Errol Spence Jr. – Unified 147-pound titleholder reportedly set to face Keith Thurman at 154 pounds in April but no official announcement has been made. Also reportedly talking to No. 1 Terence Crawford about a title-unification showdown.
Dmitry Bivol – Reportedly in talks to face No. 12 Artur Beterbiev in a 175-pound title-unification fight as early as June but no agreement is in place.
Tyson Fury – Reportedly is near a deal to face No. 3 Oleksandr Usyk in a heavyweight title-unification bout but no agreement is in place.
Juan Francisco Estrada – No fight scheduled.
Canelo Alvarez– Reportedly has agreed to defend his undisputed 168-pound championship against John Ryder on May 6 in Mexico but no announcement has been made.
Jermell Charlo – No fight scheduled.
Gervonta Davis – Scheduled to face Ryan Garcia in a 136-pound bout on April 15 in Las Vegas.
Vasiliy Lomachenko – Reportedly in talks to challenge undisputed lightweight champion Devin Haney but no official announcement has been made.
Artur Beterbiev – Reportedly in talks to face No. 5 Dmitry Bivol in a 175-pound title-unification fight as early as June but no agreement is in place.
Shakur Stevenson – Scheduled to face Shuichiro Yoshino in a 135-pound bout on April 8 in Newark, New Jersey.
Roman Gonzalez – No fight scheduled.
Devin Haney – Reportedly has agreed to defend his undisputed lightweight championship against Vasiliy Lomachenko on May 20 but no official announcement has been made..
Honorable mention (alphabetical order): David Benavidez (scheduled to fight Caleb Plant on March 25); Jermall Charlo (no fight scheduled); Stephen Fulton Jr. (scheduled to defend his 122-pound title against No. 2 Naoya Inoue on May 7 in Japan.); Kazuto Ioka (reportedly scheduled to challenge 115-pound titleholder Joshua Franco in June in Japan but no announcement has been made); Josh Taylor (reportedly will defend his WBO 140-pound title against Teofimo Lopez on June 10 in New York but no announcement has been made).
