Tim Tszyu, who is rapidly making a whole big name for himself, this out from under the shadow of his famous and celebrated father Kostya Tszyu, got the job done in style on Saturday. Stopping the experienced Tony Harrison with great patience, Tszyu won the WBO interim belt at 154 pounds. Watching the 28 year old’s winning performance was unified, currently injured, champion at the weight Jermell Charlo.
The Charlo-Tszyu fight, postponed as it was back in January when Charlo suffered a hand injury, is now looming, with the fight likely for the summer. And Charlo, not surprisingly considering his sheer self-belief and confidence (some might call it arrogance) said there is no way Tszyu can beat him. Charlo, taking to the New York Post, said his left hand, when it’s back to full health, is “gonna be stronger than ever.”
Charlo, 35-1-1(19) said he is anxious to “get this [fight] over with and shut him up.”
“He was impressive. He did what he had to do at home,” Charlo said of the victorious Tszyu, now 22-0(16). “He was a little flat to me but my movement, my style and my power will make him do completely different things. He doesn’t show a lot of athleticism to me. He’s going to be a tough fight because he’s coming forward, but I think he’s perfect for my style. I know he can’t take my punch, because I just know my punch is different…..It just made me want to fight, just get this over with, shut him up, I’ve shut a lot of them up, it’s just another one.”
I don’t know about you, but as good, as special as Charlo is, it’s not hard at all to suggest that Tim Tszyu may well take quite a lot of shutting up. Tszyu may not be the fastest, most athletic fighter in the world, but when watching him take Harrison apart piece by piece, one got the feeling Tszyu has not come close to showing us all that he has yet. There may be a lot more to come from Tszyu, with him not yet having reached his peak by some margin.
If Tszyu can raise his game a whole lot more, 32 year old Charlo could find himself in the toughest fight of his career when the summer fight rolls around. Tszyu is confident his run of world title fight wins has only just begun and that he will stop Charlo when the fight happens. For all the belts at 154, this is a fight that will prove it was worth waiting for.
