According to promoter George Rose, Tim Tszyu’s next fight is scheduled for sometime between February and March. The specifics of the fight, including the date and opponent, have not yet been determined. This comes after Tszyu’s recent victory over Brian Mendoza last weekend.
It’s reasonable to assume that Jermell Charlo won’t return to the 154-lb division to face Tszyu for his WBO title after picking up his $20 million paycheck against Canelo Alvarez.
Jermell cannot afford to suffer another loss if he wants to secure a lucrative match against Terence Crawford. Therefore, it is unlikely that he would be interested in fighting Tszyu. A bout between Jermell and Tszyu would not generate the same amount of revenue as a fight with Crawford.
Tszyu (24-0, 17 KOs) mentioned wanting to face Canelo or Jermell next after the title defense of his WBO junior middleweight against Mendoza, but it would be too much to ask for either of those fights to take place.
Tim says he wants to stay at 154 to become undisputed champion, so he’s going to need to stay busy until Jermell either returns to the division or, more likely, is stripped.
Tszyu says he’ll be fighting in the U.S. from now on, and that means he should defend against an opponent who Americans are familiar with. It’s pointless for Tszyu to defend his WBO 154-lb title against an Aussie or a European fighter that casual boxing fans in the States have never heard of.
Possible options for Tim Tszyu’s next fight
- Josh Kelly
- Xander Zayas
- Erickson Lubin
- Jermell Charlo
- Terence Crawford
- Errol Spence Jr
Tim should take advantage of the attention that he received from his fight against Mendoza by taking on someone who will get the attention of fans in the U.S.
If Tszyu can’t get any of the above fighters to face him next, then he should be inventive by getting one of these guys:
- Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis
- Vergil Ortiz Jr
- Danny Garcia
- Sebastian Fundora
- Carlos Adames
- Erislandy Lara
- Janibek Alimkhanuly
It’s too bad Canelo Alvarez wasted a perfect fight date last September defending his undisputed super middleweight championship against Jermell because it would have been better if he’d fought Tszyu.
“Anytime from February or March onwards, really. As far as what Tim’s next fight is and when that is, it’ll depend on the opponent. We’ll be working on that over the next month,” said promoter George Rose to Jai McAllister about the next fight for Tim Tszyu after his win over Brian Mendoza last weekend.
