Tony Harrison has touched down in Australia ahead of his March 12 fight with Tim Tszyu, the fight to have the interim WBO 154 pound belt to be on the line. This fight is of course a replacement for the Jermell Charlo-Tim Tszyu fight, which was to have happened in January and will now take place at a later date (providing Tszyu beats Harrison, or then Harrison could then fight Charlo, who injured his left hand ahead of his scheduled defence against Tszyu).
Harrison, 29-3-1(21) believes he is too experienced for Tszyu and that he will get the big win on the night. However, when the two came face-to-face upon Harrison’s arrival in Sydney, the two going to a premiere of the new movie ‘Creed III,’ Tszyu was moved to point out how his opponent “looks fragile.”
Tszyu – who may be facing Harrison without his famous father there to support him, either in the corner or at ringside, this due to Kostya Tzsyu having to stay home to look after his daughter who is ill – said Harrison’s appearance led him to feel he could “crack him in half.”
“He looks fragile,” Tszyu said of Harrison, as quoted by The Daily Mail. “I’ve been sparring big strong, unbreakable blokes and he looks like I could crack him in half. If it goes past four (rounds) he’s in trouble. My aim is to grab him by the neck and pull him down into the ocean and let him sink. That’s start from round one and we’ll see what happens when he wants to get air, because he won’t get any air.”
Despite Tszyu’s bold words, this is his toughest assignment since turning pro and fans are ready for what could be a great fight. Tszyu has looked special in some of his fights, yet former Kronk fighter Harrison will not have been overawed by anything he has seen of Tyszu, 21-0(15).
There is no doubt Harrison, the older man by four years at age 32, has fought the better quality of opposition. Harrison holds a decision win over Charlo, while he was stopped by Jermell in the rematch.
March 12 should give us a very interesting fight. Harrison has arrived in Oz with a little under two weeks in which to acclimatise. This is the acid test for Tim Tszyu.
