America someway nonetheless doesn’t actually fee Tim Tszyu.
That’s the overall consensus from the opposite aspect of the world regardless of his spectacular TKO victory over Tony Harrison in Sydney on Sunday.
Tszyu knocked out Harrison within the ninth spherical, claiming the interim WBO tremendous welterweight title and incomes himself a shot at undisputed world champion Jermell Charlo.
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The 28-year-old took a threat by even preventing Harrison, given he might have simply sat on his fingers and waited for Charlo to get well from a hand damage that pressured their January battle to be postponed.
However the threat paid off as Tszyu received some a lot wanted reps underneath his belt and claimed his first stoppage victory since 2021.
It was a powerful efficiency that went a protracted method to silencing his critics, lots of whom imagine Tszyu hadn’t fought an opponent of but till Harrison and have accused him of using on his father Kostya’s coat-tails.
Many have been impressed by his efficiency, together with a gracious Harrison.
Nicely, it appears he didn’t fairly silence all of the critics. Tszyu is the necessary challenger for Charlo’s unified belts and proved he’s as prepared as he could be to take him on.
However the American wasn’t overly impressed by the Aussie’s efficiency, declaring he didn’t see something from Tszyu’s win over Harrison he hadn’t seen earlier than.
“He was spectacular. He did what he needed to do at house,” Charlo mentioned on the Showtime broadcast.
“He was a little bit flat to me. My motion, my type, my energy will make him do fully various things.
“That’s precisely what we’ve seen — come ahead, not as quick or an enormous tempo. Robust, in fact. Throws laborious punches. Don’t all of us? However I’m a special animal in there. I’m a special fighter than Tony.
“Tim is subsequent and that’s what we had earlier than the damage. It’s not like I’m not ready already.
“He doesn’t actually present a number of athleticism to me. While you’ve received abilities, and also you’ve received kinds and also you’ve received energy all collectively, you get 4 belts. He’s going to be a tricky battle as a result of he’s coming ahead, however I feel he’s good for my type,” he mentioned.
“I do know he can’t take my punch, as a result of I simply know my punch is completely different. It simply made me wish to battle, simply get this over with, shut him up, I’ve shut a number of them up, it’s simply one other one.
“He’s going to do the identical factor. He’s not going to vary a lot.”
Douglass Fischer, editor of revered boxing publication The Ring Journal, believes Tszyu wants one other couple of comparable fights underneath his belt earlier than taking over Charlo.
“Harrison offered glorious expertise for Tszyu,” Fischer tweeted.
“He wants one other bout or two like this earlier than being actually prepared for a beast like Charlo, but when Charlo-Tszyu is subsequent, convey it on.”
Former world champion Ishé Oluwa Kamau Ali Smith mentioned Harrison didn’t give Tzsyu a lot of a take a look at and a counterpuncher would “have a discipline day” towards him.
“It’s simple to look that nice with nothing coming again, nice take a look at and he handed however I used to be him like my God a counter puncher would have a discipline day on him,” the ex-light middleweight champion mentioned.
“Simply my ideas. I’d of liked it, at all times liked that type, Wolak form of type. It makes counter punchers like me dig deep, we love setting traps for guys like Tim. Nice win however Charlo, even Lubin I feel is to a lot, and who’s beating that freak of nature what’s his top once more.”
DAZN boxing commentator Sergio Mora was additionally fast to dampen the joy round Tszyu’s win.
The brutal actuality for Tszyu is till he beats Charlo and takes the belts off him in his yard, American boxing pundits and followers will at all times discover a purpose to speak down Australian fighters.
As for when a Tszyu vs Charlo battle would possibly eventuate, it might occur in a matter of months, pending Charlo’s health.
“All of it comes right down to him and his restoration,” George Rose, boss of Tszyu’s administration No Restrict mentioned.
“I do know if I ask Tim when he needs to battle, he’ll say tomorrow. He’d be able to go fairly quickly I feel I’d say fairly quickly.
“We’ll sit down and have a yarn collectively this week and prepare for what’s subsequent however it’ll come right down to when Charlo’s prepared. As quickly as he’s prepared, so’s Tim Tszyu.”
Whereas many have been fast to label Tszyu a world champion, he identified he solely received an interim belt, which is able to imply nothing if he can’t beat Charlo to grow to be simply the ninth undisputed champion in boxing historical past.
“That is the interim belt. The champ needs to be overwhelmed,” Tszyu mentioned.
“It’s a little bit step up in my journey however the actual one is thrashing Charlo.”
Charlo’s eagerness to close down the Tszyu hype practice appeared to quash discuss of the champion vacating his belts to maneuver up a division to tackle brother Jarmell.
Requested if Charlo may very well be working scared, Tszyu scoffed: “Charlo isn’t scared. We’re fighters, we’re not scared. It’s simply a part of our mentality. There’s so such factor as being scared.”
The 32-year-old has repeatedly mispronounced Tszyu’s identify and a build-up to the battle is certain to be spicy. “Charlo’s an actual indignant man, that’s simply how he’s,” Tszyu mentioned. “He barks quite a bit.”
