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Tim Tszyu Captures Interim WBO 154-Pound Title With
Ninth-Round TKO Over Tony Harrison
Photos: No Limit Boxing
Popular undefeated hometown favorite Tim Tszyu dominated
former world champion Tony Harrison with a ninth-round
TKO to win the Interim WBO Super Welterweight title
Sunday in a SHOWTIME BOXING INTERNATIONAL main event
live on SHOWTIME® before 11,740 rabid pro-Tszyu fans at
Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney, Australia.
With the win Tszyu became the mandatory challenger to
undisputed super welterweight king Jermell Charlo. At
the time of the stoppage, all three judges were in
agreement scoring the bout 77-75 in favor of Tszyu after
eight completed rounds.
When asked after the fight what the win means, Tsyzu
yelled into the mic, “It means I’ve beat the man who
beat the man!”
Tszyu was then asked if he had a message for Charlo:
“The message was sent clearly. You know what’s next, you
know I’m coming.”
The undisputed king of the 154-pound division, Charlo
joined the SHOWTIME announce team live from the CBS
Studios in New York City as a special guest.
“He’s going to be a tough fight because he’s coming
forward,” Charlo said following the telecast. “But I
think he’s perfect for my style. He fits suitably well
for me. I know he can’t take my punch because I know my
punch is different. I think he’s going to do the same
thing (when he fights me). He’s not going to change up
much. Seeing him tonight just made me want to fight and
be back in there, to get this over with, to just shut
him up. I’ve shut up a lot of fighters. He’s just
another one.”
Tszyu (22-0, 16 KOs) – who elected to face the veteran
Harrison after Tszyu’s scheduled match with Charlo on
January 28 was scratched when Charlo broke his hand in
training – simply outboxed and out-performed Detroit’s
Harrison (29-4-1, 21 KOs).
“The better man won,” Harrison said. “They’ve done a
good job over there. His timing, his reaction is very
good. He just beat me, so all I can say is he’s up for
Charlo.”
Harrison started quickly, but soon felt Tszyu’s power as
Harrison was rocked by an overhand right late in the
third round that staggered Harrison, a sequence that was
repeated again at the end of the fourth round.
Harrison hit back in the sixth, landing more shots than
Tszyu and displaying his defense as Tszyu missed on
several swings. It was more of the same in the eighth as
Tszyu continued his relentless pressure and started
out-landing Harrison. Harrison had had enough in the
ninth, finally hitting the canvas but beating the
10-count to continue the battle until the referee ended
matters.
The 28-year-old Tszyu, who made his SHOWTIME debut in
March 2022 with a win over Terrell Gausha, is the son of
International Boxing Hall of Famer Kostya Tszyu, who
competed on SHOWTIME 10 times and had some of his most
memorable fights on the network. Kostya Tszyu was unable
to attend the Sunday fights because his daughter and
Tim’s half-sister has been ill.
“We will always have respect for each other, but tonight
I proved I was the better fighter,” Tszyu said of
Harrison. “The way my career has unfolded has been step
by step, all the way to the top. That’s my mentality as
a fighter. When I’m presented an opportunity like
Charlo, of course I’m going to take that. And when I get
an opportunity to face Tony Harrison, of course I’m
going to take it.”
Harrison said he wasn’t sure what the future would hold.
“The boxing [stuff] is hard. I’ve been doing this since
I was five. I don’t know if I want to spend the next
five, six years getting hit in the face. My brother
[trainer LJ Harrison] had the perfect game plan, but
sometimes when you get in there you forget.”
The event was promoted by No Limit Boxing and The Rose
Brothers, in association with TGB Promotions.
Saturday’s SHOWTIME BOXING INTERNATIONAL telecast will
replay at 9:05 a.m. ET/PT Sunday, March 12 and Monday,
March 13 at 10 p.m. ET/PT on SHOWTIME EXTREME®.
Charlo was joined by veteran sportscaster and “The Last
Stand” podcaster Brian Custer, who hosted the SHOWTIME
BOXING INTERNATIONAL telecast remotely from New York
City and called the action with three-division world
champion Abner Mares and International Boxing Hall of
Famer Steve Farhood, who both served as analysts.
Farhood was also the unofficial scorer, while fellow
Hall of Famer Jimmy Lennon Jr. handled ring announcing
duties Down Under. Four-time Emmy® award winner David
Dinkins, Jr. was the executive producer of the broadcast
with Ray Smaltz III producing and Chuck McKean
directing.
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