By Jeff Aronow: Junior middleweight contender Tim Tszyu headlines this Saturday, March 26th on Showtime against Terrell Gausha in a 12 round scheduled bout at the Armory, Minneapolis. The televised portion of the card will begin at 9:00 p.m. ET on Showtime. Fans outside the US can watch the entire fight card on FITETV.
Tszyu, 27, wants to win over the U.S boxing fans in his first fight in the United States on Saturday night against 2012 Olympian Gausha (22-2-1, 11 KOs). Gausha is a solid fighter with his only two career defeats coming at the hands of Erislandy Lara and Erickson Lubin.
For #1 WBO Tszyu (20-0, 15 KOs) this is expected to be his final fight before challenging for the title against the winner of the May 14th fight between IBF/WBA/WBC champion Jermell Charlo and WBO champion Brian Castano.
WBO mandatory Tszyu would be challenging Castano next if not for him being given permission by the World Boxing Organization to face Charlo in a rematch after their previous fight last July ended in a 12 round draw.
Tszyu should have too much power for the 34-year-old Gausha, who struggled mightily in his fights against Lara and Lubin under the power from their shots. Gausha is coming off of a second-round knockout victory over Jamontay Clark in March of 2021.
This is a step up in competition for Tszyu, whose best opposition he’s fought thus far in his six-year pro career are these fighters:
Steve Sparks
Jeff Horn
Dennis Hogan
Bowyn Morgan
Jack Brubaker
Dwight Ritchie
Takeshi Inoue
Tszyu vs. Gausha undercard:
- Michel Rivera vs Joseph Adorno
- Elvis Rodriguez vs Juan Jose Velasco
- Joseph Spencer vs. Ravshan Hudaynazarov
“It’s the land of dreams. If you make it in America, you make it in the world,” said Tim Tszyu to the Mayweather Channel. “It’s always been a dream for me to fight here. It’s a new chapter for me, and I’m getting used to this whole process.
“I’m super focused. He’s sharp, he’s tricky, and he does all the things good,” said Tszyu about the 34-year-old Gausha. “He’s super quick as well. I want to make it his toughest fight in the office.
“I’m here to do damage, give damage, and let them know they’re in a world of trouble.
“I’ve sort of created my name and established my name in Australia for a couple of years, and people recognize me. Still, it’s unsure. It’ll take a couple of fights to get used to, but I’ve got to prove to a lot of people that I’m Tim Tszyu.
“It’s good that you’ve got this young breed coming up, and we’re all hungry,” said Tszyu about fellow Australian George Kambosos Jr. emerging as a young star for his country.
“Australia, we’re a small island, but we’re out there working. There’s plenty of talent and plenty of hungry kids like myself. I’m ready to give it my all.
“Look, I’m only 27. My prime is three years off. I told be middleweight or super-middleweight. This whole vibe is so cool,” said Tszyu when asked what’s different from being in the U.S compared to in Australia.
“I’m not used to this stuff. Everyone in the ring, screaming. It’s cool. Where we come from a quiet gym, where it’s really private, no sound. This whole experience, it’s all-new. I’m just trying to enjoy the whole process.
“It’s going to be on Australia. For all my countrymen in Australia, it’s going to be like on pay-per-view. So, yeah, it’s going to be a special moment in my career, debuting,” said Tszyu.