By Adam Baskin: Tim Tszyu says he wants to inflict pain on undisputed 154-lb champion Jermell Charlo and knock him out when the two battle on January 28th.
Tszyu (21-0, 15 KOs) is the WBO mandatory that Jermell (35-1-1, 19 KOs) inherited when he dethroned World Boxing Organization junior middleweight champion Brian Castano on May 14th.
If Jermell chooses not to defend against Tszyu, he’ll be stripped of his WBO title if he doesn’t vacate it. Given that Charlo will be the favorite against less experienced Tszyu, he will not vacate his WBO title to swerve the match.
The money will be good, and it’s one of the better fights available to Jermell at 154. Perhaps the only opponents that could create more interest in the U.S for Charlo would be Danny Garcia and Sebastian ‘The Towering Inferno’ Fundora.
The unbeaten Tszyu had expected to face Jermell in October or November for his four titles, but on Tuesday, the 32-year-old Twin Charlo revealed on Instagram that he won’t be fighting until January 29th.
The delay in the fight could work in the 27-year-old Tszyu’s favor, as he now has more time to let his injured right-hand heal.
Tszyu suffered the injury in his recent 12-round unanimous decision win over Terrell Gausha on March 26th in his America debut at the Minneapolis Armory in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
“Just being in the best shape and being ready for the fight,” said Tim Tszyu to News.com.au. “I want to go straight to the top.
“I want to challenge the very best there is out there. I know I’ve got what it takes to win.”
If Tszyu successfully defeats Jermell on January 28th, he’ll have shown that he’s ready to take the top spot in the 154-lb division, but that would be only the beginning of the hard work involved in holding to the belts.
Jermell has arguably had it easy thus far because his title fights have come against these fighters:
- Tony Harrison x 2
- Brian Castano x 2
- Jeison Rosario
- Erickson Lubin
- John Jackson
- Charles Hatley
- Austin Trout
“Twin Charlo: Ain’t Done Yet, Unleash The Lion & Let Me Rumble.🇺🇸🔥🇦🇺 . BREAKING NEW. NEXT FIGHT DATE @lionsonlypromotions 🦁” said Jermell Charlo on Instagram.
Charlo made sure that he included the Australian flag in his Instagram post on Tuesday, meaning that he’s planning on fighting Tszyu next on January 28th.
It would have been better if Jermell had included Tszyu’s name in the Instagram post so he could start building up their fight, but that’s not his style.
Tszyu said his strategy to beat Charlo consists of, “don’t get hit. Maneuver and don’t get hit.
“Punch him harder. I want to stop him. I want to stop this bloke. I want to cause him pain,” said Tszyu.
It’s not going to be easy for Tszyu not to get hit by Charlo because he’s proven to be a hittable fighter.
“To be great, you’ve got to prove them all wrong. That’s what it takes. Simple,” said Tszyu.
