Tony Harrison says Tim Tszyu was put in his spot by money-people

By Boxing News - 02/08/2023 - Comments

By Adam Baskin: Tony Harrison said today at the press conference that Tim Tszyu hasn’t earned his spot to fight for a world title at 154, and he’s been put in the position he’s currently in as the WBO mandatory to undisputed junior middleweight champion Jermell Charlo by people with money that put him there.

Tszyu and former WBC 154-lb champion Harrison will be fighting for the WBO interim junior middleweight title on March 12th at the Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney, Australia.

What’s interesting is how Harrison was going for the throat with his comments about Tszyu, despite the Aussie fighter hand-picking him as his opponent.

To say that Harrison wasn’t showing much gratitude to Tszyu for giving him this opportunity is putting it lightly. One can argue that Harrison was biting the hand that feeds by going after Tszyu hook, line & sinker instead of pouring praise over his head for being given the chance for a payday and a shot to potentially earn a trilogy fight against Jermell Charlo.

In another example of Harrison’s take-no-prisoners approach to the press conference, he said that there were a lot more deserving contenders that should be in front of the 28-year-old Tszyu (21-0, 15 KOs) standing at the door of a title shot against Jermell once he comes back from his hand injury.

Harrison slams Tsyzu

I think the money behind him, the name behind him. There are so many people I can put in front of Tim to say that they need a title shot against Jermell than Tszyu,” said Harrison during Tuesday’s press conference.

“Tim, to me, just hasn’t accomplished or fought anybody or done anything. They just put the money up and put him right there.  When you look at the road I had, he took the elevator. I took the stairs.  I’m just saying, how did he get there? Someone make it make sense to me,” said Harrison.

YouTube video

Tszyu has wins over Terrell Gausha, Takeshi Inoue, Jeff Horn, and Dennis Hogan. Those are respectable names. Granted, Tszyu hasn’t fought the likes of Sebastian Fundora, Erickson Lubin, Brian Castaino, Liam Smith, or Israil Madrimov, but neither has Harrison.

Is Harrison a hypocrite?

When you look at Harrison’s resume, his only notable win came against Jermell Charlo, and many felt that was a controversial victory. Aside from that win, Harrison’s best victories were against these fighters:

Sergio Garcia
Ishe Smith
Sergey Rabchenko
Bronco McKart

That’s a mediocre bunch that almost every contender in the 154-lb division would easily beat. It’s rich that Harrison has the gall to say that he’s had a tough road to the top because his resume doesn’t bare that out.

The reality is Harrison has beaten nobody, aside from his controversial win over Charlo, and he’s fallen apart each time he’s been thrown in the deep end. Harrison’s losses have come against these fighters:

  • Willie Nelson – journeyman
  • Jarrett Hurd
  • Jermell Charlo

Harrison could brag about how tough his road was if he’d actually beaten those fighters, but he didn’t. He lost, and his resume is an empty void filled with flimsy secondary fighters going nowhere.

I’ve come into this sport not just to muck around but to take over,” Tszyu said during Tuesday’s press conference with Tony Harrison.

“I’m just gracious that I’ve got a big opponent in front of me, a name that I need in my career.

“It wouldn’t be the first time someone said what he said, but when they get in the ring, it’s a dog fight in there,” Tszyu said, reacting to being told that Harrison said that he was someone that he’d see in a park.

“This is the name that I need. Twenty-one fights into my resume; this is the one that I need to wake all those boys up,” said Tszyu about Harrison.