By Matt Lieberman: Tim Tszyu will fight former WBC junior middleweight champion Tony Harrison for the interim WBO 154-lb title on March 11 on Showtime at the Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney, Australia. The Tszyu vs. Harrison fight card will start on Showtime at 10:45 p.m. ET/7:45 p.m. PT.
Showtime being the ones to land the rights to televise the Tszyu-Harrison fight in the U.S. is a big plus for them because it’ll likely bring them a lot of new subscribers.
The unbeaten Tszyu (21-0, 15 KOs) will be fighting at home in front of his fans when he takes on the #3 ranked WBO contender for the interim belt that will line the winner up for a title shot against four-belt junior middleweight champion Jermell Charlo for later this year.
Where to watch Tszyu vs. Harrison?
Tszyu vs. Harrison will be shown live on Showtime. The broadcast starts at 10:45 p.m. ET/7:45 p.m. PT. The Tszyu-Harrison fight will take place at the Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney, Australia.
Tszyu, 28, was already supposed to have fought Charlo last month on January 28th, but the Texas native suffered a broken left hand that caused the fight to be canceled.
Rather than sit and wait without fighting, Tszyu chose to stay busy, fighting one of the best fighters in the division, 32-year-old Harrison (29-3-1, 21 KOs).
It’s a fight that will not only keep Tszyu sharp, but it’ll also give him some badly needed experience that will keep him in good stead when/if he shares the ring with Charlo.
Harrison has repeatedly expressed his gratitude to Tszyu for him choosing to give him this shot because he didn’t have to do it. Tszyu could have just sat and waited for Charlo to come back from his injury, or he could have fought a lesser fighter in a near-risk-free fight.
Instead, he selected Harrison and is giving the Detroit, Michigan native an opportunity to revive his stalled-out career. Until Tszyu hand-picked him for this slot, Harrison had become rudderless, staying largely inactive since losing his WBC 154-lb title in his rematch with Jermell in 2019.
Harrison has only fought twice in the last four years and has not performed well in either of those fights.
“I can’t underestimate Tony Harrison, but with the way I’ve been training, I’m extremely confident that I’m going to give my fans a big KO victory,” said Tszyu.
“Full credit to him for taking the challenge and coming to Australia, but he’s going home empty-handed. It’s exciting that my fans in the U.S. will be able to watch this matchup on SHOWTIME, and I hope they’re ready to see a great atmosphere and a thrilling fight.”