By Sam Volz: Undefeated Tim Tszyu (21-0, 15 KOs) will have his home fans backing him this Saturday night when he faces former WBC junior middleweight champion Tony Harrison for the interim WBO interim 154-lb title at the Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney, Australia.
This critical fight event for both contenders will be piped in on Showtime in the U.S at 10:45 p.m. ET, allowing American fighter Harrison (29-3-1, 21 KOs) to get some exposure and a chance to put himself in a position to challenge four-belt 154-lb champion Jermell Charlo in a trilogy match.
Harrison and Jermell were like a comedy team in their press conferences before their two fights. The way that Harrison got into the head of Charlo with his trash-talking was priceless, and it would be outstanding for boxing fans and the sport in general if Tony defeats Tszyu on Saturday so that we can see him and Jermell trading insults once again.
The 28-year-old Tszyu had been scheduled to challenge undisputed 154-lb champion Charlo for his belts last month, but the champion suffered a broken left hand and had to pull out of the fight.
Tszyu-Harrison complete card:
- Sam Goodman vs. TJ Doheny
- Koen Mazoudier vs. Ben Mahoney
- Paulo Aokuso vs. Yunieski Gonzalez
- Isaac Hardman vs. Rohan Murdock
- Nikita Tszyu vs. Bo Belbin
- Shanell Dargan vs. Courtney Martin
With Charlo expected to be out of the ring until June or July with his hand injury, Tszyu chose to stay busy rather than sit on the sidelines, doing nothing for another five or six months.
Tszyu last fought in March of last year against Terrell Gausha, making it essential that he get back in the ring as soon as possible to get the rust out.
Harrison, 32, owns a win over Jermell from 2018, schooling the previously unbeaten Texas native in a 12 round unanimous decision win. In their rematch a year later, in December 2019, Harrison made the mistake of slugging with Charlo and paid the price of getting knocked out in the 11th round.
When is Tim Tszyu vs. Tony Harrison fight & start time?
Boxing fans will be in for a treat with Tszyu vs. Harrison taking place this Saturday, March 11. The event has a start time of 10:45 p.m. ET. The time shouldn’t be a big deal for East Coast fans in the U.S., as it’s on a Saturday night, and it’s not too late.
The 6’1″ Harrison will have a 4 1/2″ inch height & reach advantage over the 5’8 1/2″ Tszyu, which means he’s likely going to try and keep the action on the outside to prevent his shorter, more powerful opponent from getting close enough to land his bombs.
Harrison has fought better opposition during his twelve-year professional career than Tszyu, but he hasn’t done much since his second fight against Charlo.
Whether Harrison has been suffering a drop in confidence or not is unknown. Tony may have been enjoying the fruits of his lab, taking advantage of the windfall from his two lucrative fights against Jermell Charlo.
According to Celebrity Sage, the 32-year-old Harrison has a net worth of $5 million, which is good money for anyone. It’s unclear how much Harrison’s net worth was before he fought Jermell Charlo, but it’s reasonable to assume it was far less than what he’s got now.
When you’re bank account suddenly swells the way Harrison’s has in the last five years, it’s not surprising that you see a huge drop off in-ring activity.
Indeed, Harrison has fought only TWO times since his second fight against Charlo in 2019, fighting to a 12 round draw against Bryant Perrela in 2021 and defeating Sergio Garcia by a 10 round unanimous decision in 2022.
The question is, was Harrison’s drop off in activity a result of lost confidence or his sudden increase in wealth? When a fighter becomes a millionaire like Tony Harrison has, it’s not a shock that you see less activity from them.
How to watch Tszyu vs. Harrison?
This Saturday’s Tszyu vs. Harrison fight will be shown on Showtime, and again, the event begins at 10:45 p.m. ET. It’s unknown what time the card begins for UK viewers.
This is an opportunity for the Australian Tszyu to expand his fan base to the U.S. by beating Harrison and setting up a massive fight against undisputed junior middleweight champion Jermell Charlo for later this year after his hand heals.
Where is Tim Tszyu vs. Tony Harrison fight?
Tszyu – Harrison will be staged at the 21,000-seat Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney, Australia. Again, the 28-year-old Tszyu will have a home advantage, which could play a factor in the fight.
Harrison treats his trip to Australia as a mini-vacation, as he’s never been to the country before, and he’s enjoying the scenery and the friendly people.
“He’s probably antsy and jitters, but I’m in coast mode,” said Harrison to Sporting News Australia. “He hasn’t been here before, so I’m going to show him why he hasn’t been here before,” said Tony about him fighting in the bigger fights than Tszyu.
“I can’t tell you how his body is going to perform how he’s seeing and going through for a big fight. I can’t think for him, but I’m just letting you know that I got my beater on, my buffs on, my hat, and my slippers to let you know that I’m chilling.
“Some guys take that as, ‘I’m going to lose. I’m going to lose,’ but I take that as motivation,” said Harrison when told that the oddsmakers have him as the underdog against Tszyu for their fight on Saturday night.
“Most of every big fight that I had, I was the underdog, and I kill them every time. When are they going to learn? We kill them every time,” said Harrison, seeming to forget that he was knocked out by Jermell Charlo in their rematch in 2019.
“I don’t even want to go into fights no more as being a negative. I want to go in there being the positive every time because I’m going to kill them. I’m from Detroit, the motor city. We gamble all day, in cards, throwing rocks & spades, so I just want to kill them,” said Harrison.
