By Adam Baskin: Tim Tszyu says he must “get rid” of his hand-picked opponent Tony Harrison this Saturday night on March 11, when the two fight for the interim WBO junior middleweight title on Showtime at the Qudos Bank Arena, in Sydney, Australia.
Tszyu (21-0, 15 KOs) selected the former WBC 154-lb champion from the list of contenders in the rankings because he wanted to prove himself worthy of a title shot against undisputed junior middleweight champion Jermell Charlo.
The 32-year-old Harrison, who was briefly at the top of the 154-lb division after his upset win over Jermell in 2018, has stagnated, falling off from his top spot after losing a rematch and then making things worse for himself by being largely inactive for the last four years. What a waste.
A second chance for Harrison
Tszyu is throwing Harrison a bone by giving him this opportunity to earn a well-paying this fight with Charlo, but it’s up to him to prove that he can do something with this gift.
You got to believe that this will never happen again for Harrison if he fails to take advantage of this is a second chance for the Detroit native.
No one else would willingly pick Harrison for a fight, and he seems to have lost his desire to stay active with his career.
Harrison is getting old, doesn’t fight often enough, and his ambition has been nowhere to be found since his loss to Charlo in their rematch.
If Harrison loses, it’s pretty much all over for him. With Harrison fighting once every two years against mediocre opposition, he’ll drop in the rankings and be forgotten. That’s the reality he’s facing if he loses this fight.
If Harrison had the desire of a younger fighter, he could rebound from a loss to Tszyu, but it doesn’t look likely that it’ll play out like that. Tony tends to disappear after losses, going off the grid.
We already saw how Harrison reacted after his loss to Charlo in 2019. Tony sat idle for two solid years before fighting again in 2021 against Bryant Perrella and fought to a 12 round draw in a fight he arguably should have lost. The ambition is nowhere to be found with Harrison.
Tszyu ready to “shock” Harrison
“You’ve got to dig in your bag. He doesn’t have a bag to dig in because he never had to dig in one. This time, he’s got to dig in that bag and find that. He’s got to find that this time,” said Tony Harrison to FOX Sports Australia about Tim Tszyu.
“His skills are totally beneath me. 100,000 totally beneath me,” Harrison continued.
“This is the fight I want because it’ll cement me as the next man in line, beating Harrison,” said Tszyu.
“I like him; I like him a lot,” said Harrison about Tszyu. “Tim is one of the few athletes that I can say I like. His fairness is all about boxing. Come to Detroit, and I can show you around. Come to America, and we can link up.
“I like this guy, but right now, it’s strictly about boxing. I’m going to kick his a**, but I’m going to like this guy after we finish fighting. I’m going to like him. He’s just a genuinely good little guy. Whoever raised him, raised a good little man,” said Harrison.
“I’ve got no dislike for this man. It’s the competitive nature in me and the competitive nature in him. It’s quite simple,” said Tszyu when asked if he dislikes Harrison.
“He’s got where I want to go, and he wants to go where I want to go. Right now, it’s fighter mode for me. I have to get rid of him, dispose, and after the fight, we can shake each other’s hands and have respect,” said Tszyu.
“For me, I want to shock. I respect him as an opponent for coming a long way. I hope you enjoy Australia,” said Tszyu.
“Come Sunday night, show us. Don’t shock us; show us,” said Harrison.
