By Gary Todd: As Tony Harrison sat in class, the teacher said, “ son, what do you want to be when you get older” The young boy from Michigan, Detroit, answered, “ I want to be like my daddy and my grandfather. I want to fight.”
(Photo credit: Gary Todd)
Harrison’s grandfather was a middleweight contender called Henry Hank, who moved up to fight at light heavyweight in a tough era where fighters fought for nothing but their pride. Harrison’s daddy was a big, rangy welterweight called Ali Salaam, who fought all across America from 1984 to 1989 to then go on to train his son from the young age of 8 years old. Harrison would fight in the Golden gloves, boxing a total of 87 amateur fights before turning pro in 2011.
As Kostya Tszyu would get ready in camp for the likes of Sharmba Mitchell and Ricky Hatton, a small boy would be watching closely in the background. Tim Tszyu watched not only his father, but he would watch his grandfather stand side by side as the sweat pooled on the tiled floor of their gym in Sydney. Tszyu would turn to playing soccer, trying to work out how he could fit into his father’s shoes and racking up a 33-1 amateur career before turning professional in 2016.
Each fighter had a trait for being able to take pain in order to knock their opponent out. It was in their DNA, their history, and fighting was in the blood.
When Tszyu was knocking out opponent after opponent from 2016, Harrison had already racked up an impressive 19-0 win streak until, in 2015, he was matched with another up-and-coming fighter called Willie Smith, and he was knocked down and out in the 9th round.
He would return in July 2016 against the dangerous puncher from Belarus, Sergey Rabchenko, and Harrison fought brilliantly to stop him in the 9th round. The late great Emanuel Steward was singing his praises as the next big thing in the super welterweight division. Next up for Harrison was The experienced boxer Ishe Smith. Smith had seen it all, and he had fought a lot of good fighters since his 2000 debut. Harrison won a close fight by split decision that put him into a position to fight Jermell Charlo. In the 2018 fight, Harrison fought the best he could, and in the championship rounds, Charlo seemed to be cruising along, thinking he had the fight in the bag. At the end of the 12 rounds, the judges scored the fight to Harrison. It was a close fight, but Charlo didn’t agree and said,” they took this fight from me.” The rematch was signed, and 1 year later, they would fight, and this time, the lion made no mistake, knocking Harrison down 3 times and stopping him in the 11th round to roar once again.
Tszyu was fighting 6 times a year, then down to 4 times a year before facing former champion Jeff Horn. Horn had been in some tough fights, and he had made enough money, and it seemed his heart wasn’t in it anymore. Tszyu didn’t just beat him; he beat him up, stopping him in the 8th round, scalping a former world champion in the process. With TKO wins over Dennis Hogan and Steve Sparks, he almost cleaned out all that Australia had to offer. There was only one fighter to go in Michael Zerafa, but it never materialized due to Zerafa pulling out at the last minute, which was a shame. Tszyu continued on in his quest to be world champion. Charlo was talked about a lot, but Tszyu had to settle on fighting the hard-as-nails Japanese brawler Takeshi Inoue. In the fight, Inoue fought with a granite chin and a huge heart to absorb tszyu’s body and head punches till the final bell. It was a good win, and rounds he needed in the bank.
It was now 2022, and there was more talk about fighting Charlo, but it was announced Tszyu would be traveling to the US to fight the 35-year-old olympian Terrell Gausha.
Gausha was a tough, durable fighter who had fought some big names, and he had a good record, only being beaten by Erislandy Lara and Erickson Lubin. Not noted for his power ( 3 stoppages in 26 fights), on paper, this was a step up in opposition for Tszyu although it was expected that he should be able to walk through the Ohio boxer and eventually wear him down to the body and stop him late in the fight.
Tszyu was boxing well, but it didn’t all go to plan. After an early knockdown in the first round by a solid straight right hand, Tszyu recovered and fought his way to a points decision in his first fight out of Australia.
After the Charlo loss, Harrison spent time away from boxing, and as covid 19 hit us, the virus hit Harrison hard, as he lost his father and trainer in 2020.
Harrison came back to boxing to fight the hard-punching southpaw Bryant Perrella in his first fight without his father; he fought hard to get a split decision draw. Another year would pass, and he came back again to win on points over 10 rounds against Sergio Garcia in Las Vegas. His first win in 4 years. This win opened the door for possibly his last chance for the 32-year-old Harrison to fight for a world title, and only Tszyu stands in his way.
At 28, Tszyu is also knocking on Charlo’s door. A loss for either fighter could mean the end of the road.
On paper, the statistics all lean towards Tony Harrison. ( 33- 29 wins- ( 21 by TKO) 3 losses 1 draw) He has height and reach advantage. He has championship experience. He is a former world champion, and he is a good fighter. He can fight outside or inside, and he is a great counterpuncher off the back foot. He is very good at controlling the fight, and he has great footwork. He is a desperate man.
Harrison is open for the right hand, and his TKO losses have been in the 9th round. He is also open for uppercuts.
Tszyu is also open for the right hand. He has been inactive and, like Harrison, hasn’t fought in a year. He’s younger but hasn’t fought the same caliber of fighter that Harrison has. On paper, it’s by far his toughest fight.
To win, Tszyu has to impose his strength and will on Harrison. Pressure and throwing punch combinations every round to take Harrison’s legs away.
Tszyu has to jab and go to the body and finish with the uppercut, then the right hook. Harrison has to fight, knowing he probably won’t get the decision unless he wins every round convincingly and fight the way he fights. Control the tempo with fast punch combinations and eye-catching straight right hands.
A lot of fighting pedigree will be on show and on the line. Only one of them will go on to face the lion, which is Jermell Charlo. For each of them, it’s their destiny. It’s all they think about, as it’s in the blood.
Gary Todd is an acclaimed international author with his books. He has been involved in all aspects of the sport of boxing for over 30 years. For information on Gary’s latest book, “Annie’s Boy” and more, go to garytodd.org