By Sam Volz: WBO interim junior middleweight champion Tim Tszyu still plans on going ahead with his defense on June 18th against Carlos Ocampo after requiring surgery on his right forearm for a dog bite.

The 28-year-old Tszyu was bitten on Saturday and needed surgery to repair the cut.

Thankfully, it wasn’t anything worse than a dog bite, as Tszyu has been waiting for close to a year for a title shot against undisputed 154-lb champion Jermell Charlo, who broke his left arm last year, and it’s been slow in healing.

“Tim Tszyu was treated by the team doctor and surgeon on Saturday afternoon for a laceration on his right forearm,” said Tszyu’s manager Glen Jennings.

“The wound was superficial. The post-surgical report is all good. There is no doubt that Tim will be ready and 100% healthy and focused to take on Carlos Ocampo on June 18.”

Tim is the WBO mandatory for Charlo’s belt and has been patiently waiting for his title shot since defeating Terrell Gausha in a title eliminator fourteen months ago.

Instead of sitting inactive, not taking risks like most fighters would do if thy were in his position, Tszyu has chosen to stay busy with his career to keep sharp for his eventual title shot against Jermell.

In Tszyu’s last fight, he stopped former WBC 154-lb champion Tony Harrison in the ninth round in Sydney, Australia, last March. Harrison defeated Jermell by a twelve round unanimous decision in 2018 in their first fight. A year later, Charlo avenged his loss in the rematch by stopping Harrison in the eleventh round in a competitive fight.

Tszyu (22-0, 16 KOs) will face Ocampo (35-2, 23 KOs) at the Gold Coast Convention Centre, Broadbeach, Australia. Ocampo isn’t a real threat to Tszyu, so regardless of the dog bite, he should breeze through this stay-busy fight to stay in line for a future title shot against Charlo once the Texas native returns from his arm problem.

“It’s certainly not the ideal preparation any time a fighter ends up in hospital a few weeks out from a world-title fight,” said George Rose, Tszyu’s promoter. “But the best news is that Tim is doing OK.”

There’s no word about what type of dog bit Tszyu or whose pet it was.

Like many contenders in the 154-lb division, his career progression has slowed while waiting for Charlo to convalesce from his injury. Tsszyu should have already fought for the WBO title.

Some boxing fans believe Charlo should be stripped of his belt, as he hasn’t defended it in over a year. The WBO needs a ‘champion in recess’ tag they give fighters who are physically or mentally unable to fight due to injuries and/or mental health problems.