By Craig Daly: WBO interim junior middleweight champion Tim Tszyu believes undisputed champ Jermell Charlo is on the decline. He can’t wait to face him later this year to dethrone him.
(Photo credit: No Limit Boxing)
In Charlo’s last fight in May 2022 against Brian Castano, he was arguably in the best form of his career. That was a superb performance and quite an of improvement over his previous bout against Castano.
If Charlo is on the decline, as Tszyu points out, it would be related to him being out of the ring and enjoying himself too much with the money he’s made.
Jermell has been out of the ring for a year now, and there’s no way of knowing how much he’s lost from the long layoff.
By the time Charlo does face Tszyu later this year, he’ll have been out of the ring for a year and a half, and that’s a long time, particularly when you’re taking on a dangerous puncher.
Tszyu (22-0, 16 KOs) will need to wait a little longer before he finally gets his opportunity to fight the 33-year-old Charlo (35-1-1, 19 KOs) because his broken left hand needs more time to heal.
In the meantime, Tszyu will defend his WBO interim 154-lb title next month against Carlos Ocampo (34-2, 22 KOs) in a 12 round fight on June 18th at the Gold Coast Convention Centre, in Broadbeach, Queensland, Australia.
This will likely be the 28-year-old Tszyu’s last tune-up before he faces Charlo later this year. Tszyu already fought and beat former WBC junior middleweight champion Tony Harrison by a ninth round knockout last March.
“There’s only one fight in the super welterweight division they’re talking about, and that’s me and Charlo,” said Tim Tszyu to Fight Hub TV. “We’re the two at the top right now. He’s at the top, and has all the marbles. I’m sitting behind him, waiting, waiting patiently for that one opportunity.
“Once that opportunity presents itself, there will be a new king in the division,” Tszyu continued. “What am I supposed to do? It’s not up to me. If his hand’s hurt, his hand is hurt. I got no comment. I hope he recovers 100%.
“The decline of Charlo. The fall and the rise of someone new. I’ll get him at the end of the year. There will be a new king,” said Tszyu.
