Unbeaten super welterweight Tim Tszyu has always conducted himself like a true professional. The Australian star never cuts corners and goes about his business in the ring like an assassin.
MORE: All you need to know about Tim Tszyu vs. Brian Mendoza
However, never was Tszyu’s professionalism more in evidence than when he gave his reaction to being upgraded from interim champion to full champion by the WBO. There were no smiles, no celebrations, and no overbearing social media reactions.
"I certainly believe I deserve the spot, especially after the Tony Harrison win, and the fact that I've been mandated to fight [Jermell] Charlo for a year-and-a-half, then he decides to pull the runner and go for the money fight," said Tszyu in a recent interview with The Sporting News.
"I guess it’s a mix of mix of emotions. My manager was quite happy and, you know, whatever happens in life, my name forever gets cemented in the history books as a WBO world champion. But for me, I'm so locked into the present moment. Upgrading me to full champ? I'm not concentrated on that. It's not satisfying. What I'm focused on right now is the fight ahead and that's all that matters."
"Tim Tszyu is considered a paper champion." 👀@TwinCharlo still making time during #CaneloCharlo fight week to take shots at Tim Tszyu. Wild times.@sn_fights @NoLimit_Boxing pic.twitter.com/cfRZveUG5M
— 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐍𝐞𝐰𝐬 Australia (@sportingnewsau) September 29, 2023
Tszyu (23-0, 17 KOs) takes on American contender Brian Mendoza at the Gold Coast Convention Centre in Broadbeach, Australia, on October 15. It’s his maiden title defence and it’s a tricky one against The Ring’s No. 3 rated 154-pounder.
"[Mendoza is] gonna be a tough challenge," acknowledged Tszyu. "He's awkward, he's coming off two impressive knockouts (over Jeison Rosario and Sebastian Fundora), so he’s on the uprise and it's gonna be an interesting fight.
"I feel like I'm still the hunter, and, in my mind, that's why I'm not content with being elevated to full champion. It doesn't bother me. I'm still in the mindset of a hunter, focused on the present moment, and focused on Mendoza."
This is not the route that people expected Tszyu to take. The 28-year-old boxer-puncher was the WBO’s mandatory challenger and called out the aforementioned Charlo, who was then undisputed champion at the weight. The Charlo-Tszyu bout was actually made for January 28 but fell through when Charlo suffered a hand injury.
Following a period of convalescing, Charlo suddenly reneged on his obligation to fight Tszyu and turned his attention to boxing’s biggest attraction — undisputed super middleweight champ, Canelo Alvarez. Charlo told anyone who would listen that he had the beating of the Mexican star and that the two-division jump was no issue.
Well, the fight took place on Saturday at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas and Charlo dropped a lopsided unanimous decision in a forgettable encounter.
"In my opinion, [Charlo] didn't go there to win — very tentative," stated Tszyu with contempt. "Whoever gets the opportunity to fight Canelo is gonna take it. It's the biggest stage and a s***-ton of money as well. All of that plays a part, but it's the competitiveness in you, to try and win and make something of it. I didn't see any competitiveness. He was there just to show an appearance and not get knocked out.
"If you get this opportunity, you just go for it, man. Like watching Errol Spence-Terence Crawford, at least Errol Spence went out on his shield. He’s still punching, he's still trying to press forward, he's trying to win. I don't know… when I play basketball against someone, I wanna win. I'm that competitive. Especially in a boxing fight where all the marbles are on the line. It's just not what I would have done."
Tszyu’s expression changed when Charlo’s name was mentioned. It’s clear that the months of political punch and counterpunch with the American has caused hostility and there’s no better place to settle matters than in the prize ring. But despite a deep desire to melt "The Iron Man", Tszyu is not confident that this fight ever takes place.
"I'm not sure, I think that money changes people," said the WBO champion. "Once he gets paid, we'll see what happens, what his personality is, and what he’s feeling. I want his name on my resume, so if he goes missing, then he goes missing. There’s nothing I can do. But if he comes back down to 154, then I'm gonna be the one knocking."
MORE: Jai Opetaia scores fourth-round knockout victory over Jordan Thompson
On Saturday, the same day that Tszyu was anointed the WBO titleholder, another Australian star was having a field day on U.K. soil. Jai Opetaia, the IBF and Ring cruiserweight champion, put on a dazzling display against the previously unbeaten Jordan Thompson, smashing the Londoner to pieces inside four rounds.
"What a performance, complete annihilation," smiled Tszyu, who was more than impressed. "I said before that he’s the number one cruiserweight and that if he gets the opportunity to prove it, he'll do it.
"[Australian boxing] in a good place. I think the best thing is that everyone's interested and we’ve got a lot of Aussie fans behind us. That’s very important to us."
