Tim Tszyu asked for a world title shot, and on Wednesday evening he proved that’s exactly what he deserves.
The Australian backed up his defeat of former welterweight world champion Jeff Horn with yet another clinical performance, flooring Bowyn Morgan inside two minutes at Sydney’s Bankwest Stadium, in a fight dubbed a world title eliminator.
“Do you guys know what’s next? That’s the world title, here, in Sydney, Australia,” Tszyu declared after the win, to a chorus of cheers. “Let’s make it 10 times the size of this. Australia deserves it.
“I’m an Aussie, born here. I want to [do it] for the fans. And for the Russian fans as well. This is for everyone.”
Current super welterweight champion Patrick Teixeira has been stuck in his native Brazil as COVID-19 rips through the country, and as a result has been unable to set up a much anticipated fight with Brian Castano. The WBO recently announced that if a fight between Teixeiara and Castano does not go ahead by January 6, then Tszyu, with victory over Morgan, would earn the right to battle for the world title.
Tszyu certainly did his job.
The son of Kostya was an almost unbackable favourite, shortening to $1.01 before the first bell. But before the bell could ring for a second time, Tszyu was standing at centre ring, punching the air in celebration.
He had begun in his typical measured yet aggressive fashion, landing a series of quick jabs to Morgan’s body and face to unsettle him. It was immediately clear Morgan was well and truly out of his depth.
Before the New Zealander could even strike a single blow, Tszyu’s found a one-two combination which ended with a hard right-hand to Morgan’s cheek, dropping him to the canvas. He regathered himself but was sent back down seconds later, this time giving the referee little choice but to call the fight off with only one minute and 54 seconds having elapsed.
“It was hours and hours in the gym perfecting my craft with my coach, Igor,” said Tszyu. “This doesn’t happen without all of the hard training I go through.”
By successfully defended his IBF Australasian and WBO Global super welterweight belts, Tszyu improved to 17-0 (13 KOs) as a professional, this the third first round stoppage of his already impressive career. It seems he is just getting better and better, a scary thought considering he is still just 26 years of age.
“For me, I only want one thing, and that’s a world title strap, here in Australia,” Tszyu said, when asked who he would like to fight next.
With Teixeira expected to be stripped of his belt any day now, the logical opponent for Tszyu would be Castano. Like Tszyu, the Argentine has fought 17 times and is yet to taste defeat, although he was unable to setup a fight in 2020. In fact, his last appearance in the ring was back in November, 2019, where he eased past Nigerian Wale Omotoso in a fifth round stoppage.
If Tszyu and Castano agree to lock horns, with the title on the line, a fight in early 2021 would be expected.
Tszyu’s team has previously been in discussions to act as a co-support for the yet-to-be-finalised bout between lineal lightweight champion Teofimo Lopez and Australian unbeaten mandatory challenger George Kambosos Jr.
It was expected that Lopez and Kambosos Jr would likely take place in April next year, with Sydney and Melbourne the frontrunners to host the event. If a Tszyu-Castano fight is thrown into the mix, it would strike an all out bidding war between Australia’s two major cities to secure one of the best fight cards the nation has seen in recent years.
There’s plenty to finalise and work through, but one thing is certain – Tszyu has well and truly earned his shot at a world title.