Undefeated Australian junior middleweight contender Tim Tszyu 20-0 (15) has offered to step in to replace injured WBO champion Brian Castaño 17-0-2 (12) and face WBC, WBA and IBF champion Jermell Charlo 34-1-1 (18) at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on March 19.
Argentinian Castaño, 32, was forced to withdraw this week after suffering a slight tear to his biceps.
The 27-year-old Tszyu – who was scheduled to face American Terrell Gausha 22-2-1 (11) on the undercard in his US debut – has declared he is ready to face Charlo on four weeks’ notice.
Tszyu is already the mandatory for Castaño’s belt and was in position to face the winner of the rare four-belt unification bout.
His promoter Matt Rose of No Limit Boxing made their position explicitly clear on Friday.
“We’re looking to take the place of Castaño,” Rose told Fox Sports News.
“Tim Tszyu has been in a training camp already for the last seven odd weeks. He’s happy to put his hand up and save the show, to step in against Jermell Charlo.”
The son of Hall of Famer Kostya Tszyu has managed to stay busy throughout the global coronavirus pandemic, reeling off five wins since August 2020, including victories over former world champion Jeff Horn and former world title challengers Dennis Hogan and Takeshi Inoue.
“Tim has been waiting for this opportunity,” Rose continued. “He’s stayed busy, he’s kept active, he’s kept fighting and defending and he’s ready for that mandatory challenge. Tim’s ready to go. He will fight anyone, anywhere, any time.
“… A lot of the champions don’t like to fight too regularly. Tim, on the other hand, likes to be in the ring at least four times a year. He wants to fight for the title and he wants to defend it, four times a year.”
Tszyu has made it clear he’s gunning for the top dogs in the 154-pound division. After defeating Inoue on points in Sydney in November last year he issued a stern warning to the beltholders of the division.
“Finish your honeymoons, get in the gym, start training, because I’m coming for all of you, every single one of you,” Tszyu said in the ring at Qudos Bank Arena after the fight.
“I would like to take [his title] in the US and then bring it back to Australia, do it the right way.
“It has always been a dream of mine, since I was a young kid, to fight over there.”