Junior middleweight contender Tony Harrison 29-3-1 (21) has warned his next opponent Tim Tszyu 21-0 (15) that he is making a huge mistake facing him next.
The 32-year-old American will travel to Tszyu’s home country of Australia to face him for the vacant WBO interim junior middleweight title at the 20,000 seat Qudos Arena in Sydney on March 12.
Speaking via video link from his home in Detroit during the press conference to officially announce the fight, Harrison said Tszyu is facing a huge risk facing him with the Australian guaranteed shot at undisputed 154-pound champion Jermell Charlo 35-1-1 (19) later this year if victorious.
“We need to get management on the phone,” Harrison said.
“We need to talk to management because, like, for him to be at the doorstep for all the marbles and to accept a fight with the only man that’s beat the man that you were looking to beat, we need to talk to management about this one.
“We need to go to HR. Something ain’t right about this one.”
The 28-year-old Tszyu was untroubled by Harrison’s jibes.
“He’s a talker, that’s what they do,” Tszyu said. “There’s more to boxing than just skills.
“I’m an all-rounder. Talk is cheaper. Actions speak louder than words so my main focus is to focus when the fight gets on.”
Tszyu was scheduled to face Charlo in the United States on January 28 before a hand injury to the champion in late December nixed that bout. Rather than sit on the sidelines for an indefinite period waiting for Charlo’s left mitt to mend, he opted to stay active against a top contender after already spending a year on the sidelines.
Harrison is the only man to defeat Charlo. He outpointed him in their first outing before being stopped in the 11th frame of their rematch.
Victory over Tszyu will see him inherit the WBO’s mandatory contender slot and put him in line for a trilogy bout against the 32-year-old Texan.
“It’s everything for me, man. He’s chasing the same thing I’m chasing. The same man he’s looking is the same man I’ve been looking for,” Harrison said.
“So I swear I’m really hugging Tim right now because without Tim there was no other possible way that I was ever going to possibly get the opportunity to get back to the fight I want.
“He definitely could have taken the easier fight. He was already lined up with the easier fight. I don’t know why they make it seem like he didn’t already have the easier fight in front of him (against Charlo).
“For him to say yes to a guy like me, he woke me up out of the dead. This is me hugging you Tim.
“You brought me back to life.”
Tszyu was not in a reciprocal mood.
“No hugs and kisses from me,” he said.
“This is the name that I need. Twenty-one fights into my resume, this is the one that I need to wake all these boys up.
“I need this name. I came in to the sport not to just muck around but to really take over.”
