WBO number one junior middleweight contender Tim Tszyu 21-0 (15) has doubled down on a comment by his coach Igor Goloubev that he would defeat Tony Harrison 29-3-1 (21) by knockout.
The undefeated 28-year-old Australian is set to face Harrison for the vacant WBO interim title at Qudos Arena in Sydney, Australia on Sunday afternoon local time.
Asked on Thursday whether he agreed with Goloubev’s assessment of how the fight would end, Tszyu said it was inevitable.
“I truly believe that. It’s not if it happens, but when,” he said after an open media workout at Sydney’s famed Bondi Beach.
“Honestly, I’ve never been so relaxed. So excited. This has been 28 years in the making. It’s such a big event, such a big spectacle, but this is the stage I was born for.”
Detroit’s Harrison, 32, reportedly went for a run in the midday heat, a possible indicator that the 6-foot-1, 154-pounder still had some work to do ahead of Saturday’s weigh-in.
Tszyu didn’t think it had anything to do with the scales, but more with strategy.
“He’s probably getting used to what he is going to do in the ring, which is run, run, run,” he laughed. “But I’m not going to be running. I’m going to be chasing.”
Harrison has been doing his level best to get into Tszyu’s head since arriving in Australia. His latest barb has been to label Tszyu “corny” while insisting he is more popular Down Under than his rival, who he believes is a hype job.
As for the knockout prediction from Team Tszyu?
“They’re supposed to believe in their horse,” Harrison said. “That’s the guy they’ve built up. The guy they want to get all the belts. But first step is Tony Harrison.
“And if Tim thinks he is going to come in and do what he did to the rest of those guys, it’s going to be a sad day in Australia.”
While Harrison has spent much of the build-up to the fight saying Tszyu has never seen anyone like him, Tszyu says the same is true in reverse.
“I’ve always wanted to get a big name on the resume and now there’s just one job left to do… [Harrison has been talking a lot, but] wait till he feels the first jab and it’s all going to change,” he said.
“On Sunday, we’ll see. I’m feeling intimidating right now. I need someone in front of me. See that water out there? Well, that water’s going to be in this ring and I’m going to drown him and suck the life out of him.”
Harrison was accompanied at the open workout by long-time sparring partner Charles Conwell 18-0 (13) who is fast working his way up the junior middleweight world rankings.
“My trump card is here and I don’t brag a lot about people, but whenever I fight an orthodox fighter, my trump card is none other than Charles Conwell,” he said.
“Trust me, give it a couple of years and he’ll be fighting for a belt soon. This is Michigan vs Ohio State, we all know about that.”
