Home Boxing News Tim Tszyu breaks down Tony Harrison to score late round stoppage

Tim Tszyu breaks down Tony Harrison to score late round stoppage

Tim Tszyu (right) dominated Tony Harrison. Photo credit: Getty Images

WBO number one junior middleweight contender Tim Tszyu 22-0 (16) proved he is more than ready for a shot at undisputed 154-pound champion Jermell Charlo 35-1-1 (19) with a dominant ninth-round knockout of Tony Harrison 29-4-1 (21) at Qudos Arena in Sydney, Australia on Sunday afternoon.

As expected, the 32-year-old Harrison from Detroit, Michigan started the fight steadily enough behind a solid left jab, but Tszyu increased the pressure incrementally with each passing round.

Sydneysider Tszyu, 28, rocked the visitor late in the third stanza and went on the attack until the bell. Picking up on the experience of the former champion, Tsyzu set a measured but methodical pace through the middle rounds as he picked his opponent apart.

Tszyu had Harrison in trouble in the eighth but the veteran survived the round, only to be hurt in the ninth and battered to the ropes where a series of right hands, particularly the uppercut, brought about his undoing.

The official time of the stoppage was 2:43 with Tszyu leading 77-75 on all three judges’ scorecards at the time.

Tszyu predicted a knockout before the bout and delivered on fight night.

“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 during the week.

“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.”

The victory opens up the door for Tszyu to face Charlo, 32, who he was originally scheduled to meet on January 28 in the Las Vegas for the WBC, WBA, WBO and IBF titles before the American injured his left hand a month out from the bout.

Rather than sitting on the sidelines, Tszyu opted to take on the only man to defeat Charlo in Harrison.

Some saw the decision as a smart move. Others saw it as folly.

It proved to be a clever decision for Tszyu, who had not boxed since an off-the-canvas win over Terrell Gausha in March last year.

The bout was broadcast locally on the Foxtel Main Event and Kayo stations and carried on Showtime in the United States, bolstering his profile internationally.

In the lead up to the bout Harrison mocked Tszyu about his name, claiming he was only where he was due his father Kostya’s stature as a former undisputed junior welterweight champion and inductee into the International Hall of Fame.

The Australian wasn’t going to let those comments go through to the keeper.

The first words the victor said in his post-fight interview were: “One sentence: what’s my mothererfucking name?

“I just beat the man who beat the man. What does that make me?

“The message was sent clearly. You know what’s up. You know what’s next. I’m coming.

“Australia you know, the world you know. What’s my motherfucking name?”

Perhaps now Harrison will have sympathy for the devil.

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