Tim Tszyu has ‘bitten off more than he can chew’ says rival Liam Smith as showdown looms
Tim Tszyu has left every challenger in his wake though Liam Smith believes the young star has made a huge mistake targeting him for his next fight.
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Hardened brawler Liam Smith says he will expose Tim Tszyu’s weak defence as a September showdown between the pair looks increasingly likely.
Smith, the former WBO super-welterweight champion who went nine rounds against boxing’s best in Saul “Canelo” Alvarez, believes the Tszyu camp have made a huge mistake targeting him.
“Defensively he’s not very good, he’s not good at all,” Smith told News Corp from his home in Liverpool, United Kingdom.
“He’s doing what his dad used to do, he’s got good distance and he seems to be showing a little bit more power.
“But with that being said it was power against a 140 pound fighter [Steve Spark].
“He’s getting better. I said a long time ago, give him two to three years and he’ll be a very good fighter, and that probably still is about 18 months to two years from now.”
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Smith (29-3-1, 16KO) has agreed to travel to Australia to end the undefeated streak of Tszyu (19-0, 15KO) and derail his world title dreams, with the possibility of fighting the winner of Sunday’s unification bout between Jermell Charlo and Brian Castano on the horizon for both men.
The Charlo-Castano fight will be broadcast live in Australia on Fox Sports 507 on Sunday from 11am.
“If Charlo wins he’ll probably vacate and go up to 160, whereas if Castano wins I don’t think he’s big enough to go up,” said Smith, who is No.5 with the WBO.
“There’s a lot of names that will be lining up, Tim Tszyu, Erickson Lubin, Tony Harrison.
“I’m probably two fights off. It’s risk versus reward, and if Tszyu makes sense for me next then that’s probably the best thing for me.
“I’ve got one eye on that fight already, that’s the fight that seems most likely and the fight I want, so if it works for me the fight is a done deal.
“Just make me am big offer. I’ll never price myself out of any fight and I never have.
“Me going into this fight, 100 per cent I think he’s bitten off more than he can chew.
“But if I look at it from their point of view it’s probably ideal. I’ve always complemented them on this, that they have matched him well and he’s improved every fight.
“But he’s still quite green. He’s nowhere near the finished article, he’s had everything his own way to be honest with you.
“This is the perfect plan and perfect opportunity for him. If he wins, then he’s ready to challenge, if he doesn’t win they’ll have to rebuild him.”
Smith is coming off a hotly disputed decision loss to Magomed Kurbanov in Russia last May, but holds no fear of travelling again.
“The way the land lies at 154, I’m massively confident I’ll be world champion again,” Smith said.
“After I lost to Jaime Munguia (in 2018) I knew I could be world champion again, I just need momentum.
“All four belts are going to be tied up at 154 or become vacant.
“I knew with the WBO rankings, as a fighter I always thought Tim Tszyu would be a big fight and a big payday down the line if he kept going the way he was going.
“That was a long time ago.
“Before the Kurbanov fight, I was No.2, he was No.3 and Castano was No.1. Castano challenged and beat [Patrick] Teixeira and Tim beat [Dennis] Hogan and went above me as No.1.
“Because of who he is, I thought I’m definitely going to have to fight him.
“Before the Kurbanov fight I thought I’ll beat Kurbanov and Tim Tszyu will be next.
“Australia is not known like Russia, trying to get a decision over there.
“With that being said, I still do think it’s going to be hard getting a decision there, he is Australia’s golden boy.
“He is probably Australia’s best fighter, Australia’s biggest name at the moment, so with the greatest respect, it’s Australia’s hype.
“I do think it’s going to be hard to get the decision in that sense, but I back myself and this will be no different.
“I’ll only be better than what I was. I was out of the ring for 17 months before the Kurbanov fight.
“I haven’t come across one person who thinks Kurbanov wins that fight.
“I think people are making more about the fight and it being a bad decision than I what I was making.
“It should have been me kicking up the big fuss but other people were doing that for me.
“Anywhere else in the world, I probably get that decision.”
TSZYU TIPS CHARLO RESULT
While many sports fans will watch Sunday’s unification title fight between Jermell Charlo and Brian Castano watching for knockouts or speed, Tim Tszyu will be looking for something altogether different.
From his couch in locked-down Sydney, Tszyu — in line to fight the winner — will be studying one aspect of the fight closest.
“Habits,” Tszyu said. “Habits they fall in, things they do after a punch, before a punch, how they start, how they finish.
“That’s the little things for myself. Their position in the ring, who takes control of the centre, it’s a big key to controlling the momentum of the fight.
“It’s the little things that win a fight. It’s all about setting up a certain punch and then landing it. You’ve got to be able to set it up perfectly and end it.
“It’s about setting traps and being able to read your opponent.”
Tszyu (19-0, 15KO) is among just a handful of boxers who could fight the unified champion later this year, given he is the No. 1 mandatory contender for Castano’s WBO super-welterweight belt.
Charlo (34-1, 18KO) holds the other three major belts — WBC, WBA and IBF — and is the favourite in this contest against undefeated Castano (17-0-1, 12KO), to be held in San Antonio’s AT & T Center, and broadcast live in Australia on Fox Sports 507 on Sunday from 11am.
Tszyu, who is supposed to be on a four-week rest period after his third-round stoppage of Steve Spark 10 days ago – was back in training in his home gymnasium last Monday, five days after the bout.
“I just keep focused, I was back in the gym on Monday doing training. Even though I was so sore, my body was aching, I had to push,” Tszyu said.
“Because the level I’m going to know, these are the big boys. And I have to be on the ball.”
As for the unification bout, Tszyu said: “I’m predicting Charlo, I think he’s just going to outpoint him, out-jab him.
“The fight is going to be quite simple; Charlo is just going to be moving, Castano is going to be coming at him with punches in bunches, every time Castano gets close Charlo with get him with the jab and make it his fight.”
There is a strong theory that should Charlo win, he will relinquish all four belts and move up to middleweight, where his twin brother Jermall Charlo (32-0, 22KO) holds the WBC title, which Tszyu sees happening.
“When you’ve got all the titles, you’re paying a lot of money to all the sanctioning bodies,” Tszyu said.
“There’s no point holding onto all the titles once you’ve got them.
“Once you become the undisputed champion, that’s the exclamation mark that you have achieved all you can in the weight division.”
That would create a wave of new title fights in all sanctioning bodies, but it appears regardless of this weekend’s result, Tszyu’s next bout will be against England’s Liam Smith — a former world champion who battled pound-for-pound king Saul “Canelo” Alvarez before falling in the ninth round in 2016.
“He gave trouble to Canelo,” Tszyu said.
“Watching the last few fights of Canelo, he’s just smoked everyone in front of him, and that didn’t happen with Liam Smith.
“Liam Smith put the pressure on and landed big shots. Even though Canelo stopped him he was connecting, he was in a fight.
“If I’m able to fight Liam Smith and put on a show, then it just shows the calibre I’m performing at.”
Smith (29-3-1, 16KO) is No. 5 with the WBO and the winner would certainly get the world title fight next.
For Tszyu, this is a line-in-the-sand moment, after Michael Zerafa withdrew from their July 7 fight and Spark stepped up on short notice.
Zerafa and his team believe they will eventually fight Tszyu, but the 26-year-old drew a red line through that idea.
“That part is done, it’s finished,” Tszyu said.
“They’re very delusional, that whole team.
“I’ve finished with the domestic scene, that’s full stop, exclamation mark, done.
“Now I’ve reached the next chapter of my career, this is where the fun actually begins.
“Before it was different. Domestic was great, Newcastle was great, all the opponents were well-ranked, good calibre opponents for here in Australia.
“But this next point in my career is a completely new level, this is what defines great, this is where you have to rise.
“Jeff Horn had it for two fights [against Manny Pacquiao and Terence Crawford], that’s it.
“I think Jeff was satisfied. The difference with me is that I’m never satisfied.”
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