Tim Tszyu to become full WBO light-middleweight champion when Jermell Charlo faces Canelo Alvarez

It’s not the first time boxing politics have caused a hiccup for Tim Tszyu, but the Aussie star is shrugging it off ahead of his title fight with Brian Mendoza.

Tim Tszyu is deep in preparation to fight Brian Mendoza. Picture: Mark Evans/Getty Images

Tim Tszyu isn’t concerned despite a case of boxing politics forcing his blockbuster bout with Brian Mendoza to be for only one world title instead of two.

Currently the interim WBO titleholder, Tszyu will be elevated to full champion status this Sunday when the WBO strips undisputed super-welterweight world champion Jermell Charlo as soon as his fight with Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez starts in Las Vegas.

Tszyu’s promoters No Limit lobbied for the WBC to make the same call regarding Charlo and Mendoza, but Mendoza will instead vacate his interim WBC title in order to have a shot at fighting for Tszyu’s full WBO belt.

The WBC’s ruling means that instead of a world title unification, only Tszyu’s full WBO belt will be on the line.

Tszyu will defend the WBO world title against Mendoza. Picture: Mark Evans/Getty Images

But the 28-year-old isn’t concerned about those sorts of technicalities.

“It’s nothing I can control. I can only control what’s in front of me,” Tszyu told this masthead.

“Belts are belts. I couldn’t care less.

“All the belts are going to come eventually, and I’ll be holding all four belts at one time soon.”

It’s not the first time Tszyu had to contend with boxing politics and outside influences this year.

His fight with Charlo initially fell over after the American broke his hand in December. A rescheduled bout opposite Charlo was expected for October, before Charlo opted to move up two weight classes for a big-money clash with Canelo.

With just two weeks until his fight with Mendoza, Tszyu doesn’t have any plans to celebrate the moment he becomes world champion on Sunday afternoon.

He’s planning a low key afternoon, watching the Canelo-Charlo fight at home in Sydney.

“Nah man, no party. I’ve got one thing on my mind, and that’s the fight. It’s Mendoza, that’s all that’s on my mind,” he said.

“We can celebrate after that victory, but it’s just another day for me.

“Hopefully I get another belt (from the WBO) though, because this one says ‘interim’ on it.”

Tszyu must now pick up each world title one by one, the same way Kostya did. Picture: Chris Hyde/Getty Images

The 28-year-old Tszyu returned from an intensive Las Vegas training camp this week and will put the finishing touches on his Mendoza fight preparations in Sydney before heading to the Gold Coast.

It’s already proving a smoother camp than the build-up to his win over Carlos Ocampo in June.

That bout was thrown into turmoil when Tszyu was bitten by a dog just three weeks out from fight day, leaving him with 26 stitches and a serious looking scar.

“Last camp, at this very given time, this far out, I was in hospital, so touch wood this time we’re all good,” he said, showing off the deep purple scar on the inside of his arm.

“It’s pretty bad, it reminds of the mischief I got up to.”

Originally published as Tim Tszyu to become full WBO light-middleweight champion when Jermell Charlo faces Canelo Alvarez