Fight between Jeff Horn and Tim Tszyu edging closer

Talk has ramped up the two biggest names in Australian boxing will square off as Jeff Horn prepares to fight the son of a sporting legend.

Jeff Horn took care of Michael Zerafa in their rematch last month.

Aussie boxers Jeff Horn and Tim Tszyu are reportedly close to finalising a deal for a mouth-watering fight that would pit two of the biggest names in the sport Down Under against each other.

Boxing reporter for The Athletic, Mike Coppinger, tweeted the pair have nearly agreed on a bout for April to be fought at 154 pounds (70kg — middleweight).

Sources: Jeff Horn and Tim Tszyu closing in on a deal for an April 18 fight in Australia. Will be a major event there, and a big step-up for Tszyu, an undefeated prospect and son of hall of famer Kostya Tszyu. Fight will be at 154 pounds. @ben_damon first

— Mike Coppinger (@MikeCoppinger) January 15, 2020

Australian boxing presenter and broadcaster Ben Damon said the details were “very close” to being worked out but April was still the likely date.

Very close mate. 60-40 split to Horn agreed. Venue still TBC + date may move slightly but all on track for April. Will be massive here!

— Ben Damon (@ben_damon) January 15, 2020

Horn made a name for himself by defeating boxing legend Manny Pacquiao for the welterweight title in 2017 and is fresh off a win over Michael Zerafa in their rematch last month.

The Queenslander got his revenge by securing a majority points decision over Zerafa, who nearly ended Horn’s career earlier in 2019 by stopping him in the ninth round in August’s Battle of Bendigo.

Tszyu, the son of boxing royalty Kostya Tszyu, is undefeated across 15 professional fights with 11 KOs.

There have been reports a sticking point to getting a deal done with Horn has been the split of the fight purse but speaking to The Daily Telegraph, Tszyu said: “I don’t care about the split. The only thing I care about is beating the best in Australia so I can then go and take on the world.

“I entered this sport to become the best, not to earn money.

“There are things that come with becoming the best, but I didn’t come to this sport to make money out of it.

“Horn is the number one guy in Australia and I need to clean out Australia before taking on the world. I have to beat Horn before I go on to bigger and better things. That is the only reason I want this fight.”

Tim Tszyu is a star on the rise.

Jeff Horn is high on confidence after his latest win.

The son of a gun is one of the hottest talents Down Under and at 25, is preparing to take a step up from his usual calibre of opponent and take his career to the next level.

His latest visit to the ring was a fourth-round TKO victory over Jack Brubaker in December, fighting on the same card that saw rugby league stars Justin Hodges and Darcy Lussick go toe-to-toe.

Tszyu, the IBF No. 7 and WBO No. 9-rated junior middleweight, retained a couple of regional titles with his fourth win of 2019 but said afterwards he was eyeing off an even brighter future.

“I was just getting started. That was just a warm up, I’m just getting started,” Tszyu said in December. “We want world titles and we want them in Sydney.

“I’ll be ready for it (a world title shot) whenever it is — it’s all up to my team.”

With AAP