Tim Tszyu v Bowyn Morgan: States ready to jostle for potential world title fight
The coronavirus and Tim Tszyu’s fists are set to land Australia a blockbuster boxing event next year.
A multimillion-dollar bidding war will erupt between Australian states to host Tim Tszyu’s world title fight should he defeat Bowyn Morgan on Wednesday night.
NSW, Queensland, Victoria, Western Australia and Northern Territory are all pitching to host the potential world title showdown between Tszyu and Argentina’s Brian Castano in early 2021, made possible by COVID-19 restrictions.
WBO champion Patrick Teixeira won the title 13 months ago, but can’t get a visa into the United States to defend his belt, so the governing body has given him a January 6 deadline he’s unlikely to meet.
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Tszyu is No.2 in the WBO super-welterweight rankings, while Castano is No.1, and if Teixeira fails to get a visa in three weeks, the WBO will strip him of the title, and order a fight between Tszyu and Castano for the vacant belt, with Teixeira to fight the winner once he can travel.
And because of the crowd restrictions around the world, Australia is a huge chance of landing the bout. Tszyu is the only fighter in the world to have two stadium fights in 2020 – having stopped Jeff Horn in Townsville’s Queensland Country Bank Stadium in August.
The tourism arms of each state have already been in contact with Tszyu’s team regarding that bout, aware that it could generate up to $7 million into their local economy via interstate travellers.
In a year ravaged by coronavirus, with tourism operators taking a mammoth hit in earnings, a world title event post the Christmas holiday spike would be extremely valuable to any state.
It can be revealed that Newcastle, Sydney, Townsville, Brisbane, Darwin, Melbourne and Perth are keen to stage the Tszyu-Castano should it transpire.
Castano (16-0-1, 12KO) is set to face Teixeira (31-1, 22KO) in California on February 6, however the new waves of COVID-19 in both Brazil and the United States makes it highly unlikely the champion will be approved for travel.
Teixeira has not fought since winning the title in November 2019, forcing the sanctioning body to act.
“The whole year has gone by, basically they’re waiting to get a visa to America from Brazil, that’s where the problem is, but we had to put a deadline on it,” WBO global chairman Danny Leigh said.
“If he can’t get it this time, they’ll strip him, and leave it open for Tszyu to fight Castano, if he’s successful against Morgan obviously.
“And then the winner would have to fight Teixeira straight away, he is not being demoted out of the picture. So it’s a good position for Tszyu and for Australian boxing.”
Tszyu (16-0, 12KO) was not interested in discussing his potential world title bout when he must still dispose of Morgan (31-1, 11KO), but promised a long, slow punishment for the Kiwi.
“I like the enjoyment of taking someone to the deeper rounds, just for the fact that you’re taking their soul with them,” Tszyu said.
“You’re taking everything away from them — their confidence, everything they believed and thought they were going to do, you slowly take it.
“With knockouts, it‘s different. I don’t know, we’ll see how I feel like on the night.
“I’m a nice person outside the ring but once I get in the ring, I’m a different person.
“Even when I was in the weigh-in, I forgot there were cameras, forgot there were people around. It’s just me and my opponent.
“I get to look deep into his soul. That’s what I do, knowing I’m going to take it.”
Both fighters presented themselves in tremendous physical shape at the weigh-in, and Morgan predicted he will knock out Tszyu.
But Tszyu replied: “You know the song by Roy Jones, Can’t be touched? That’s what I expect.”
TALE OF THE TAPE
TIM TSZYU (16-0, 12KO) vs BOWYN MORGAN (31-1, 11KO).
Super-welterweight, 10 rounds for the WBO Global and IBF Australasian titles.
TSZYU
Age: 26
Height: 174cm
Weight: 69.46kg
MORGAN
Age: 31
Height: 177cm
Weight: 69.32kg
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