Tim Tszyu vs Tony Harrison: Kostya Tszyu fight prediction, how Tim can conquer dad’s feats

Boxing legend Kostya Tszyu has declared “this is Tim’s time” as his son prepares for a much-anticipated fight against American Tony Harrison.

Tim Tszyu.

Boxing legend Kostya Tszyu believes his son Tim is ready to build on the family’s Australian sporting legacy by tormenting Tony Harrison on Sunday to become a world champion.

Speaking to News Corp from Russia, the ‘Thunder from Down Under’ has no doubt Tim Tszyu (21-0, 15KO) has the tactical smarts to outclass Harrison (29-3-1, 21KO) in their world-title blockbuster at Sydney’s Qudos Bank Arena.

Tszyu Snr’s assessment came as the son of Kostya rubbished suggestions he is putting his career at risk by taking on the dangerous American, who is the only man to have beaten undisputed super welterweight king Jermell Charlo.

It was an injury to Charlo that opened the door for Harrison to fight Tszyu, who can join his famous father as a bona fide world champion by clinching the WBO Interim super welterweight strap.

Two decades after Kostya unified the super lightweight division in the three-belt era with a second-round clobbering of Zab Judah in Las Vegas in November 2001, Tszyu declared his boy will conquer the world.

Kostya Tszyu with his titles in 2001.

“This is Tim’s time,” said Tszyu Snr (31-2, 25KO), who says his son has inherited his soul-destroying precision punching.

“He can beat Harrison.

“If he prepares well, not only physically but mentally, he will create a great fight and become a world champion.

“Tim has improved a lot as a boxer. He is much wiser. He now has good experience fighting against good opponents.

“I believe he will produce a special fight against Harrison.

“He is at the right time of his career.”

Kostya and Tim Tszyu pictured in 2019. Picture: David Swift.

It would be fitting if Tszyu becomes a world champion in Sydney on Sunday because it is the very city that adopted Kostya when he moved to Australia in 1992 and began his professional journey to boxing greatness.

While father and son are 11,300km apart, the tyranny of distance has not stopped Kostya monitoring the progress of Tim, who became the face of Australian boxing when he disposed of Jeff Horn in August 2020.

Three years after turning pro, Kostya won his first world title, beating Jake Rodriguez in his 14th career fight, and he dismissed suggestions Tim is playing with fire by facing Harrison.

“It’s a big test, he is fighting a great opponent,” Tszyu said.

“Is it a risk? Look, if he wants to be a world champion like I was, he cannot be afraid and Tim has to challenge anybody.

“His hands are fine after surgery and he has a great body shot, that was one of my key punches.

“I took on any opponent in my career and if Tim wants to be the best, he has to take the best fights.”

Tim Tszyu spars with his dad.

Tszyu has consistently lived with the burden that he is nowhere near as good as his father and has profited from having his famous surname.

However, the 28-year-old Sydneysider remains unbeaten and is ready to bury the burden once and for all.

“I don’t talk to Dad too regularly. I’m in my own zone man,” Tim Tszyu said.

“Beating Jeff Horn was a big part of my identity here in Australia, to be able to break out of the shadows where people were saying this and that (about his surname).

“I was able to prove to the Australian audience that I am my own man.

“Now it’s time to go to that next level and that’s to let the whole world know I am Tim Tszyu.”

Tszyu’s unification dream against Charlo will come crashing down if he loses to Harrison, but the Soul Taker says the American will be roadkill in his ruthless mission to be the best.

“I know I will be unified, I know that,” he said.

“I do a lot of damage. I am not speaking out of arrogance, this is just what I do. I have been hurting people and I just enjoy what I do.

“It sounds cruel, but I enjoy punching people in the face and giving out that hurt business.

“There is something pleasurable about it.

“If you see what I do on a regular basis in training and what I do to people, that question (Harrison being a risky fight) wouldn’t be asked.

“I feel most at peace when I’m in that ring, when I’m in that zone hammering my opponents.

“When they have blood coming out, I am most at peace.

“The way I feel is line them all up, line up Harrison and all the fighters, the top five in our division, line them up all one by one and each one of them is going down.

“This is my year to prove it.

“Australia knows about me … and now the whole world will know.”

HOW TSZYU CAN SURPASS FAMOUS FATHER IN FOUR MONTHS

Jamie Pandaram

Tony Harrison declared this week that Tim Tszyu was “100 levels” below his father Kostya.

But in just four months, Tim could surpass Kostya by holding aloft all four major belts and being the undisputed super-welterweight champion.

News Corp Australia can reveal that the winner of Sunday’s interim WBO title fight between Tszyu and Harrison will face undisputed champion Jermell Charlo in the United States in July.

Final details are being put in place, such as the exact date and location, but all camps have agreed to the July showdown as Charlo recovers from a broken hand.

Tim Tszyu and Tony Harrison come face-to-face.

Charlo will be commentating the Tszyu-Harrison fight from the States for Showtime, with the event to be broadcast to an audience of five million around the world.

And for 28-year-old Tszyu, who has been ceaselessly compared to his legendary father since he turned professional in 2016, this is his opportunity to finally step out of Kosyta’s shadow and cement himself as a bona fide world champion.

“I’m taking it one step at a time of course, I’m not overlooking Harrison, he’s my main focus right now,” Tszyu said.

“But it will be a pretty special moment to do back-to-back fights of that calibre, it will be quite an achievement.

“What we’re doing right now, 28 years young, for this amount of interest to be happening is crazy. And to think I’ve got another 10 years in this sport, it’s pretty cool and I’m blessed to have the support from Australia.”

Kostya was the undisputed light-welterweight champion after defeating Zab Judah in 2001, when there were three major belts on the line; the WBC, WBA and IBF.

Kostya Tszyu with the belts which made him undisputed champion.

In 2004, the four belt era began with the WBO joining the original three.

Harrison, however, has grand plans to spoil the party, and described Tszyu as a nervous Chihuahua after the pair both made weight at a packed Star Casino on Saturday.

“They keep counting me out, I’m from the Motor [City], I’m from Detroit, how the f — y’all keep counting us out?” former world champion Harrison said.

“The dog that y’all seen in Tim, you ever seen a rottweiler bite a Chihuahua? It’s a different kind of dog.

“Y’all been seeing your dog bite the other Chihuahuas, but he ain’t been in front of a rottweiler yet.”

Harrison, the only man to have defeated Charlo, believes the occasion will get the better of Tszyu.

“He needs to be fairly scared of what’s going to happen tomorrow,” Harrison said.

“He knows the weight of the world is on his shoulders right now, I don’t think he understands how he’s going to carry it.

“I was looking in his eyes, he was shaking, he’s been shaking every day all the way up until today.

“He’s nervous.”

Tim Tszyu and Tony Harrison during their official weigh in.

But Tszyu shot back: “That’s bulls---. He’s fought on the biggest stages before, but I don’t think he’s done this before, these types of weigh-ins, this type of media, this is next level stuff.

“We do it a bit differently here in Australia, and nerves? Man, I’m relaxed. You should feel my heartbeat right now, very slow.”

Harrison continued his claims that the capacity crowd of 13,000 at Qudos Bank Arena are only coming to see him, and even attempted an Australian accent to work the audience at The Star 24/7 Sports Bar.

He added: “I feel great this time around, I’m a seasoned vet, I know what I’m doing, I know how to do it, I know when to do it, it’s just experience.

Tony Harrison hams it up for the cameras.

“Experience was my teacher and I’m owning this moment, this moment was made for me.”

But with a steely glaze, Tszyu vowed to have his hands raised on Sunday afternoon.

“I’m ready for the Terminator to come out, I’m going for a big win,” he said.

“I’m in unbelievable shape, everything’s gone 100 per cent smoothly, there’s one thing left and that’s to win this fight.”

Originally published as Tim Tszyu vs Tony Harrison: Kostya Tszyu fight prediction, how Tim can conquer dad’s feats