Tim Tszyu calls out Canelo Alvarez as promoters draw up 2025 global super fight with Mexican legend
Tim Tszyu returns to the ring on Sunday to face Bakhram Murtazaliev for the IBF super welterweight world title. Now his Aussie camp are hatching plans for the biggest fight of his career.
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Tim Tszyu has vowed to bring down Canelo Alvarez as his Australian camp kicks off preliminary talks on a blockbuster bout with the Mexican legend worth in excess of $30 million.
Tszyu’s Australian promoters No Limit have revealed a big-money showdown with Alvarez is on the agenda for 2025 in a super fight that would represent the most significant bout in Australian boxing history.
Tszyu returns to the ring to face Russian Bakhram Murtazaliev for the IBF super welterweight world title on Sunday (AEDT) in Orlando, back in America seven months after his blood-and-thunder loss to Sebastian Fundora.
Victory over the unbeaten Murtazaliev (22-0, 16KO) will make Tszyu a two-time world champion, propel him back into unification negotiations and put him on course for his “dream” outcome — a mega fight with Canelo.
Tszyu (24-1, 17KO) has been linked with pound-for-pound legend Terence Crawford over the past year, but No Limit chiefs have put in place a fight “roadmap” that includes a showdown with superstar Canelo.
Jeff Horn’s epic upset of Manny Pacquiao in 2017 at Suncorp Stadium is widely regarded as Australian boxing’s greatest moment, but a Tszyu-Canelo bout would be a blue-chip blockbuster.
No Limit boss George Rose confirmed Canelo is on Tszyu’s hit list with the ‘Soul Taker’ prepared to step up to super middleweight in a bid to dethrone the Mexican icon.
“I would say Tszyu-Canelo is a massive chance of happening in the next 12 months,” Rose said.
“We’re definitely keen on making it happen.
“Tim is focused on winning this world title first on Sunday and then we’ll be looking to make the super fights happen.
“It would be a massive fight. Crawford and Canelo are two of the biggest fights you can make for Tim, but Canelo is a bigger drawcard than Crawford.
“Ideally, we would look to bring Canelo to Australia, but realistically Vegas would be a great location and it would surpass Horn versus Manny as the biggest fight in Australian boxing history.”
Aiding Tszyu’s hopes is that Canelo is part of the Premier Boxing Champions stable, with whom No Limit have a strong relationship.
This week’s Tszyu-Murtazaliev world-title fight is a PBC promotion being screened on Prime Video, which has 180 million subscribers in the US alone.
Canelo, one of the greatest fighters of all-time, has lost just two of 66 professional bouts and is understood to have earned $65 million for his most recent victory over Edgar Berlanga in September.
Tszyu would have to jump two weight divisions to fight Canelo but told this masthead he had no fears about trading blows with the Mexican at 168 pounds.
“My dream fight would be Canelo, all day,” Tszyu said from Orlando as he prepares for his comeback against Murtazaliev.
“I would get the ‘W’ (win) against him and bully the bully.
“I love his Mexican style — Canelo is the face of boxing right now.
“That fight is a genuine possibility.
“We’re both aligned with the same promoters in America (PBC), money talks, so let’s see where we are in a year.”
A Canelo fight would be worth at least US$10 million ($15m) for Tszyu, whose manager Glen Jennings is plotting massive pay days for the Aussie next year.
“If that fight was to happen, Tim would love that match up,” Jennings said.
“Tim just wants to fight the best.
“Whichever big names you throw up to Tim, none of them scare him.
“We have a great relationship with PBC and we’ve got a roadmap set out for Tim in the coming years.
“Given the opportunity, Tim would be more than happy to jump in the ring with Canelo.”
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Originally published as Tim Tszyu calls out Canelo Alvarez as promoters draw up 2025 global super fight with Mexican legend
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