Tim Tszyu defeats Tony Harrison to become the new world champion.
Tim Tszyu, the son of boxing superstar Kostya Tszyu, defeated Tony Harrison in Sydney by knockout in the ninth round to win the interim WBO super-welterweight title. After vicious blows to Harrison’s head and torso from Tszyu, who had been leading on points, the Qudos Bank Arena referee was forced to call time on the bout. Tim Tszyu’s triumph sees him follow his father’s footsteps by earning a world boxing championship.
The Tszyu family joins a group of six father-son boxing world champions, which also includes Leon and Corey Spinks and Julio Cesar Chavez and Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. Tszyu’s win keeps him undefeated and earns him a big fight against divisional champion Jermell Charlo later this year, most likely in July in Las Vegas.
Tszyu had the option of waiting for Charlo to recover from his injury. Still, he chose to fight Harrison, the former WBC world champion, who had dismissed Tszyu’s boxing record and said that he had won most of his fights by knocking out unknown opponents while riding on the name of his family to his meeting with fate. Tszyu, nevertheless, disproved him by earning a spot at the top of the super-welterweight class.
With Tszyu’s win, Kostya’s Sydney-based academy has won two global championships in the last 18 months. After defeating Teofimo Lopez in New York in October 2021, George Kambosos Jr., who worked with Tszyu, held the WBA, IBF, WBO, and The Ring lightweight belts until last June.
Tszyu had trouble in the fight’s early rounds, and Harrison eventually took control. Nevertheless, Tszyu’s perseverance paid off, as he started dealing out more significant strikes, which led to the knockout in the ninth round.
After the battle, Tszyu thanked Australia for its support and conveyed his happiness and appreciation to the fans. He also made it plain to Charlo that he was traveling to the United States to establish himself as a legitimate world champion.