Tony Harrison seized a red marker, grabbed the first calendar he could find, and immediately began circling one date in particular, the 28th of January. On the night, the former WBC junior middleweight belt holder planned on nestling into a comfortable lush seat and take in the sights as Jermell Charlo was set to defend his undisputed throne against Tim Tszyu.
Of course, having sullied the record of Charlo just a few short years ago, Harrison (29-3-1, 21 KOs) had long been hoping to eventually put to bed their rivalry. But, in any event, the 32-year-old contender appeared content with playing the role of a spectator, at least for the time being.
Charlo, in the midst of preparing his body for war, suffered a broken left hand, leaving Tszyu without a dance partner. Although their showdown was set to take place in less than a month, Harrison has quickly offered to jump off the couch and take his place.
“I’ll fill in for Charlo so he ain’t gotta go on another 6-month layoff,” said Harrison on his social media account.
Ironically enough, both Harrison and Tszyu have openly embraced the idea of facing off against one another. To add to his audacious attitude, Harrison has continually stated that if a showdown between himself and Tszyu can become a reality, he would enjoy making the trip to Australia, Tszyu’s hometown.
Whether or not Harrison will be selected or not is an open-ended question. But, with Charlo’s recovery time yet to be revealed, Tszyu has recently announced that he has no intentions of remaining sequestered on the sidelines.
After blasting through his competition, the 28-year-old officially made his United States debut earlier this year. While it may have been successful, Tszyu was forced to peel himself up off the deck against Terrell Gausha before picking up the unanimous decision victory.
