Australian junior middleweight star Tim Tszyu has thought it over, and he's made it known, that he's not interested in a closed doors showdown with country rival Jeff Horn.
Tszyu-Horn was originally scheduled to take place in Townsville on April 21. Due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the event was postponed until a date to be determined.
Horn’s promoter, Dean Lonergan, was exploring the idea of staging the fight in an empty venue for a pay-per-view event - with the included option of a rematch with a full venue - when large gatherings are permitted again in the venue.
However, Tszyu is not interested in that bout taking place without an audience - and he's also not interested in the idea of having a fight with a rematch clause involved.
He believes, due to the postponement, the fight will be even bigger once boxing gets back in the mix of things.
“For me, I prefer just one fight,” Tszyu said to WA Today. “We don’t need to fight twice, just one fight and that’s it.
“I would much prefer a stadium as much as everyone else. I have to train in a gym and have a proper preparation, at the level I’m at everything needs to be at 100 percent. The fight is the easy part, it’s the training where you need to figure it all out. It’s hard if you can’t prepare to your full potential.
“In this period of time, once we can get through it, we can get back to normal life. It’s not just boxing that’s affected, it’s every sport in general. We just have to get through this crisis. That’s the thing - once all of this is finished, it will be one of the biggest events that has ever been. That’s the best part about it.”
Since his gym is closed, per the current restrictions, Tszyu has been doing his best to stay in shape.
“I’ve put a bit of the gym into my garage, I’ve been doing as much as I can to get fit,” Tszyu said.
“You can’t do your training with your coach or sparring, that’s the hardest part. I’m keeping myself fit, that’s the main thing. It’s not like I’m sitting on the couch every day. This coronavirus isn’t just about sport, the whole world is struggling. We just have to wait until the whole world is through this.”