Jermell Charlo doesn’t think Tim Tszyu stopped the same version of Tony Harrison that he knocked out three years ago.
Charlo contended during Showtime’s coverage of Tszyu-Harrison that the outcome of their rematch ruined Harrison. Tszyu dropped and stopped Harrison in the ninth round Sunday afternoon at Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney, Australia, Tszyu’s hometown.
Houston’s Charlo sent Harrison to the canvas three times – once in the second round and twice during the 11th round – before finishing Harrison while he was on his feet in the 11th round of their December 2019 bout. Charlo won back his WBC super welterweight title from Detroit’s Harrison that night at Toyota Arena in Ontario, California.
“And personally, Tony Harrison ain’t never been the same after I knocked him out, so just to keep it real with you,” Charlo told Showtime’s Brian Custer. “So, we seen what happened to Tim Tszyu against Terrell [Gausha]. And Terrell is a strong fighter, but come on, I hit hard. It’s not the same as what they think. See me soon.”
Now that Tszyu (22-0, 16 KOs) has beaten Harrison (29-4-1, 21 KOs), the only opponent to defeat Charlo, he will challenge Charlo for his IBF, WBA, WBC and WBO 154-pound championships in his next fight. Charlo confirmed during Showtime’s telecast Saturday night that the two fractures in his left hand are healing properly and that he should be able to return to the ring to face Tszyu by the end of this summer.
“Man, I’m ready,” Charlo said. “You know, when I get my hand right and we get back in the ring for some more training, put him back in. We got that work.”
The 28-year-old Tszyu, who is the mandatory challenger for Charlo’s WBO belt, beat Harrison fairly easily. Harrison had some success with his jab, but he landed just 29 power punches in eight-plus rounds, according to CompuBox’s unofficial count.
Each judge – Hungary’s Zoltan Enyedi (77-75), Japan’s Katsuhiko Nakamura (77-75) and Canada’s Benoit Roussel (77-75) – scored three rounds for Harrison. Tszyu consistently connected with the more impactful punches, though, and hurt Harrison with two right hands with just over a minute to go in the ninth round.
Tszyu then followed Harrison to the ropes and drilled him with five straight right uppercuts. Harrison went down with 39 seconds to go in the ninth round after taking a right to the side of his head and a left hook.
Harrison got up by the time referee Danrex Tapdasan’s count reached eight. Tapdasan still stopped their scheduled 12-rounder because he wasn’t comfortable with how Harrison responded to his commands.
Tszyu produced the most impressive victory of his six-year pro career, yet Charlo didn’t see anything from him that he didn’t anticipate. Charlo was surprised, however, by Harrison’s subpar performance.
“Nah, this is exactly what we seen [from Tszyu],” Charlo said. “Going forward, not as fast and [a faster] pace. Strong, of course, throw hard punches. Don’t we all? You know? But I’m a different animal in there. Like, I’m a different fighter than Tony. You can’t compare me and try and compare Tony’s skills in boxing. He did move less than what he normally does, but … the ring was smaller, but that still doesn’t – he didn’t dog it out. He didn’t bring that dog in there. If [Tszyu] wanted to fight me, he would have to bring more dog in him.”
Harrison upset Charlo (35-1-1, 19 KOs) by unanimous decision in December 2018 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. Though he lost their rematch by knockout, Harrison boxed better that night than he did versus Tszyu, who pressured him throughout their bout.
Charlo cannot wait to demonstrate just how much more difficulty Tszyu will have with him than he had with Harrison.
“Tim is next,” Charlo said. “And that’s what we had before the injury, so it’s not like I’m not prepared already.”
Charlo and Tszyu were set to fight January 28 at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino’s Michelob ULTRA Arena in Las Vegas. Premier Boxing Champions and Showtime announced December 24 that Charlo-Tszyu was postponed because Charlo fractured two bones in his left hand while sparring several days earlier.
Rather than waiting for Charlo’s hand to heal, Tszyu’s team pushed the WBO to fight for its interim title. Tszyu wound up facing the third-ranked Harrison once second-rated Russian contender Bakhram Murtazaliev (21-0, 15 KOs) turned down a fight against Tszyu.
Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.
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