Tim Tszyu-Carlos Ocampo To Proceed Despite Dog Bite
The super welterweight clash between Tim Tszyu (22-0, 16 KOs) and Carlos Ocampo (35-2, 23 KOs) will go on despite an arm injury Tszyu suffered last Saturday. On May 27, Tszyu attended a barbeque at a friend’s house in Australia. While there, he was bit by an American Staffordshire Terrier. The bit required surgery and 26 stitches to Tszyu’s right forearm. There were some concerns that the fight, scheduled for June 17 (June 18 in Australia) would not go on due to the injury. However, those fears have been put to rest with Tszyu’s latest statements:
“He took a little bite at me. It’s quite simple,” Tszyu said to WA Today. “But I’m good now. That’s the main thing. I knew it was, I knew that it was gonna be superficial anyway. I could see none of my muscles or nothing was affected. So at the back of my mind, I was thinking ‘shit, this is not good at all’. But at the same time I was quite confident [it was] just a little bump on the road. A lot of people would have pulled out, but I’m not like that.”
Tszyu admitted that although the situation was not ideal, it was never his intention to pull out of the fight:
“I was full training on Monday. I was back in the gym, so it didn’t really limit me at all. It was a little bit of a distraction, it’s not ideal to go to surgery three weeks before a fight, but whatever. I just want to get it on right now. There’s a dog in me right now that’s about to come out.”
Hear Dan Rafael and T.J. Rives discussing the bizarre Tszyu injury on the newest “Big Fight Weekend Preview” podcast by clicking play below,
Tszyu further emphasized his desire to go ahead with the fight when he said this:
“It was never, ever even considered as an option [to pull out]. If I couldn’t punch with my right, then I would have had to fight with one hand. So be it. I still feel like I’m the best in the division and I can beat anyone with one hand if it came to that.”
Tszyu vs. Ocampo details
On June 17 (June 18 in Australia), Tszyu and Ocampo will face each other in Queensland, Australia. The Gold Coast Convention Centre, where the fight will take place, has officially sold out. In Australia, fans can watch the clash on Foxtel’s Main Event and Kayo Sports. Showtime will broadcast the fight live in the USA. Should Tszyu win, the WBO has ordered that he fight undisputed champion Jermell Charlo in a mandatory showdown on or before September 30. Fight fans will soon see whether Tszyu can emerge victorious can get the title he has long called for.
Currently writing out of Toronto, Canada, Saadeq first became a boxing fan while living in Doha, Qatar. Looking to become more involved in the sport, he began writing about boxing and has had work published in outlets such as Seconds Out and Boxing Social. He looks forward to continue covering boxing on Big Fight Weekend.
