Tim Tszyu on USA Debut- “To Become Legend You Must Come To America”

Coming up next weekend, the highly anticipated United Sates debut of top Jr. Middleweight contender Tim Tszyu of Australia will take place. This, as he will headline the Showtime Saturday night show from Minneapolis against American veteran Terrell Gausha. And, the rising star Tszyu made clear this week, he knew that to be one of the best, he’d have to come stateside to do it.

Tszyu spoke from his final preparations for Gausha in Las Vegas and the unbeaten son of Hall of Famer Kostya Tszyu wasn’t bashful about not only this bout, but what he believes will happen next,

🥊 FIGHT ANNOUNCEMENT 🥊

Top 154-LB contender and rising star @Tim_Tszyu will make his long-awaited U.S. debut when he takes on U.S. Olympian @TerrellGausha in a 12-round showdown live on @ShowtimeBoxing on Sat. 3/26!#TszyuGausha Fight Night Details: https://t.co/glhkgZw3Rn pic.twitter.com/zWZd1HPMuq

— Premier Boxing Champions (@premierboxing) March 10, 2022

“I have come to America with big visions of taking over the whole super welterweight division and becoming the next great 154-pound champion of the world,” said Tszyu in a PBC/Showtime release.

“To become a legend, you must come to America at some point in your career and leave a mark on the sport. I want to continue my family’s legacy in boxing, as well as forge my own journey. March 26 is the start of my era.”

“I respect my opponent, he has a world-class amateur pedigree, and has fought at the championship level,” continued Tszyu, who will be making his U.S. debut. “I feel that facing someone like Gausha, who is coming off a big win, makes for a great fight. This will be my Showtime debut, and I am looking to not just be the best, but to also be the face of the network. I want to follow in the footsteps of my father, and one day be inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame.” 

Certainly, those are lofty ambitions for the 20-0, 15 KOs Tszyu, who’s fought his entire career in his native Australia.

Tszyu, the WBO and WBC #1 ranked Jr. Middleweight, had been in a holding pattern for a couple weeks on whether he would still fight in the U.S. for the first time or not? This, after WBO champ Brian Castano put his Undisputed title rematch bout with WBC/WBA/IBF champ, Jermell Charlo, on hold.

Castano citing a biceps injury to delay their bout that was to have been this weekend in L.A. Tszyu’s bout with Gausha was to have been the co-feature on that card.

Now, Castano says he will be better without surgery and they will now rematch on Saturday May 14th.  And, in the likely event that he wins convincingly this Saturday, Tszyu probably will get the Undisputed winner this Fall.

The 27 year old Tszyu was last in the ring in November, when he defeated Japan’s Takeshi Inoue in a convincing 12 round performance held in Tszyu’s hometown of Sydney. And, as for Gausha, the former U.S. Olympian in the 2012 London games is 22-2-1 and will be a solid opponent for the favored Tszyu.

The Showtime telecast begins at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT and will feature rising undefeated lightweight contender Michel Rivera dueling fellow unbeaten Joseph “Blessed Hands” Adorno in the 10-round co-main event, plus hard-hitting super lightweight contender Elvis Rodríguez facing Juan José Velasco in the 10-round telecast opener.