Tim Tszyu Ready For Replacement Opponent Wednesday

It’s not an ideal situation for WBO #1 Jr. Middleweight contender Tim Tszyu, who’s ready for his latest contender bout Wednesday night in Australia, but he made clear Monday that he’s ready to take care of his business and aim for a world title shot.

Tszyu was part of the pre-fight press conference in Newcastle, Australia, for the unbeaten fan favorite’s scheduled 10 year bout that will be on PPV throughout the continent. And, he made clear that while he’s appreciative of late replacement, fellow countryman Stevie Spark, he’s ready to end things quickly once the bell rings.

#TszyuSpark press conference today at 11am AEST live on @FOXSportsNews and the @MainEventTV Facebook page 🥊 pic.twitter.com/ZqvjWQ9e9T

— Ben Damon (@ben_damon) July 5, 2021

“First of all. Thank you to him (Spark) for stepping in on short notice. But, this is business for me. We’re not friends yet. I got one thing on my mind- that’s take him out,” Tszyu told the media Monday afternoon.

I’ve got this fire burning within. I’ve had a great prep for 10, 12, weeks. Flying up to Queensland. Sparring with some good boys….Whoever they put in front of me. I am here for one object, to take him out.”

The 24 year old Spark who’s 12-1, has won 11 fights in a row as a Junior Welterweight, against mostly non-descript competition in Australia. This will obviously be a huge step-up in competition for Spark and he will be a heavy Underdog to not get kayoed early. He chose to step in (for a larger payday) for veteran Michael Zerafa, who pulled out of the Tszyu bout last week with numerous excuses, including concerns about spiking Covid-19 positives in the Victoria Province.

As for the 26 year old Tszyu, he is based in Sydney and has grown immensely in popularity fighting in front of sold out crowds all over the continent. The son of Hall of Famer Kostya Tszyu, is now 18-0 with 14 KOs and has been on a huge roll nationally “down under” over the past 12 months.

He was last in action in March defeating veteran Dennis Hogan in front of another sold-out crowd at the same NewCastle Centere, where Wednesday night’s fight will be. That’s about two hours North of Sydney on the Eastern coast of Australia.

Tszyu has been hoping to leverage his WBO top ranking to get a shot at their new champ, Brian Castano. However, Castano has chosen instead to battle Jermell Charlo in an Undisputed 154 lb. showdown that will be 10 days after this fight with Spark on July 17th in San Antonio, TX.

And, if the favored Charlo is victorious, it’s likely Tszyu will have to leave Australia and come to the U.S. for a potential shot at the Undisputed crown.