WBO Orders Jermell Charlo-Tim Tszyu Purse Bid

As expected off his thrilling KO of Brian Castano, the WBO has ordered undisputed 154 lb. king Jermell Charlo to fight unbeaten, Australian Tim Tszyu next and set a timeline for a purse bid to commence.

The organization made the announcement online and on social media mid-day Tuesday that they have sent a letter to Charlo and Castano and they should have their management teams ready to go for the purse bid three weeks from Tuesday,

WBO Jr. Middleweight Mandatory Championship Contest Negotiations – Jermell Charlo vs. Tim Tszyu https://t.co/Lae8bsqOq3

— WBO (@WorldBoxingOrg) May 31, 2022

From their letter signed by Luis Batista Salas, to the fighters,

“The WBO World Championship Committee hereby orders the parties herein the commencement of negotiations for the above-mentioned WBO Jr. Middleweight Mandatory Championship Contest. Please be advised that the parties have twenty (20) days upon receipt of this letter to reach an agreement. If an accord is not reached within the time frame set forth herein, a Purse Bid will be ordered pursuant to the WBO Regulations of World Championship Contests.

The minimum acceptable bid for the WBO Jr. Middleweight Division is $200,000.00 (Two Hundred Thousand Dollars). Any of the parties involved may request a purse bid procedure at any time during the negotiation process. Please do not hesitate to contact the WBO if you have any questions or concerns.”

Charlo just scored a 10th round TKO win over Castano on Showtime PPV to become the four belt, undisputed champion at junior middleweight on May 14th in Carson, CA. Their battle was a rematch from a Summer of 2021 controversial draw that many believed that Castano had won.

However, the Texan Charlo left no doubt in this one, dropping the Argentine with a left hook to the head and after he wearily rose, finishing him with a wicked one-two combo to force the referee to stop it.

As for Tsyzu, he’s the WBO’s #1 contender and the organization made clear that they were giving their blessing for Charlo-Castano II provided that the winner fight him next.

Tszyu is 21-0, 15 KOs, having won his U.S. debut in March by unanimous decision over American veteran Terrell Gausha in Minnesota. Tszyu has made clear that he will be happy to return to the U.S. to battle Charlo for all the belts later this year.

Tszyu is a massive star in Australia and the PPV revenue will make the proposed Charlo-Tszyu bout a very lucrative one for the champion.

Now, we’ll wait to see if a deal gets done by late June or if the deadline gets moved, etc. to make the Charlo-Tszyu bout a reality for later in 2022.