Tim Tszyu learns when he’ll face undisputed champ Jermell Charlo for the super welterweight world title – and the long wait should be a bonus for hard-hitting Aussie
- Aussie hoped for title shot this year but will have to wait until January 2023
- Charlo dropped the date on his Instagram account before deleting it
- Long wait should suit Tszyu as he recovers from surgery on both his hands
Aussie challenger Tim Tszyu will face Jermell Charlo for the super welterweight world title on January 29 next year, after the American let the date slip on social media.
Charlo posted the news on his Instagram account on Wednesday but quickly deleted it, with the location of the bout yet to be confirmed.
It’s believed the champion won’t fight for the rest of the year as he recovers from his gruelling knockout victory over Brian Castano in May, during which he copped a battering from the Argentinian before stopping him in the 10th round.
The long layoff since his last fight against Terrell Gausha in March (pictured) should suit Tszyu, who is recovering after having surgery on both his hands
It’s believed Charlo didn’t want to fight again in 2022 as he recovers from his gruelling win over Brian Castano (pictured), which made him the first man to unify all the titles in the super-welterweight division since the dawn of the four-belt era
Tszyu had been looking forward to getting his shot at the crown before the end of 2022, but the long layoff from his last fight – a points victory over Terrell Gausha back in March – could work to his advantage.
The Aussie had surgery on both his hands in May after aggravating injuries in the victory of Gausha, which saw him batter the American over 12 rounds after suffering the only knockdown of his career in the first.
Charlo (35-1-1, 19KO) insisted on the fight – his first defence since securing all the belts – being held in the USA.
Tszyu had hoped to fight him at the new Sydney Football Stadium, but failing that, said he’d like the clash to be held in one of boxing’s meccas.
While the location for his fight with Charlo hasn’t been decided, Tszyu said he’d like to punch on in Las Vegas – the scene of one of his father Kostya’s most famous victories, over Zab Judah
‘I would have loved to have the fight at the new Sydney Football Stadium, but if it means I’ve got to go to America to get this fight I’ll go there, no problems,’ he said in June.
‘I’d like to fight him in Las Vegas, that’s where the biggest boxing events have always been.’
In June, the WBO told Charlo he would have to fight Tszyu to defend his titles, only for the IBF to step in and argue that their No. 1 contender Bakhram Murtazaliev was the rightful first challenger to the belts.
Murtazaliev (20-0, 15KO) has been the IBF’s mandatory challenge for the past two years, but will have to wait.
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