Tony Harrison comes into Sunday’s showdown against Australia’s Tim Tszyu with opportunity knocking firmly at his door.
(29-3-1) ‘Super Bad’ Tony Harrison has stood on top of the Super Welterweight division previously, and victory on Sunday will hand him an unlikely opportunity to do it again.
Tim Tszyu had his own shot at the Super Welterweight crown secured, with a fight against current undisputed champion Jermell Charlo scheduled for January.
But plans came unstuck when Charlo was injured in training camp, a hand injury seeing a postponement until the second half of 2023.
It left Tim Tszyu and his team with a decision. Sit on his opportunity at the undisputed crown and wait for Charlo at some point later this year. Or remain active, earning another significant payday in the meantime, and put the Charlo fight on the line.
The Tszyu camp has chosen the latter, with the Australian scheduled to face former world champion Harrison on Sunday, for the interim WBO Super Welterweight Title.
Boxing is Risk vs Reward. There is plenty of both in Tony Harrison.
The 32-year old Harrison is the ideal opponent in the eyes of the Tszyu team. A fighter who has been largely inactive in recent times and is in the backend of his career. They see him as beatable.
He’s a marketable name, an opponent sufficient to earn the fight interim world title status – and a big payday for all involved.
The fight has sold plenty of tickets and pay-per-views. A win for Tszyu makes the eventual Charlo showdown even bigger. There’s the reward.
Harrison is a fighter who has defeated Charlo previously, and who can provide the needed seasoning to Tszyu ahead of his eventual showdown at the undisputed champion. Tough rounds against an elite level fighter.
The risk in all of it, is Harrison remains the most credentialed opponent Tszyu has ever faced.
You can argue Tim Tszyu is still to be properly tested. The marketing machine is firmly behind him, but good judges agree question marks are there.
Tszyu has been fairly emphatic on his way to a 21-0 career record. Wins over Terrell Guasha, Takeshi Inoue, Jeff Horn, and Dennis Hogan are the standouts on the Tszyu resume - but delve a little deeper and some cracks begin to appear.
Terrell Guasha has never quite reached the elite level in boxing. Losses to Erickson Lubin and Erislandy Lara, plus a draw with Austin Trout highlight this.
Guasha dropped Tszyu in the opening round and had his moments throughout their showdown.
Some experts came away chalking the performance up as an ‘off night’. The fight proving terrific education for Tszyu – his first on American soil. Others suggested advancing towards a Charlo showdown next was a mistake.
The glowing highlight of Harrison’s fight record is a unanimous victory over the division’s current undisputed king Jermell Charlo, where Harrison claimed the WBC World Super Welterweight Title – handing Charlo his only career defeat to date.
Harrison would go on to lose the title in the rematch, after Charlo dropped him in the second round, and finished him in the 11th.
Since that defeat in December 2019, Harrison has been inactive, fighting just twice since.
April 2021 saw him fight to a majority draw with the (17-3) Bryant Perrella – a fight that finished with a ridiculously lopsided scorecard (114-114, 116-112, 111-117).
In April 2022, Harrison responded with a comfortable unanimous decision victory over (33-1) Sergio Garcia, where Harrison claimed the WBC Silver Super Welterweight Title.
But is Harrison the fighter that defeated Charlo? Or is he the one that clung to a draw against Perrella, or the one knocked out on three occasions – by Charlo, Jarrett Hurd and Willie Nelson?.
Harrison is an enigma at times in the boxing ring. He’s beaten the very best in the division, but he’s flailed against lesser fighters.
There’s no denying though that he has more experience, he’s the more hardened fighter. Sunday will be his sixth world title fight.
Conversely it will be Tszyu’s first world title encounter, and alarmingly the Australian has only gone twelve rounds twice before in his 21-fight career.
This is where Harrison believes he has the edge. The American feels he can take Tszyu to the deep water – and drown him.
“You’ve got to dig in your bag (in boxing). He doesn’t have a bag to dig in, because he’s never had to dig in one. This time, he’s got to dig in that bag and find that. He’s got to find that this time,” Harrison told Fox Sports.
Many experts see Tszyu’s damaging body shots and fight changing power as an X-Factor that will cover any perceived flaws. Tszyu has habitually broken-down fighters with ease, standing in front of his opponents and unleashing at will. No one has withstood it as yet.
But Tszyu has not fought a fighter with the credentials of Harrison. Harrison will not let Tszyu unload when he wants, and every round will be hard won. How will Tszyu react when things aren’t going his way?
It’s exactly the test Tim Tszyu needs before his showdown with Jermell Charlo. But in securing it, he’s opened the door to a dangerous Tony Harrison who is eyeing a career defining third fight with the same man.
The Charlo carrot is motivation for both. Sunday’s fight is a chance for Tszyu to again prove he belongs on the elite level of boxing, whilst Harrison looks to prove he isn’t the doorman to that very place.
ADAM SANTAROSSA
