Tim Tszyu will find out ‘any day now' if he will face WBO super welterweight champion Brian Castano in a world title bout. You will be able to bet on the fights that feature the top boxers in the world. Offered by Vwin, the top sportsbook in Vietnam.
But now it appears that another road to Tszyu's first world title chance has opened up, with rival WBC President Mauricio Sulaimán saying that "there are talks" regarding a potential elimination fight in which Tszyu would face WBC world champion Jermell Charlo if he wins.
Tszyu is awaiting a decision from the WBO on whether he will be declared mandatory challenger to their world champion Castao and therefore compete for the title, as Main Event's Ben Damon discovered yesterday.
Speaking to Fox Sports News, Damon said, “There has been plenty of correspondence between Tim Tszyu’s promoters at No Limit and the World Boxing Organisation, the WBO… He is the number one challenger in the world at the moment but he needs to be announced as the mandatory and that’s what they’re (Tszyu’s camp) looking to do. They're set to make their decision any day now."
Tszyu is the WBO's number one super welterweight contender, but the organization may choose to put him in an elimination battle with Russia's Magomed Kurbanov, who is rated second (22-0, 13KO). After that, the winner will face Castao (17-0-2).
Sulaimán had this to say during the KO Boxing Show: “I believe Tim is one of the upcoming superstars. He’s got talent, he’s got great charisma, great name – legacy. But also he can perform in the ring. He’s good. He’s got speed, he’s got power.
“I see him as a potential world champion in the near future. We have him ranked number three. There are talks about doing some fights – elimination fights – and potentially becoming a challenger for the championship and he has our full support.”
Tszyu faces American Erickson Lubin (24-1-0) and Spaniard Sergio Garcia (33-0-0) in the WBC rankings, both of whom are formidable opponents for the 26-year-old Australian.
The most likely next step for Tszyu seems to be an eliminator contest, either with the WBC contenders or with WBO contender Kurbanov.
However, WBC President Mauricio Sulaimán has suggested that Tszyu, who is rated #3 by the WBC, may be given an elimination bout, with the winner facing Charlo (34-1-1), who also has world title belts from the IBF and WBA.
That's because Charlo, the WBC, WBA, and IBF champion, and Castao, the WBO champion, recently battled to a highly contentious split decision tie. Castao, who believes he won easily, as many commentators believe, is anxious for a rematch as soon as possible.
Nonetheless, Sulaimán's gushing appreciation confirms Tszyu's place on the international scene.
Sulaimán said: “His father is a legend. The WBC has always been very close with Konstantin (Kostya) Tszyu. My father had a great relationship with him and we cannot wait to see the evolution of Tim who is making great inroads in the boxing world.
“I take this opportunity to send Tim my respect – my admiration. It is not easy to follow the steps of a successful father.
“For him to be following the steps of a great, legendary champion it’s additional admiration and I’m very proud of him.”
