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Tszyu\u2019s late arrival comes amid shock headlines suggesting the former world champ is suddenly being discussed for a massive Spence showcase later this year.<\/p>\n
Despite having lost three straight title fights on US soil, Tszyu remains popular with American promoters PBC and could be right back in the mix for a big fight should he double down on what was a solid December comeback win over Anthony Velazquez.<\/p>\n
While Spence has long been considered among the biggest names in world boxing, a showdown with Tszyu would also make sense given the popular Texan hasn\u2019t fought since being stopped by Terence Crawford way back in July, 2023. <\/p>\n
Already, both American analyst Paulie Malignaggi and popular US trainer Robert Garcia have confirmed hearing the whisper about Tszyu taking on the man who was once welterweight king. <\/p>\n
Speaking with Fox Sports Australia, Tszyu said he was unsure about what talks were underway with Spence, but stressed his willingness to throw down should he win his next fight, which is being rumoured for Australia in late March. <\/p>\n
Tszyu quickly added his immediate focus remains on whoever his new team picks out next for him.<\/p>\n
The fighter now dubbed \u2018Phoenix\u2019 added that, after a whirlwind trip to cheer his brother in Brisbane, he will then return home to Sydney before jetting out for Miami, Florida late next week \u2014 where he will resume training with new Cuban coach Pedro Diaz.<\/p>\n
But as for wanting Spence later this year?<\/p>\n
\u201cOh, of course I\u2019d be keen. Are you serious?\u201d Tszyu laughed. \u201cThat one, if it is to happen, would be a megafight for Australia.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne of the biggest ever for an Aussie, and up there alongside Jeff Horn versus Manny Pacquiao.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s an intriguing match up too.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd with huge stakes and plenty of questions on both sides.<\/p>\n
\u201cDo I still have it? Does Spence still have it?<\/p>\n
\u201cBut I\u2019ll leave all that to my team.<\/p>\n
\u201cI head back overseas next Friday and start preparations for whoever is next.\u201d<\/p>\n
HEATED Final Face-Off! Tszyu v Zerafa | 03:44<\/p>\n
Elsewhere, Tszyu is also tipping his younger brother to KO Zerafa this Friday night and end six years of bad blood between his family and Pretty Boy.<\/p>\n
Zerafa famously earned the ire of the Tszyus after walking out on a 2021 headliner against Tim.<\/p>\n
However, the former world champion is now tipping his younger brother to end the rivalry, and for good.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf Nikita lets his left go, I really do think he catches Zerafa,\u201d Tszyu said.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd that\u2019s because Zerafa\u2019s kryptonite is southpaws.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe saw that when he was knocked out by Erislandy Lara [in 2024].<\/p>\n
\u201cThat night Lara was on cruise control.<\/p>\n
\u201cDidn\u2019t even break a sweat.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo Nikita just needs to stay patient, and wait for Michael to over commit.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen, he catches him.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd Nikita has power in his hands.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s why he doesn\u2019t need to make this a dogfight. He just needs to stay methodical \u2026 then smack him out.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tszyu added Zerafa\u2019s trouble with southpaws goes back years, recounting the Melbourne boxer being \u201crocked\u201d way back in 2013, against a Sydney-based Filipino named Rey Anton Olarte. <\/p>\n
\u201cAnd I remember because Rey used to train out of our gym,\u201d Tszyu said. \u201cHe could hit hard and I remember him rocking Zerafa when they fought.<\/p>\n
\u201cReally put him on ice skates for a bit.\u201d<\/p>\n
According to Boxrec, Zerafa was put down in the third round by the southpaw \u2013 who at the time had a record of 18-22-8 \u2013 before eventually recovering to earn a decision win, albeit with two scorecards reading: 96-94 and 95-94.<\/p>\n
\u201cI also think Nikita is hungrier than Michael,\u201d his brother continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes, Zerafa is experienced.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd he knows how to bring out that dog in him.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut my brother has been through some really hard fights.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe also really understands the game.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is experience versus hunger.\u201d<\/p>\n
Asked if he was surprised by Zerafa\u2019s decision this week to abandon his longtime persona as Australian boxing\u2019s bad boy, and Tszyu laughed.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know what\u2019s going on, man,\u201d he cackled. \u201cBut it definitely seems like somebody is a little confused.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt makes no sense.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut who knows? Maybe it helps him.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know Australian fans went really against him there for a while.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd maybe he was affected mentally by that.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt can\u2019t be great when the whole world hates you so maybe he wants to come in with a different mindset for this one.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mundine breaks down Tszyu v Zerafa | 03:12<\/p>\n
Elsewhere, Tszyu also opened up a whirlwind travel run that, initially, saw him traversing the United States to find a coach, before then basing for several months in Miami.<\/p>\n
From there, Tszyu then returned home for the 10 days prior to beating Velazquez, after which he then jetted out again with wife Alex for a holiday visiting Finland, Amsterdam, Vienna and Istanbul. <\/p>\n
Asked if he was getting used to living out of a suitcase, Tszyu laughed: \u201cI do wake up some nights now thinking \u2018where the f*** am I?\u2019<\/p>\n
\u201cYou go a little crazy.<\/p>\n
\u201cEven now I\u2019ve only been home a couple of days and I\u2019m headed up to Brisbane.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut obviously I want to be there to support Nikita and can\u2019t wait for the fight.\u201d<\/p>\n
Certainly, talk will also continue to build around a proposed fight with Spence \u2014 a superstar with whom Tszyu shares something of a contentious history.<\/p>\n
Way back in 2023, and on the eve of fighting American Tony Harrison for WBO gold, Australia\u2019s pay-per-view king branded Spence \u201ca punk\u201d and hinted that they could be set for a future showdown.<\/p>\n
The declaration followed Spence, at the time still ranked No. 4 on the world\u2019s pound-for-pound list, taking to social media to declare he was wagering $10,000 on a Harrison upset, and after also having backed Tszyu (unsuccessfully) to get beat by Terrell Gausha.<\/p>\n
Then prior to Tszyu\u2019s Las Vegas headliner against Sebastian Fundora early the next year, Spence again took to social media in fight week, writing on \u2018X\u2019: \u201cHeaded to Vegas. I want the winner\u201d.<\/p>\n
And just to ensure everyone understood exactly what he meant by that, the 34-year-old Texan added video imagery of a shark.<\/p>\n
Asked soon after about Spence\u2019s challenge, Tszyu grinned: \u201cI\u2019ve wanted Errol Spence for a long time.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve had history, he\u2019s called me a few things so I\u2019d like that fight as well.\u201d<\/p>\n
Also in Brisbane this week to work the Main Event commentary for Tszyu-Zerafa, Malignaggi revealed the whispers were growing louder about Tim Tszyu facing Spence for what will be the American\u2019s first appearance in almost three years.<\/p>\n
US trainer Garcia also confirmed the rumour \u2013 saying \u201cI heard that too last night\u201d \u2013 when asked if Spence might be next for his undefeated charge, Vergil Ortiz Jnr.<\/p>\n
Garcia dismissed the idea of Ortiz Jr facing Spence anytime soon, saying: \u201cHe\u2019s been out for so long, and he\u2019s had problems, accidents, so it wouldn\u2019t be that exciting for me right now.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf he goes out and looks sensational and destroys Tszyu, then, yes, it\u2019ll make a lot of sense.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Tim Tszyu says he would absolutely welcome a blockbuster 2026 showdown with America\u2019s Errol Spence Jnr \u2013 while…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":415552,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[571],"tags":[2095,219307,219306,26464,43476,187511,219299,5888,1724,64,63,689,2802,2763,136006,2809,802,651,219308,94350,2057,61506,6214,2755,2105,219305,219310,41073,74452,2623,219309,219300,12412,5140,11850,2627,673,2782,2041,219297,2067,3583,677,123802,140787,29169,701,3708,219298,1314,219301,85,670,219311,959,193963,219302,106313,940,2614,12000,2062,219303,219304],"class_list":["post-415551","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-boxing","tag-america","tag-american-analyst","tag-american-promoters","tag-amsterdam","tag-anthony-mundine","tag-anthony-velazquez","tag-anton-olarte","tag-arizona","tag-asia","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-australia-and-new-zealand","tag-australian-boxing","tag-australian-boxing-history","tag-australian-fans","tag-ben-damon","tag-boxing","tag-brisbane","tag-cruise-control","tag-decision-win","tag-europe","tag-final-time","tag-finland","tag-florida","tag-getty-images-inc","tag-heated-final-face-off","tag-hyped-australian-grudge","tag-istanbul","tag-kingdom-of-the-netherlands","tag-las-vegas","tag-longtime-family-enemy","tag-longtime-persona","tag-matt-king","tag-miami","tag-michael-zerafa","tag-nevada","tag-new-south-wales","tag-nick-walshaw","tag-north-america","tag-north-holland","tag-northern-america","tag-northern-europe","tag-oceania","tag-pbc","tag-pedro-diaz","tag-phoenix","tag-queensland","tag-robert-garcia","tag-scorecards-reading","tag-social-media","tag-spence-jnr","tag-sports","tag-sydney","tag-team-picks","tag-terence-crawford","tag-tik-tok-theatre","tag-tim-tszyu-us","tag-trash-talk","tag-turkey","tag-united-states-of-america","tag-western-asia","tag-western-europe","tag-whirlwind-travel-run","tag-whirlwind-trip"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/415551","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=415551"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/415551\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/415552"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=415551"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=415551"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=415551"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}