Pound for pound: Tim Tszyu is one win away from being the best in the business

This is not the time to consider Tim Tszyu but it could come next time he fights.

Tszyu (22-0, 16 KOs) knocked out veteran Tony Harrison in the ninth round in a scheduled 154-pound 12-round bout over the weekend in Sydney, Australia, Tszyu’s hometown.

That creates the opportunity in his career, a blow to the undisputed championship of Jermell Charlo, who is ninth in the next game for both, as early as the summer.

Tszyu knocked out former 147-pound titleholder Jeff Horn, overtook the capable Terrell Gausha, and stopped another former champion in Harrison.

However, victory over a rising fighter like Charlo will allow Tszyu to follow in the footsteps of his famous father — Hall of Famer Kostya Tszyu — and claim a place among the few best boxers on the planet. .

Of course, beating Charlo (35-1-1, 19 KOs) won’t be an easy task, but most will give Tszyu a better chance after watching him take out Harrison (the only one to beat Charlo) ) than before.

Let’s hope the negotiations go smoothly.

Next weights: Honoree David Benavidez, who takes on Caleb Plant on March 25 in Las Vegas.

Here’s what the list looks like at the moment:

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POUND-FOR-POUND

1. Terence Crawford – Was asked by the WBO to defend his 147-pound belt against Alexis Rocha but no deal was made. Also said to be speaking to Number 4 Errol Spence Jr. about a title unification struggle.
2. Naoya Inoue – Scheduled to challenge 122-pound owner and Honoree Stephen Fulton Jr. on May 7 in Japan.
3. Oleksandr Usyk – Reportedly close to an agreement to face No. 6 Tyson Fury in a heavyweight title bout but no deal has been made.
4. Errol Spence Jr. – The 147-pound unified title holder is supposed to face off against 154-pound Keith Thurman in April but no official announcement has been made. Also said to be talking to No 1 Terence Crawford about the title unification match.
5. Dmitri Bivol – Reportedly in talks to face No. 12 Artur Beterbiev in a 175-pound title unification match in early June but no deal has been reached.
6. Tyson’s Rage – It is reported that an agreement has been reached to face No. 3 Oleksandr Usyk in a heavyweight title match but no agreement has been reached.
7. Juan Francisco Estrada – No scheduled wars.
8. Canelo Alvarez– Reportedly agreed to defend his undisputed 168-pound championship against John Ryder on May 6 in Mexico but no announcement has been made.
9. Jermell Charlo – No scheduled wars.
10. Gervonta Davis – Scheduled to face Ryan Garcia in a 136-pound bout on April 15 in Las Vegas.
11. Vasiliy Lomachenko – Reportedly in talks to challenge undisputed lightweight champion Devin Haney but no official announcement has been made yet.
12. Artur Betterbiev – Reportedly in talks to face No. 5 Dmitry Bivol in a 175-pound title unification match in early June but no deal has been reached.
13. Shakur Stevenson – Scheduled to face Shuichiro Yoshino in a 135-pound bout on April 8 in Newark, New Jersey.
14. Roman Gonzalez – There are no scheduled wars.
15. Devin Haney – Reportedly agreed to defend his undisputed lightweight championship against Vasiliy Lomachenko on May 20 but no official announcement has been made..

honorable mention (alphabetically): David Benavidez (scheduled to hit Caleb Plant on March 25); Jermall Charlo (no battle schedule); Stephen Fulton Jr. (scheduled to defend her 122-pound title against Naoya Inoue No. 2 on May 7 in Japan.); Kazuto Ioka (allegedly scheduled to challenge 115-pound owner Joshua Franco in June in Japan but no announcement has been made yet); Josh Taylor (supposedly to defend his 140-pound WBO title against Teofimo Lopez on June 10 in New York but no announcement has been made).