Via Sam Volz: Tim Tszyu believes Jermell Charlo will defend his WBO youth middleweight title against him next rather than vacating four belts for a promotion to 160.
Undisputed 154-lb champion Jermell has until June 20 to decide whether to defend his WBO mandatory Tszyu (21-0, 15 KOs).
If not selected, he will be stripped of the belt if not vacated, and Tszyu will fight the next highest ranked candidate for the WBO belt.
Tszyu said Charlo (35-1-1, 19 KOs) worked hard to collect his four belts and he wouldn’t want to drop them right after catching the last one to meet Brian Castano on the 14th. May.
Tim says he sees Charlo as a “grumpy old man“Because he is constantly agitated, like an elder, bitter about this or that.
If Charlo ignored his four belts, boxing fans would realize that he lost his nerve and was scared to face Tszyu.
Moving to 160 would put Jermell in the exact same spot that Demetrius Andrade was once, overlooked by Canelo Alvarez and Gennadiy Golovkin.
The opposing force Jermell will get at 160 won’t be an upgrade over the fighters he’s fighting at 154, and he’ll likely make less money if he stayed.
“It’s not sorted yet, 100%, but it’s being worked on. Now he has no choice,” said Tim Tszyu Against TV Hub about how Jermell Charlo was ordered to defend the 154-lb WBO title against him.
“Yes, it will happen. I think he will take it. He just won all the belts. You want to keep the belts; you don’t just want to give them away. You have worked very hard.
“Charlo likes to take his time, choosing his photos. He doesn’t like anything too fast paced. It will be interesting because my style is the exact opposite of what he likes.
“I lost one round, two at most, and I won every round in his own backyard,” Tszyu said when Jermell criticized his performance against Terrell Gausha.
“He was like a hat maker. He’s like a grumpy old man; he is always frowning, he’s always angry. Let a man grow old,” says Tszyu of Jermell’s personality, which is ever-changing and very explosive.
“This is my Zab Judah moment,” said Tszyu, comparing his potential fight for undisputed victory against Jermell to when his father fought the undisputed Zab Judah at 140. in November 2001.
“It could be here in Australia; you never know,” Tszyu said of his fight with Jermell in his hometown. I’m ready to fight anywhere and ready to win four belts.
“I believe in my abilities. Castano is a little guy, so I’m not going to judge that performance,” Tszyu said of Jermell’s recent knockout win over 154-lb WBO champion Brian Castano in their rematch on Thursday. May 14.
“I give credit to Charlo. He’s at his peak, top 10 pound-for-pound and in his 30s,” said Tszyu.
