Highly regarded Australian boxer-puncher Tim Tszyu will look to continue his progress when he faces once-beaten Bowyn Morgan over 10 rounds in a junior middleweight contest at the Bankwest Stadium in Parramatta, New South Wales, Australia on Wednesday.

Tszyu, who is rated No. 10 by The Ring at 154 pounds, is looking forward to facing the New Zealander with bragging rights very much up for grabs between fighters from neighboring countries.

“It’s another challenge in front of me to showcase my skills and ability,” Tszyu (16-0, 12 knockouts) told The Ring. “It’s a big Trans-Tasman clash. Except [Rugby] Union, we always tend to beat Australia in everything, and boxing won’t be any different.

“His attitude of ‘nothing to lose’, that’s the most dangerous thing. He’s going to come out swinging. My skills will be on a different level than he’s ever faced. Once he gets hit, we’ll see how he reacts.”

Last time out, Tszyu, the eldest son of former undisputed junior welterweight champion Kostya Tszyu, went some way to stepping out of his father’s considerable shadow when he impressively stopped former welterweight titleholder Jeff Horn in eight one-sided rounds.

“It would be considered my greatest career win, at the moment,” said Tszyu of the Horn triumph. “I’m growing and getting older, bigger and stronger, and I’ve developed skills from the time I started.

“I knew I was at a point in my career where I could take things to new heights and Jeff Horn was the right timing. I was confident in my ability and I knew that I could take him out.”

Tszyu (right) mixes it up with Jeff Horn. Photo courtesy of Sky Sports

The Horn clash took place in front of 16,000 fans at Queensland Bank Country Stadium. Although Tszyu took the big occasion in his stride, he is pleased to have had such a significant impact on the sport in his homeland.

“It’s great to bring boxing back to Australia,” he said proudly. “The Wilder-Fury fight had 400 more [fans] in attendance… we’re up there.

“I think we’re doing great things here in Australia. It just shows that the world might be struggling, but here in Australia, we’re making big sporting events.”

Tszyu’s popularity has grown, and he is optimistic that he will draw another sizeable crowd at the Bankwest Stadium, which will be set up for 16,000, instead of the normal 30,000, due to COVID-19 restrictions.

“I think tickets are going good,” said the popular young star. “Everyone knows about the fight, the fight [has everyone] pumped.

“Boxing in Australia is becoming mainstream and that’s what it’s lacked before. It’s good to be the face of mainstream boxing in Australia.”

The 26-year-old could be forgiven for taking things slowly in the aftermath of such a big win but that’s not his style. It’s full steam ahead for the likable Australian.

“I haven’t had any time off [since beating Jeff Horn],” Tszyu said. “I’m a very goal-driven person. I’m always looking for the next opportunity and next victim. As soon as the fight finished, I was back in the gym the next day. I was getting ready for this one.

“I haven’t achieved [my goals]. Some people could say, ‘You’ve beaten the best in Australia, you’ve beaten a former world champion.’ For me, that’s not enough, that’s just the start, it motivates me to keep going.”

The future looks bright, and Tszyu has a world title fight in his sights for 2021.

“I’m close but I’m not close enough,” said the ambitious Sydney-born fighter. “I want to be the mandatory, where they’ve got no choice but to fight me. I need to get to that position.

“Who are the guys I’m chasing? The titlists and that’s [Ring, IBF, WBA and WBC titleholder Jermell] Charlo and [WBO beltholder Patrick] Teixeira, they’re the ones holding all the belts. I’m quite excited for what’s coming.”

Glen Jennings, who has guided Tszyu since he turned professional, is pleased with how things are moving along.

“I am so proud of Tim and where he is today. Our partnership as fighter and manager is so strong that I am sure that in the not-too-distant future, we will be signing a deal for a world title fight,” said Jennings.

“A big shout out to our promoter Matt Rose from No Limit Boxing, the hardest working promoter in Australia. He invests in his fighters and goes the extra mile. Together our two teams have done what no other could dream of during COVID, anywhere in the world; two major stadium shows, in front of thousands of fans, in two states in Australia. That is an achievement in itself.”

Morgan turned professional in 2014. The 31-year-old New Zealander won his first seven fights before being upset by Kris George (TKO 3). He has rebounded to win his last 14 outings, taking his record to 21-1 (11 KOs).

Questions and/or comments can be sent to Anson at [email protected] and you can follow him on Twitter @AnsonWainwright

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