By Ray Wheatley – World of Boxing
Former WBO welterweight champion Jeff Horn will clash with IBF #6, WBO #9 light middleweight Tim Tszyu on April 22 at the Queensland Country Bank Stadium in Townsville, Queensland. The location was announced today. The stadium holds 25,000. IBF#13 middleweight Horn is confident of defeating Tszyu, who has been made the slight betting favorite by bookmakers.
Tim Tszyu: “I’m a warrior. We’re boxers, we have to be ready for a war. You have got to give everything. You’ve got to be ready to die in the ring. I don’t want to give predictions, but I’m coming to fight, I’m coming to win.”
Jeff Horn: “He’ll be fighting out of his skin and so will I, so it’s going to be a cracking fight. I’ve got the experience in there to take away Tim’s tools and to get this victory. I don’t know how that’s going to happen, whether it’s going to be a stoppage or not. We’re always looking for a knockout, but a points victory is a victory.”
I am still trying to comprehend why Horn is still fighting even after his family wanted him to retire. Is it the money? Miss the fame? Delusional? Not worried about your long-term health? Horn is a school teacher by educational trade so he does have something to fall back on if he does not damage his head too much.
It’s not like Horn is a slick boxer with great defence.He comes to fight and win or lose he’ll be hammered.I can’t see what he has to prove apart from big cash and the limelight… at what cost ???
It’s a fighters heart telling him he still has it. I boxed amateur for many years with the hopes of going professional. I didn’t have talent but had a Warriors heart but took too many punches. I won and lost fights until my doctor said, you’re done. That’s why I sometimes understand fighters who wanna continue to fight when they probably shouldn’t.
Amazing the way boxing is seen in Australia. Is kind of blessed land where mediocre fighters are elevated to play a role of megastar. Horn right now is at the same level of Brandon Rios, Mike Alvarado, Victor Ortiz and some others washed up fighters, that were just merely good once.
Tim Tszyu in the other hand is just living under his father glorious name (like Chavez Jr) but as a boxer is not even remotely close to Kostya Tszyu, he is more a hype job, than anything else. But there, they are going to colide in a much anticipated event , like if Crawford vs. Spence.
The same happened when Horn faced the super washed up Mundine. Truly a blessed land. How many people would be attending those fights in American soil? Would be they paid at least 10% of what they will get over there?
Don’t forget this: When Arturo Gatti fought Ward they barely made 500 combined.
In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king hey. In OZ these two are of the top level. I live in South Africa and the same thing here. In SA we used to have a load of top boxers, we even had two heavyweight champions. Now I basically only watch international boxing.
No Henry, in Australia is worse. They had the nerve to stage a rubber match between Azuma Nelson and Jeff Fenech, when both had more that 10 years into retirement. And it was a huge event for them.
Hi Mike, Most Australian boxing fans don’t think either Jeff or Tim are superstars. Australia is a wealthy country and sports people get paid well. You are right in your opinion of Jeff Horn. I disagree with your view on Tim Tszyu. He is still raw. He will beat Jeff and go on to bigger and better things.
I hope you right Pablo, no shame on me by being wrong, but I have seem Tim working and there is not much substance in it.
Good for them, hope they make a lot of money
Will this fight allow spectators or not? Just asking cause ESPN said that the Stevenson and Conlan card wont have any spectators due to the Coronavirus.
Amazing to think that there are still a few Australians who think that Horn is a boxing legend. Shame.
I think is the other way around. Few Aussies think he is not
What’s the odds of it being canceled?