Via Allan Fox: WBO No. 1 Tim Tszyu will have a stunt this Wednesday against 7th-placed Takeshi Inoue in a 12th round match on November 17 at Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney, Australia.
It’s been a busy fight for 27-year-old ‘Soul Taker’ Tszyu (19-0, 15 KOs) to stay active while he awaits his last chance to challenge for the 154lb WBO title against the winner. beat Jermell Charlo Brian Castano rematch.
Tszyu and Inoue met at a press conference on Monday to discuss their fight. Both of them look and feel a bit subdued, but the Japanese seem to be a bit more involved in the process.
Takeshi Inoue brought some to the table
Inoue (17-1-1, 10 KOs) wasn’t the opponent Tszyu had originally wanted, but unfortunately, this is who he would have to face.
You wouldn’t recognize most of the names on Inoue’s resume, and that’s the whole point of using him as a yardstick to see how good Tszyu is as a fighter.
You can’t because Inoue has resisted such bad opposition in his career.
Inoue’s four closest rivals:
- Nath Nwachukwu
- Cheng Su
- Anirut Nerndee
- Komsan Polsan
The 31-year-old Japanese boxer fought only one recognizable opponent in his career when he unsuccessfully challenged former WBO 154lb champion Jaime Munguia in 2019.
Inoue bounced back from that defeat to win his last four matches against a no-name opponent, whose record still stands by many.
You can’t say that Inoue is a good fighter because he’s mostly fought nothing but C-rank fighting during his seven-year professional career other than an unwarranted championship hit against the champion. WBO middleweight champion Munguia two years ago.
“Look, if you’re not confident, there’s no point in fighting. No one is going to enter a fight knowing they will lose,” Tszyu said at Monday’s press conference about his fight with Inoue on Wednesday.
If Australian Tszyu wins this matchup in front of his fans in Sydney, Australia, this Wednesday, we’ll see if his management are willing to let him take on the opponent. first caliber player for his next match or not.
Tony Harrison is ready to face the next Tszyu
Former WBO 154-lb champion Tony Harrison has volunteered to take on Tszyu next and he’s ready to take a first-class flight from the US to Australia to take on him at home.
It will be interesting to see if Tszyu supporters are willing to compare him to the talented ‘Super Bad’ Harrison (28-3-1, 21 KOs) because he represents a BIG step up from level of opposition that Tszyu has faced so far in his five-year professional career.
“I don’t know,” Tszyu said when asked what the boxers thought of him. “And I may look a little weird on the outside but once we get in the ring, that all changes. I guess let him find out.
Inoue’s Tszyu says: “It’s kind of a style similar to Brian Castano. “It will be a good test for that world stage, and it is a world class competitor. I respect everything he did but I don’t come to the sport just to achieve [one] Tszyu said.
This writer does not consider Inoue to be a warrior similar to Castano. That’s a terrible comparison Tszyu is making, as Castano has real talent and has fought against world-class opposition.
Inoue is more of a ham & egg fighter, more of a one-way fight.
“I’m in that mode now, in an area where I just want to hurt people,” Tszyu said. “I told you, under six innings, but if I want to hurt him a little longer, we’ll see tonight.”
If Tszyu wants to prepare himself to fight the winner of the Charlo vs. Castano, he has to start fighting against quality opposition as he still has to face the underdogs in useless wars.
You hate to say it but Tszyu’s background is a bit more bitter than Inoue’s in terms of the fearsome opposition he faces.
Tszyu’s six most recent opponents:
- Steve Spark
- Dennis Hogan
- Bowyn Morgan
- Jeff Horn
- Jeff Brubaker
- Dwight Ritchie
