Tszyu aims for middleweight title his father never won

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 14 Oct, 19:32 · Archive

Tim Tszyu will fight Cuban champion Erislandy Lara for the WBA middleweight belt in Australia.

Tim Tszyu will challenge Cuban southpaw Erislandy Lara for the WBA middleweight world title in Australia in the coming months. The exact date and location have yet to be announced. Victory would elevate Tszyu to two-weight world champion status after he claimed the WBO super-welterweight title in 2023 with victory over Brian Mendoza in Sydney.

Tszyu's father Kostya, a Hall of Famer and unified light welterweight champion, never won world titles above 140 pounds, so a middleweight victory would see Tim achieve something his legendary father did not. Tszyu described the fight as 'the legacy defining moment of my career'. He said he had carried the Tszyu name his whole life and viewed this as his chance to write his own chapter.

Lara is boxing's oldest reigning world champion at 43 and one of the sport's most decorated fighters. He won the world amateur championship in 2005, previously held the super-welterweight title and has successfully defended the middleweight crown four times since 2021. Tszyu acknowledged Lara's quality, saying he is 'slick, clever and stylistically very hard' and will try to turn the fight into a chess match.

How it is being reported

• 'It's my turn': son on a gun chases Tszyu family firstTim Tszyu has a chance to achieve something not even his Hall of Fame father Kostya accomplished after earning a shot at middleweight world championship glory.Perth Now · 14 Oct, 19:05
• 'It's my turn': son on a gun chases Tszyu family firstTim Tszyu has a chance to achieve something not even his Hall of Fame father Kostya accomplished after earning a shot at middleweight world championship glory.The West Australian · 14 Oct, 19:05

In this story: Tim Tszyu · Erislandy Lara · Kostya Tszyu · Brian Mendoza · Australia

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