FIGHT WEEK
Junior middleweight contender Tim Tszyu is set to make his U.S. debut against Terrell Gausha on Saturday in Minneapolis.
Tim Tszyu (20-0, 15 KOs) vs. Terrell Gausha (22-2-1, 11 KOs)
- Date: Saturday, March 26
- Time: 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT (main event later in show)
- Where: The Armory, Minneapolis
- TV/Stream: Showtime
- Division: Junior middleweight (154 pounds)
- Rounds: 12
- At stake: No major titles
- Pound-for-pound ranking: None
- Odds: Tszyu 7½-1 favorite (average of multiple outlets)
- Also on the card: Michel Rivera vs. Joseph Adorno, lightweights; Elvis Rodriguez vs. Juan Jose Velasco, junior welterweight
- Prediction: Tszyu UD
- Background: Tszyu, the son of Hall of Famer Kostya Tszyu, will be making his U.S. debut against Gausha. The fierce, talented Australian has created a stir in his native country and climbed the junior middleweight rankings with resounding victories over the likes of former champion Jeff Horn, Dennis Hogan and, most recently, Takeshi Inoue. The next step – coming to America – was essential to fulfill his destiny. The 27-year-old native of Sydney is ranked No. 1 by the WBO (Brian Castano is the titleholder) and No. 3 by the WBC and IBF (Jermell Charlo). Castano and Charlo are scheduled to fight May 14. If Tszyu gets past Gausha, it’s conceivable he could face the winner of the May fight for the undisputed championship in the fall or winter. Gausha is a legitimate test for Tszyu. The 2012 U.S. Olympian is a talented, well-schooled boxer who has fallen short in his biggest fights. He lost a wide decision to then-titleholder Erislandy Lara in 2017, drew with Austin Trout in 2019 and lost a unanimous decision to Erickson Lubin in September 2020. He’s 2-2-1 in his last five fights, including a second-round knockout victory over capable Jamontay Clark in his only fight since the setback against Lubin. That victory gives Gausha some momentum going into his meeting with Tszyu.