Australia has its next blockbuster fight.
Junior middleweights Jeff Horn and Tim Tszyu have agreed on terms to face one another in April, although they haven’t settled upon a specific date. The news was first reported by The Daily Telegraph.
The location has not yet been determined, but Brisbane is thought to the front runner to land the fight. Sydney is also a possibility. Negotiations were contentious but the two sides eventually agreed to a 60-40 financial split that favors the 31-year-old Horn, who has been the de facto face of Australian boxing for the past few years.
Horn-Tszyu will be the biggest fight in Australia since Horn challenged Filipino star Manny Pacquiao in 2017. Horn won that bout controversially to become the WBO welterweight titleholder. He then lost his title to Terence Crawford in 2018. Since then, Horn drubbed countryman Anthony Mundine in one round and then engaged Michael Zerafa in a wild two-fight series.
Horn (20-2-1, 13 KOs) was stopped by Zerafa in nine rounds last August but turned the tables four months later, outpointing Zerafa in a barnburner that saw both fighters sustain hellacious punishment. Horn dropped Zerafa twice but was also out on his feet at one point.
The 25-year-old Tszyu (15-0, 11 KOs), son of Hall of Famer Kostya Tszyu, will be taking a considerable step up in competition. He has faced middling opposition since turning pro in 2016. He fought four times last year, including a decision over Dwight Ritchie, who subsequently died as a result of injuries suffered during a sparring session.
“This is what I was born for,” Tszyu told Fox Sports. “I’ve been fighting my whole life for this particular moment. I want to test him. I know I can [dig deep]. Yes, he’s fought some of the greats, but I believe I can bring him into those trenches and test him in a way he’s already been tested, and in a way he won’t be able to survive.”