American Tony Harrison fears Tim Tszyu may yet fake an injury to escape their Australian world title blockbuster – while also labelling his undefeated rival a “basic fighter” whose hype has been “inherited” from both dad and the deep pockets of promoters, No Limit.
Only three weeks out from his huge WBO interim championship bout with Tszyu, Harrison has spoken at length about not only the new face of Australian boxing, or his Hall of Fame father Kostya Tszyu, but that world title gamble which, the American insists, his younger rival is “stupid” for taking.
While going out of his way to label Tszyu courageous, even a “throwback fighter”, the 32-year-old Detroit native also likened the Sydneysider to a NASCAR driver lapping circuits in a terrible car.
Watch the return of Tim Tszyu as he faces former world champion Tony Harrison LIVE at Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney on Sunday March 12. BUY TICKETS or ORDER ON MAIN EVENT ON KAYO SPORTS >
Labelled Tszyu an elephant, too, cackling “big target”.
“And if I can shoot something, I can kill it,” he grinned.
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“I may not be able to kill a mongoose because it’s so small and agile.
“But Tim is an elephant.
“Big target.
“So if I can shoot it I can kill it, you know what I’m saying?”
Elsewhere, the flamboyant US star — who also doubles as the only man to beat unified super welterweight champ Jermell Charlo — offered to pet crocodiles with Tszyu, down shots with him after the fight, even train and promote the undefeated boxer who, he says, “needs a little more sauce”.
Harrison also took the big stick to Team Tszyu and promoters No Limit – branding them “stupid” for taking him on instead of waiting out a unification bout with Charlo, who Tszyu was set to fight before the Texan broke his hand at Christmas.
‘How did he get there?’ Tszyu called out | 02:09
Speaking exclusively with Main Event’s Ben Damon, Harrison even suggested Tszyu may yet walk away from their March 12 showdown once he releases the challenge ahead of him, saying within the same breath that, while he expected Tszyu to fight because of family legacy, and the fact that the bout is Down Under, he also has a fear where “I’m expecting him to pull out”.
And if he does?
“If anything happens … if Tim pulls out with a hand injury, it’s a fraud,” Harrison said. “He’s a fraud.
“And I think the world will consider him a fraud.
“Because we all know that he found a way to wiggle out of fighting Tony Harrison.”
Asked if he would have taken this fight in the same situation as Tszyu, the American continued: “Never in a million years.
“I would go to whoever is at the top, his manager, his promoters and say ‘what are we doing here?’
“What are we doing?
“We spent all this time hyping our guy up, put all this money behind our guy and here we are now at the door.
“Then (Charlo) broke his hand. But we are at the door.
“Listen to me son, wait out. There is nothing wrong with waiting
“Let’s not blow this s…
“This is the stupidest decision you can make as management, as promotion.”
Later, Harrison, added: “I’m next up to fight for all the belts, I wouldn’t have fought Tim. I wouldn’t have fought nobody to be honest.
“I would’ve waited it out.
“(But) for Tim to take on the only fighter to beat the person he wants to go take the four belts from, the most dangerous person in the division … I’m like ‘who grabbin’ their balls over there?’.
“Somebody is grabbin’ their balls.
“And I’m patting them on the back because that was stupid.
“Very stupid.
“Courageous in a sense of boxing. Stupid in a sense of business.
“(That’s why) if I could hug Tim right now I would.”
Harrison: Charlo would’ve smashed Tszyu | 01:26
Hug him?
“You don’t get fighters like this anymore,” the American continued.
“Everyone is about business. About money.
“Nobody is about the courageousness of fighting no more.
“Which is why I got into it – to be a gladiator, a warrior in the sport of boxing.
“And the gladiator part is we must fight.
“It’s not about money, about fame, about likes or who got the most Instagram followers.
“It’s about fighting. And Tim is the example of old school fighting.
“This is what old school fighters did, they fight each other.
“So I would hug him right now, I would kiss him.
“And I’ll hug him after he loses, too.”
Harrison said that in accepting a fight with him, Team Tszyu were doing “the right thing, but at the wrong time”.
“They’re trying to figure out what type of horse they got in the stable,” he explained.
“You can’t keep fighting Dennis Hogans forever.
“You got to figure it.
“But you’re right there at the door (for a unification bout with Charlo).
“So c’mon man. Why?
“It don’t make sense.
“Australia loves you. You’re the f…ing man.
“Why come this far to do this?
“You’ve already been sitting out 365,000 days. Ain’t nothing to add 100 more to get to the dream you’ve been waiting on.
“C’mon, management.
“I got to have a chat with them after this.”
Harrison also questioned how Tszyu had got to a unification bout on a resume of names like Hogan, Jeff Horn, Takeshi Inoue and Terrell Gausha.
“How did he get there?” the American shrugged.
“He beat Jeff Horn. He beat Dennis Hogan.
“How did he get here?
“His father’s name carries weight. Australia carries weight.
“Australia has the money to carry weight.
“But who did he beat?
“I had to go through the hells of fire in America. He hasn’t had those obstacles.”
Tszyu unfazed by Harrison’s barbs | 01:23
Told Inoue was a ranked fighter, Harrison continued: “Tateshi? Who?
“C’mon man, if you’re from Australia, are you satisfied with his resume to get Jermell Charlo?
“I’m not satisfied.
“And that’s not me hating on him.
“But I can put eight people in front of him and say ‘he’s (more) deserving of the shot’.
“Tim, resume wise, is at the bottom of the totem pole.
“And I hope I’m making sense.
“Because some people say I talk s… all the time.
“But I got to make sense to some of y’all.
“Are you satisfied with how he got here? Are you really saying this is your champion?
“How is this your champion when he hasn’t fought anybody, man?”
Harrison then, on something of a roll, likened Tszyu to being the son of Dan Gilbert, that Detroit billionaire who made his fortune through home mortgage lending.
“It’s good to have the background you get inherited,” he said in obvious reference to the fighter’s Hall of Fame father.
“Some people get inherited money.
“For me, the biggest player in our city is Dan Gilbert. I would love to be a son of Dan Gilbert.
“(That way) I’m already rich.
“I inherit that money.
“That’s what Tim Tszyu is doing.
“He inherited the money.
“But that doesn’t make you champion.
“You have to go through the fire. And he ain’t been there yet.”
Worse, Harrison considers the 28-year-old a “basic” fighter who, while courageous and gritty, boasts no high level footwork, offense, defence or head movement.
“He just goes like a NASCAR driver — full speed,” the American said, before, beautifully, breaking into race car sounds.
“There is no skill level there. Just drive as fast as you can.
“That’s what I mean basic.
“Tough basic.
“Australia has given him the most expensive tyres, the most expensive engine … he’s got the money invested in him to make the car go.
“But it’s still a basic car. He’s just got the best s… around that car.”
You suggesting he got gifted the car from dad, too?
“Kostya Tszyu was the man. A f…ing beast,” Harrison conceded.
“And he came over here and proved that he was a beast. Fought the best in the sport.
“But Tim is way short of that.
“And to call out me, that’s the perfect way to figure it out.
“They’re trying to figure out what type of horse they got in the stable.
“They’re doing the right thing but at the wrong time.”
