Tim Tszyu says it’s only a matter of time before brother Nikita joins him as a world champion after American Brian Mendoza was revealed as Tim’s opponent for his first world title defence.
A day after Nikita defeated Jack Brubaker in a wildly entertaining bout at the Hordern Pavilion, a clash between Tim Tszyu and Mendoza in Australia on October 15 was trumpeted.
Tszyu will defend his WBO super-welterweight world title for the first time following the organisation’s decision to elevate him to full champion status as soon as Jermell Charlo is announced in the ring for his highly anticipated fight with Canelo Alvarez on September 30.
Should the WBC follow the WBO’s lead and strip Charlo of the title, Mendoza would be elevated and the fight would become a world title unification bout.
Mendoza has caught the attention of the boxing world with two stunning upset wins, knocking out Jeison Rosario and Sebastian Fundora to earn his shot at Tszyu.
So unknown was Mendoza beforehand that when he fought on the same card as Tszyu at the Armory in Minneapolis – in which the Australian beat Terrell Gausha as the headline act – the American came on afterwards, by which time the crowd had almost entirely gone home.
Tim Tszyu has locked in his next opponent.Credit: No Limit Boxing
“He’s got that underdog mentality. He goes in with that, no fear,” said Tszyu, who will depart for a fight camp in Las Vegas on Friday.
“He’s taken on the best and done very well with it. I’m not taking it lightly because he’s on the incline, not on the decline.
“I don’t want to predict too much yet. I feel unstoppable at the moment. Unbelievable power right now. I’ve got comfort in the ring, being able to see a lot of things.”
Mendoza joined Thursday’s announcement in Sydney via video link. The 28-year-old had no qualms about travelling to Australia in a bid to continue his giant-killing streak.
Worse for wear: Nikita Tszyu.Credit: No Limit Boxing
“You can definitely expect an explosive performance and fireworks, big-time fireworks,” Mendoza said. “I work harder than anybody else in the world.”
Nikita, meanwhile, will go for precautionary scans after suffering an accidental headbutt from Brubaker. His team is confident Nikita didn’t suffer facial fractures from the sickening collision, which sent him to the canvas and was incorrectly deemed a knockdown.
Afterwards, manager Glen Jennings, who has also been in the corner of Tim and his famous father Kostya, predicted Nikita would become the third member of the family to become a world champion.
There was plenty of action in the Nikita Tszyu-Jack Brubaker bout.Credit: No Limit / Gregg Porteous
It’s a sentiment Tim echoed.
“Of course, I see Nikita as a world champion,” Tim said. “I’m gonna be world champion in a couple of weeks, so that’s already one ticked off the list.
“Nikita will be a world champion one day. He’s still got a long way to go, but I do believe in my brother. He’s got work ethic and belief and a lot of growth ahead of him.”
It has been a big 24 hours for Australian boxing. Fighting on the undercard of Nikita’s card, Liam Wilson recovered from the disappointment of his controversial loss to world champion Emanuel Navarrete with a commanding win against the previously undefeated Argentine Carlos Maria Alanis.
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