Tony Harrison attempted to give Tim Tszyu a virtual hug, insisting the Aussie “woke me up out of the dead” in a spicy press conference as they gear up to do battle for the WBO super welterweight title.
Tszyu will have a major boost against Harrison after Sydney’s Qudos Bank Arena was confirmed as the venue for their world title bout after the NSW Government edged out bids from their Victorian and Queensland counterparts to host the event.
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Although the press conference took place in Tszyu’s hometown, it was Harrison that did all of the talking.
But not before the American insisted he wanted “to be friends” with Tszyu as he thanked him for offering up a fight.
“For him to say yes to a guy like me, he woke me up out of the dead,” Harrison said.
“I’m hugging you. You brought me back to life.”
Harrison was then seen on screen with his arms wrapped in a hug-like motion, extending his gratitude to his rival.
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But the joking from Harrison quickly stopped when asked if Tszyu accepting a fight against him was a mistake, given the Detroit native is the only man to have defeated Jermell Charlo, the rival Tszyu was initially set to face before the champ broke his hand in December.
“Of course,” Harrison said.
“I think we need to get management on the phone. For him to be at the doorstep for all the marbles and you accept a fight with the only man that beat the man that you need to beat, I need to call HR.
“Something ain’t right about this one. I’m not mad about it, but the only man I’m chasing is the only man he’s chasing.”
Harrison was also left baffled at Tszyu’s rapid rise to No. 1 contender status for Charlo considering the differing levels of opposition the duo have faced in their respective careers.
“He took the elevator, I took the stairs,” Harrison said.
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“Someone make it make sense to me.
“How did he get here?”
Tszyu cut a more relaxed figure on stage but did not mince his words as he prepares for the toughest fight of his career to date.
“I’ve come into this sport not just to muck around, but to take over,” Tszyu said.
Also fighting on the card will be Nikita Tszyu who takes on Bo Belbin as the younger brother’s career continues to accumulate experience.
Sam Goodman takes on Irish former world champion TJ Doheny while Paulo Aokuso faces Yunieski Gonzalez, with plenty of other fights to be announced in the coming weeks.
