Tim Tszyu has angrily dismissed taunts that he’s a nervous wreck after the home-town favourite and flashy American Tony Harrison both comfortably made weight for their much-anticipated world-title fight in Sydney.
Striving to follow legendary father Kostya as a world champion, Tszyu hit the scales at 69.68kg at Saturday’s weigh-in for Sunday’s super-welterweight showdown at Qudos Bank Arena.
Just six grams separated the pair, with the taller, leaner Harrison (69.62kg) also well under the 69.9kg limit and claiming Tszyu’s fasting has hurt the Sydney slayer.
“I seen him yesterday with lips all white and dried out. I seen him today and it looked like he was struggling,” said Harrison, adding he felt “amazing”.
“I made weight extremely well, extremely calculated this time. This has always been my hardest part.
“But I made it fairly well and he needs to be fairly scared of what’s happening tomorrow.
“He knows the weight of the world is on his shoulders right now and I don’t think he understands how he’s going to carry it.
“I’m looking in his eyes, he was shaking. He’s been shaking every day all the way up to today so he’s nervous.”
Heart for the fight
The undefeated Tszyu (21-0, 15KO) countered: “That’s bulls**t. He’s fought in the biggest stages of the world but he hasn’t done this before.
“I’m relaxed. You should feel my heartbeat right now. It’s very low. That means it’s relaxed.”
Promising to monster Harrison (29-3-1, 21KO) and expecting to knock out the former world champion, Tszyu plans to pack on another eight kilograms before entering the ring for his date with destiny.
“I’ll be much heavier than him for sure. Me and him are completely different body types but I’ll be big enough tomorrow,” he said.
“I’m in unbelievable shape. Everything’s gone 100 per cent smoothly so there’s only one thing left – that’s to win this fight.
“This is the best part now, man. Once all this is done, then the fun begins.
“The bad boy’s coming out, I’m telling you. I’m ready for the terminator to come out because I’m going for a big win, man.”
But been-there, done-that Harrison reckons Tszyu should brace for a reality check.
“I’m a seasoned vet. I know what I’m doing, I know how to do it, I know when to do it,” the former WBC world champion said.
‘This moment is made for me’
“It’s just experience. Experience was my biggest teacher and I’m owning this moment. This moment is made for me.”
The victor will book a winner-takes-all blockbuster later this year in the US with undisputed divisional champion Jermell Charlo, whose only defeat so far came against Harrison in 2018.
The supremely confident Tszyu was supposed to fight Charlo in Las Vegas in January before the champion broke two bones in his left hand in training.
The 28-year-old could have waited for Charlo to recover, but is risking it all against Harrison, who is promising to shatter Tszyu’s dreams.
“That’s a bad motherf****r right there,” he said when asked what the pundits will be saying on Sunday night.
“They keep counting me out. I don’t understand why. Like, I’m from Motor, I’m from Detroit. How the f**k do they keep counting us out?”
-AAP
