Tim Tszyu called his shot.
During an open media workout on Sydney’s Bondi Beach in advance of his super-welterweight battle with Tony Harrison, the Australian pointed to the ocean and declared, “That water’s going to be in this ring, and I’m going to drown him and suck the life out of him.”
That’s just what he did in his hometown Qudos Arena on Sunday, patiently stalking and pressing the former WBC champion, breaking him down and then stopping him with a barrage of blows in the ninth round, to improve his record to 22-0 with 16 KOs and remain in line for a shot at undisputed champion Jermell Charlo.
Harrison, who outpointed Charlo in December 2018 only to lose by knockout in a rematch twelve months later, was on paper the toughest test by far in Tszyu’s young career.
“He’s the man who beat the man,” said Tszyu afterward. “I’m the man who beat the man who beat the man. So, what does that make me?”
Harrison, 29-4-1 (21 KOs), has lost four fights by knockout, three of them in the ninth round. During his previous defeats, he was ahead or even on at least one scorecard at the time of the stoppage, but he was playing catch-up after just a few rounds against the hard-hitting Tszyu, who displayed a calm aggression throughout.
Harrison probably won the opening round with a busy jab, but Tszyu steadily took over the contest from the second round onward, pressing Harrison to the ropes and looking to land strong right hands over Harrison’s jab. He first hurt the American in the third, a right hand sending Harrison sideways across the ring. By the fifth, Tszyu was adding body shots to his arsenal and in rounds seven and eight, with Harrison no longer able to keep the fight at the distance he wanted, the two men were trading shots in close along the ropes.
Harrison landed 78 of 274 total shots over the course of the contest, 49 of them in jabs and just 29 power shots. In contrast, Tszyu connected with 131 of 333, with 105 of his landed shots power punches, 29 of them body shots.
The punches that ended the contest began with a series of right hands that sent Harrison reeling into the ropes in the ninth. Tszyu measured his opponent and fired a succession of right uppercuts, followed by an overhand right, that sent Harrison slumping to the canvas. Although the American rose to his feet inside the count of 10, referee Danrex Tapdasan called a halt to the contest with 20 seconds remaining in the round.
Harrison had no complaints about the stoppage, admitting simply that, “The better man won tonight.”
Tszyu, meanwhile, was already looking ahead to his next challenge, leaving the ring with a message for Charlo.
“The message was sent. Clearly,” he said. “You know what’s up. You know what’s next. I’m coming. I’m coming to America.”
