American superstar Terence Crawford is looking to again move up in weight and challenge for Tim Tszyu’s WBO super welterweight crown – and possibly as soon as his next fight.
In a huge development for Australia’s fight star, Team Crawford trainer Bernie Davis has declared 29-year-old Tszyu as the “most attractive” option for his fighter.
Davis said Tszyu was now the “right one” thanks to a “spectacular” trio of wins in 2023 — defeating Tony Harrison, Carlos Ocampo and Brian Mendoza.
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While Tszyu is almost certainly set to face America’s Erickson Lubin next, with late March the most likely date, a showdown with Crawford after that would be huge for the undefeated Sydneysider.
Initially, boxing’s pound-for-pound king had seemingly been headed for a rematch with Errol Spence – who has since required cataract surgery, scuppering those plans.
There have also been calls for Crawford to have a welterweight unification bout against IBF champion Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis.
Yet speaking on MillCity Boxing, Davis revealed it was Tszyu who was the new clubhouse leader for Crawford’s next fight – ahead of even Devin Haney and Teofimo Lopez.
Jermell Charlo’s future is also unknown given he is facing assault charges.
The trainer suggested that, amid all this, his charge was also keen to continue chasing history by moving up to claim gold in a fourth weight class.
“I think Tszyu will be the right one since we can’t get (Errol) Spence,” Davis said.
“We want to move up and make history, have something to get up for.
“And even though ‘Boots’ is an attractive option, I think Tszyu just edges him a little bit.
“I think Tszyu has fought the better competition, I think he’s been looking more spectacular in his fights and he got the country [Australia] behind him.
“Plus, he has something that we want.
“It’s another weight class to jump and it’s another something to aspire to.
“So that’s where I would think we would land.”
Tszyu lands ferocious bombs on Mendoza | 00:28
Asked if the fight would be held in America or Australia, where it could easily be a blockbuster stadium show, Davis added: “It’s a big fight wherever”.
Asked about the possibility of Haney, the trainer said: “He’s not gunna do that. Man, c’mon. Crawford gunna kill him”.
And Lopez?
“That definitely ain’t gunna be an option because of Bob Arum.
“He’s stuck with those guys … can’t go nowhere without Top Rank. It ain’t gunna happen”.
Davis added that he would also like to see Charlo “get himself together” before a possible bout with Crawford, saying of his last fight against Canelo Alvarez: “He was out of his weight class but looked so bad … he didn’t even try”.
Davis added that while Crawford was also chasing a bout with Canelo Alvarez, Tszyu could most certainly be his next fight.
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