Former world champion Shawn Porter has declared Tim Tszyu must be the favourite for his inevitable unification fight with Jermell Charlo after another dominant win.
Tszyu’s 77-second knockout of Mexican Carlos Ocampo on the Gold Coast followed up his ninth-round stoppage of American Tony Harrison, with the Aussie willing to gamble his shot at Charlo to stay in fighting shape.
He hasn’t just done that; he has been dominant, proving he’s more than worthy of the super welterweight strap.
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And according to American Porter, a former two-time champion at welterweight, Tszyu has now proven he deserves favouritism for the eventual Charlo bout.
“That’s the key word right there – confidence. He’s on physically. He’s growing in terms of his experience and in his mentality in the ring, those boxers’ eyes that we talked about earlier,” Porter said on Main Event.
“Knowing what you’re seeing and taking control where you can. Now his confidence is growing.
“This is a big problem for Charlo. Look at all this momentum on the side of Tim Tszyu.
“Tim Tszyu has so much to talk about when they go to a press conference, or they go to this and that – Charlo has to keep his mouth shut, because Charlo hasn’t been busy. What can he talk crap about? Nothing.
“Guess what – everything’s on Tim’s side to win this fight. I even guarantee that even from a standpoint of bookies, if bookies don’t put Tim as the favourite, they’re just favouring Charlo. Tim Tszyu is now the favourite to win and become undisputed.”
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Aussie boxing great Jeff Fenech agreed Tszyu has been “outstanding” but wasn’t convinced Tszyu would be appointed as favourite over Charlo.
However Porter argued against one of the few criticisms left about Tszyu – that it’s much harder to win overseas than at home.
“Hey, listen, let’s play devil’s advocate here. He’s doing this at home. You’re right, he is doing this at home,” Porter said.
“But this crowd is still loud. This crowd is still big. He’s still got a lot going on where he’s got to handle tickets, and he’s got to handle this person being there, and that person being there.
“When he goes abroad and he goes back to America to fight Charlo he doesn’t have to worry about trying to put himself anywhere. He doesn’t have to worry about family and friends being at this place and that place.
“He’ll be even calmer and more focused and he was here with two big wins here in Australia.”
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