The long-running rivalry between Tim Tszyu and Jermell Charlo has flared up again, with the former undisputed champ declaring he is ready to face the Aussie as part of a hit list of boxing’s biggest names.
Tszyu poked the bear on Sunday when he posted a cheeky photoshopped image of himself [from the movie Coming To America], wearing a lion pelt over his shoulder – an obvious dig at Charlo’s famous “Lions Only” motto.
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The Aussie tagged his old rival, “@twincharlo”, and added a phone emoji in a clear invitation to give him a call.
Charlo didn’t take long to fire back, unloading on Tszyu and several other big names across the super-welterweight and middleweight divisions.
“@tim_tszyu got quiet after Errol,” Charlo wrote.
“Boots tryna build a name bullying retired fighters. The 6’6 giraffe still figuring out what he want to do. Vergil Ortiz and them doing all that lying just to spark some s***.
“Meanwhile I’m still right here. Stop talking around my name and put one of ’em in front of me.
“Tim. Boots. Vergil. The Giraffe. Line ’em up.
“I don’t need hype. I got history. I don’t chase fights – they avoid mine. Let’s get this division popp’n again.”
“The Giraffe” is a clear reference to towering WBC super-welterweight champ Sebastian Fundora, while Charlo also called out unbeaten superstars Jaron “Boots” Ennis and Vergil Ortiz Jr.
But it was Tszyu’s name right at the top of the list – and the latest exchange has again raised hopes the bitter rivals could finally throw down.
Charlo just weeks ago claimed he had spoken directly with powerful boxing adviser Al Haymon and was being lined up to face Tszyu next.
“I talked to Al myself and I’m [fighting] Tim next,” Charlo told boxing reporter Lance Pugmire last month.
“Working on location.”
No fight has been officially announced, but Tszyu’s latest post was one of the clearest public indications yet that “The Phoenix” is still keen.
No Limit boss George Rose has previously described a showdown with Charlo as “long overdue” after twice attempting to make the fight.
The pair were originally scheduled to fight for Charlo’s undisputed super-welterweight crown in January 2023 before the American withdrew after suffering a broken hand in training.
The bout was postponed but never rearranged.
Instead, Charlo moved up two divisions to face Mexican superstar Canelo Alvarez later that year, losing a unanimous decision in what remains his most recent fight.
Tszyu repeatedly accused Charlo of running from their fight and was eventually elevated to become WBO champion without ever receiving his shot at the undisputed king.
The Aussie’s career then took a brutal turn, suffering consecutive defeats against Fundora and Bakhram Murtazaliev before beginning his climb back up the mountain.
That revival got serious momentum in July when Tszyu defeated former unified welterweight champion Errol Spence Jr by unanimous decision in Sydney.
Charlo, meanwhile, has not fought since his defeat to Canelo in September 2023 and has not recorded a win since knocking out Brian Castano in May 2022.
But the 36-year-old Texan clearly believes his championship history still makes him one of the top dogs in a stacked division.
And after more than three years of call-outs, Tszyu appears ready to find out whether Charlo is finally serious about answering the phone.
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Meanwhile, respected trainer Robert Garcia has added another intriguing layer to the whole situation.
Garcia told ProBox TV over the weekend that a showdown between Ortiz and Jaron “Boots” Ennis was “the best fight at 154 pounds” and one he would like to see made.
However, the decorated trainer believes Ortiz’s future lies at middleweight, where potential blockbusters against Tszyu and Charlo could await.
WBA middleweight champion Erislandy Lara has also been widely tipped to face Tszyu next, with veteran boxing journalist Peter Badel declaring last week that the Cuban southpaw is “almost certainly the next opponent for Tszyu”.
“Vergil is ready to fight the best,” Garcia said.
“So, moving up to 160 – Tim Tszyu is fighting at 160. I would love that.
“Charlo, I would love that.
“Word is they might fight each other. I don’t know.”