‘Watch me’: Tszyu’s message to haters as boxing world reacts to ‘nightmare’ title challenge

Tim Tszyu has delivered a blunt message to his doubters after confirming his next world title shot: “Watch me rise up again.”

But as the Sydneysider prepares for what he calls a career-defining showdown with Erislandy Lara, some of boxing’s biggest names reckon the crafty Cuban will be very hard work.

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Australia’s pay per view king will challenge Lara for the WBA middleweight crown on home soil, with the fight expected in late November and the exact date and venue still to be announced.

For the former super welterweight champion, it is an opportunity that carries far more weight than another belt.

And he has a few people he wants watching on.

“Again, to my haters. What can I say? Just keep watching,” Tszyu smiled in a video posted to Instagram.

“Everyone’s seen my setbacks. A lot of people have doubted me, but watch me, watch me rise up again.”

Tszyu made clear the prospect of winning a world title in another division, in front of his own fans, had given this fight a different feel.

“There’s certain fights that just feel a bit different, feel a bit more special than others. And this is it,” he said.

“This is a career-defining, legacy-defining moment in my career, and it definitely feels different to the norm, different to most fights.

“To be fighting for the second world title, and especially the fact that I’m fighting back in Australia, it’s special.”

Tszyu described the opportunity as “history in the making”, while thanking No Limit for sticking with him through the tough moments of his career.

“It means a lot to me … to have these guys in my corner, to be backing me, to keep on pushing me through the highs, through the lows,” he said.

“So thank you guys.”

Yet the celebrations around the announcement have come with a warning about the man waiting in the opposite corner.

Speaking on ProBox TV, former world champ Chris Algieri said the circumstances favoured Tszyu – but the opponent remained a serious problem.

“You’re going to take the Cuban 43-year-old, Lara, and you’re going to fly him across the world to go fight a young, hungry challenger,” Algieri said.

“He’s been very inactive. He hasn’t had the toughest schedule as late either – even in the fights that he has had, which has been about once a year.”

Algieri believes those factors give Tszyu a strong opportunity to become a two-weight world champion.

But he warned against treating Lara’s age or the trip to Down Under as guarantees.

“But that being said, Lara’s a nightmare,” he said.

“He has sneaky power, especially late in his career in these higher weight classes.

“He is undeterred by fighting on enemy turf. He is undeterred about the travel, undeterred about the weight.”

Algieri reckons Lara still has the weapons to spoil Tszyu’s night.

“He has a real opportunity here to beat Tim Tszyu,” he said.

“This is a stiff challenge for Tim Tszyu, even with all the advantages that are being laid out.”

Former world champ Billy Dib also sees a difficult job for Tszyu, questioning whether the Aussie can trouble Lara with power alone.

“Lara is a very, very clever guy. Let me tell you something. I don’t know if Tim has the power to hurt somebody like Lara. Canelo couldn’t even hurt Lara,” Dib told Combat Down Under.

“I think Canelo is a lot stronger than Tim, but I think if Tim fights the right fight, applies the right amount of pressure, listens to Jeff [Fenech], he’s in with a big chance, man. Definitely in with a big chance.”

But Dib warned that getting close enough to impose that pressure would come at a cost.

“To get inside on Lara is going to be a very difficult task. You’re going to take a lot of shots trying to get in,” he said.

“He nullifies the pressure really well.”

For Dib, the blueprint lies in the controlled aggression Tszyu showed against Tony Harrison.

“Tim was destructive. He was just incredibly strong, fast and agile,” he said.

“The way he would put the pressure on was great, but it was a technical pressure. He wasn’t putting on pressure in a reckless way. He was doing it in a very strategic manner.”

Dib believes Tszyu needs to rediscover that approach to take Lara’s belt.

“In order for him to get the result against Lara, which is going to be a very, very difficult task, I feel that you need to do it strategically, not recklessly.”

Former world champion Danny Green, however, believes Tszyu should enter the fight as favourite, pointing to the age and activity gap between the pair.

“Lara is a crafty guy but has been very inactive and at the age of 43 versus a much younger man who has been active, Tim should be the favourite going into this bout,” Green told Fox Sports Australia.

Green also backed an aggressive approach under Jeff Fenech.

“[He] should apply pressure from the get-go, which was his trainer’s forte.”

Aussie boxing identity Grant “Tassie” Brown offered a more sobering view from two former champs.

Speaking on the Raw Sport podcast, Brown recalled discussing a potential Lara showdown with Terence Crawford and Shawn Porter while they were in Australia for Tszyu’s fight with Errol Spence.

Brown liked the idea of making the older champion travel.

Neither liked Tszyu’s chances.

“Shawn Porter and Terence Crawford both said, ‘No way, he knocks Tim out with that left hand,’” Brown recalled.

“That’s two very educated boxing people, both champions, both saying Lara knocks him out because he’s sitting on his punches now.

“He’s not moving as much and he’s sitting down on that left hand.”

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Brown, however, remains on the Aussie’s side.

“I said I think Tim still beats him.”

Crawford, Porter, Algieri and Dib also tipped Spence to beat Tszyu – a prediction the Aussie has already proved wrong.