After impressively halting Aussie rival Jeff Horn last month, unbeaten 154-pounder Tim Tszyu is on the brink of a sudden world title shot.
Talks are underway for Tszyu to face WBO title-holder Patrick Teixeira (31-1, 22 KOs). The Brazilian champion was supposed to face mandatory contender Brian Castano, from Argentina, next, but that fight is less easy to arrange due to current Covid-19 restrictions.
“We have asked the WBO to grant [Teixeira] a voluntary defence given that it looks increasingly unlikely he’ll be able to fight his mandatory before the end of the year,” Tszyu’s promoter Matt Rose told Fox Sports in Australia following positive discussions with Teixeira’s promoters Golden Boy.
“Australia is a very enticing prospect for everybody involved as unlike the US, Brazil or Argentina, we can have crowds at boxing events right now and the restrictions on crowd numbers are being eased.”
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Former two-weight world champion Sergio Martinez, 45, is due to have his second comeback bout in early December.
The Argentine (52-3-2, 29 KOs) returned to the ring after a six-year hiatus in August with a seventh round KO of Jose Miguel Fandino and was subsequently rated No.6 by the WBA in the organisation’s latest rankings. Veteran Martinez says he is building towards a shot at the WBA Regular champion at middleweight, Ryota Murata.
“The dates are tentative, but in principle my team and I agreed on [December 1 or 2] and, unless things get complicated for us with Covid-19, we will fight on those days, at most a week later, but surely against a more demanding rival than Fandino, someone harder who will allow us to evaluate where I am standing.
“Of course, [the ranking] surprised me a bit, it is all happening very fast, but in boxing these things happen, some have [argued] against me [over Martinez’s high rating], but this has come to my advantage and I will try to take advantage of it.”
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The delayed World Boxing Super Series cruiserweight final between Mairis Breidis and Yuniel Dorticos will take place at the Plazamedia Broadcasting Center in Munich, Germany, on September 26.
The winner will be the WBSS Season Two cruiserweight champion and re-establish the championship lineage in the division following the move to heavyweight of Season One winner Oleksander Usyk.
In the semi-finals in Riga, Latvia, in June 2019, Dorticos (24-1, 22 KOs) KOed Andrew Tabiti in 10 rounds while Briedis (26-1, 19 KOs) registered a controversial third round stoppage of Krzysztof Glowacki, which featured a series of refereeing blunders. The Covid-19 Pandemic has twice postponed the final in 2020.
“I love the fact that it will be in Munich as it reminds me of every time I went to train with the Klitschko brothers in Germany and the flights were always via Munich,” said Latvian Breidis. “Those are some great memories of the time spent with them there!”
Cuban Dorticos, the reigning IBF champion, added: “The KO Doctor is back and ready to prescribe another dose of pain and take the Muhammad Ali Trophy back to Miami!”
Main image: Tim Tszyu,Dave Hunt/AAP/Press Association.