By Nick Martinez
Tim Tszyu is going to get back into the ring soon, this time going up against Keith Thurman on March 30th. The battle between these two established boxers will be getting pay-per-view status as well. It’s the first PPV main event for Premier Boxing Champions ever since they made the choice to sign a new deal with Amazon. Of course, that choice was made due to Showtime Sports closing. Regardless, there’s going to be a lot of eyes on this bout.
The first thing that should be noted is that Tszyu is the current WBO junior middleweight champion. While this would make it obvious that Thurman is challenging Tszyu for the belt, some sources have claimed that WBO refused to sanction the fight. This means that there’s not going to be a title on the line as of right now. However, things could change quickly given that we’re still two months away, so we’re going to have to wait and see on that front.
Tszyu And Thurman Have Had Excellent Careers
Speaking of Tszyu as a boxer, he’s been incredible. He really broke out during 2023 and has a current record of 24-0 with 17 knockouts. Throughout his career he’s taken down a number of challenging opponents. He beat former titleholder Tony Harrison by TKO, he knocked out Carlos Ocampo in the first round, and he beat Brian Mendoza by unanimous decision. He’s gaining more and more experience each bout, and he’s proving that he belongs at the top. There’s no question though, Thurman is going to be one of the most high-profile challenges of his career.
Thurman has put together an unbelievable career of his own leading up to this fight. He’s boasting a record of 30-1, with 22 knockouts. What’s shocking about this particular bout is that Thurman is 35 years old and hasn’t fought since 2022. That 2022 fight was a unanimous decision victory over Mario Barrios in February. That was his only fight in four and a half years. It’s safe to say that he’s taken a good chunk of time off, and with his age, you never know how effective they will be straight away.
Nor would we know if he’s got the stamina to compete at a high level with a rising star such as Tszyu. Although Thurman’s track record is phenomenal. Not only does he have just one career loss on his record, that defeat came against Manny Pacquiao in 2019. Thurman fell behind early on in that fight, just to claw back and bring it to a split decision.
Tim Tszyu Has Been Waiting For This
Tszyu is currently ranked as ESPN’s number two boxer in his weight class. It was previously anticipated that he would be going up against Jermell Charlo, with the two competing for the undisputed junior middleweight championship. That fight was supposed to happen last January, though Charlo had to pull out of it after suffering a hand injury. In the time that followed, Tszyu won the interim title and later got promoted to champion when the WBO stripped Charlo.
Without a doubt, this battle between Tszyu and Thurman will be one that you will want to keep a close eye on. It is likely to be PPV on linear television and should be able to be acquired through Amazon Prime Video, as there’s that new contract we mentioned earlier.
Also, if you’re looking at some of the undercard matchups for this event, you will find Rolando Romero taking on Isaac Cruz for the junior welterweight title. You can catch Erislandy Larra taking on Michael Zerafa as well. And finally, Sebastian Fundora will make his return to take on Serhii Bohachuk.
