Earlier today, the WBO sent out a press release announcing that a ruling has been made regarding the situation at junior middleweight. Once the bell rings on September 30, Jermell Charlo (35-1-1, 19 KOs) will no longer be the WBO junior middleweight champion, and Tim Tszyu (23-0, 17 KOs) will be elevated from interim champion to full. Since the announcement of the Charlo fight with Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez (59-2-2, 39 KOs), everyone was wondering how the WBO would handle the title situation as Tszyu was scheduled to face Charlo, but it kept getting delayed due to an injury.
With Tszyu soon to be the full champion and currently in training camp for a fight that has not been announced, what are some options for the 28-year-old who goes by ‘The Soul Taker’?
WBO Championship Committee Resolution In the Matter of the WBO Jr. Middleweight Division @NoLimit_Boxing @TGBpromotions@TwinCharlo @Tim_Tszyuhttps://t.co/5hTvy96joo
— WBO (@WorldBoxingOrg) August 3, 2023
Josh Kelly (14-1-1, 7 KOs) ranked #1 with the WBO
Kelly can be an option as he is fresh off a unanimous decision victory over Gabriel Corzo (18-1, 3 KOs) on July 15. The only issue is that he fights on DAZN, and Tszyu has a deal with PBC/Showtime. Whether that deal includes the flexibility of doing fights outside of their network is something that hasn’t been answered. Kelly has some popularity but isn’t well-known outside of the U.K. With only seven knockouts in his 16 fights, could he be entertaining enough to have Tszyu host that fight in Australia?
Terence Crawford (40-0, 31 KOs)
📷🎤🥊💥 pic.twitter.com/K3vW2aThLA
— WBO (@WorldBoxingOrg) August 3, 2023
Crawford is in a great position to reach icon status in boxing. After capturing the undisputed title on Saturday night against Errol Spence Jr. (28-1, 22 KOs), Crawford can fight Spence Jr. again before the end of the year and then face Tszyu in May or June. It’s a fight that would be a monster event in Australia. Regardless of what happens between Charlo and Canelo in September, we are unlikely to see Charlo back at junior middleweight. With the belts broken up again, Crawford can try his best to reach undisputed status at junior middleweight, making him the only fighter in history to do that. Wouldn’t that be a great way to end a career?
Gennadiy ‘GGG’ Golovkin (42-2-1, 37 KOs)
In September, it will be a year since we have seen ‘GGG’ in the ring, and there haven’t been any whispers on when he could potentially fight again. In a Fight Hype interview last month, Tszyu expressed his desire for all the big fights, including moving up to middleweight to fight Golovkin. That is another fight that would do huge numbers in Australia, even at this stage of Golovkin’s career. Tszyu is big for junior middleweight and would fill in just fine if he made that move and fought Golovkin at middleweight.
Which fight will the fans draw to most? Given how spectacular Crawford looked on Saturday night, that’s the one that would gain the most interest but we would have to wait until next year unless Spence Jr. decides not to exercise the rematch clause.
