Australian Tim Souzi stopped American Tony Harrison in the ninth round on Sunday to win the interim WBO super welterweight title.
The 28-year-old unbeaten Australian won a TKO in their Sydney bout and took a flurry of powerful right-handers.
Zyu, son of former light welterweight world champion Kostya Tszyu, said his victory sent a message to America’s undisputed world super welterweight boxing champion Jermel Charlo.
“The message was clearly sent. You know what’s coming. I’m coming. I’m coming to America,” he told an arena packed with Australian fans.
Tszyu was set to fight Charlo in Las Vegas in January.
But Charlo’s defense of all four major sanctioning body world crowns was postponed when his promoters announced in December that he had broken his left hand during training.
Charlo has only recorded one loss in his career – when Harrison won a unanimous decision in New York in December 2018.
Charlo returned a year later and defeated Harrison in a rematch.
On Sunday, the 32-year-old Harrison tried to put Tziou out of the fight with several rapid-fire jabs.
But the Australian’s powerful hooks and uppercuts finally took their toll, dropping the American and prompting the referee to stop the attack.
Djw / Dva
