Tim Tszyu is reportedly close to a deal to challenge 42-year-old Erislandy Lara for the WBA middleweight world title before the end of the year.
Tszyu enters the potential matchup after the biggest win of his career, becoming just the second man to beat Errol Spence Jr. in a middleweight bout in July, a win that prompted Spence to retire.
That victory also marked Tszyu’s first fight working under Australian boxing legend Jeff Fenech as his lead trainer, following a stretch that saw him lose his WBO super-welterweight title to Sebastian Fundora and then come up short in two subsequent attempts to reclaim a 154-pound title, against Bakhram Murtazaliev and in a rematch with Fundora.
No Limit Boxing CEO George Rose confirmed to Fox Sports Australia that discussions with Lara’s team have gone well and that an announcement could be close.
We’ve had great discussions with Lara’s team and I feel like something is close to being announced
Fenech, for his part, said he’d love to see Tszyu become just the third Australian boxer to win world titles in more than one weight division, joining Fenech himself and Liam Paro in that club.
The Lara-Tszyu fight is expected to take place this December in Australia, where Tszyu remains undefeated despite three losses elsewhere in his career.
