Fight Preview: Tszyu vs Spark
Source: sportingnews.com
Undefeated rising star Tim Tszyu (18-0, 14KOs) will be back in action Wednesday, July 7th, against Steve Spark (12-1, 11KOs).
The fight will take place at the Newcastle Entertainment Centre in Newcastle, Australia and stream live on ESPN+. This will be a 10-round in the junior middleweight division at the weight limit of 154 lbs.
Spark stepped in as a late replacement after Tszyu’s original opponent, Michael Zerafa, pulled out of the fight due to “safety concerns”.
Tszyu will be defending the WBO Global light-middleweight title for a 5th time. Both fighters will also fight for the vacant Commonwealth light-middleweight title.
Tszyu is currently ranked number seven in The Ring Magazine’s junior middleweight ratings and is looking to break into the top five with a victory over Spark.
Son of former world champion Kostya Tszyu, Tim Tszyu has adapted a lot of his father’s boxing style as his own. The Australian is a patient and calculated fighter who puts consistent pressure on fighters. Tszyu’s pressure is complemented well with heavy hands. Similar to his father, he also does not neglect the body shots.
With only four years since he turned pro, Tszyu has been the best boxer to come out of Australia since his father.
Tszyu has beaten the best his country has to offer and presents Australia with the best opportunity to capture a boxing world title. With a decisive victory over Spark, Tszyu can expand outside of the country into the United States or Europe and fight a top 10 ranked boxer.
For Spark on the other hand, this is an opportunity to shock the Australian boxing fans, as all the attention in the country has been on Tszyu and George Kambosos Jr.
With a 91% finishing rate, Spark will need to disrupt the composure that Tsyzu presents and not hesitate to throw against him.
With Spark coming in as a replacement, this fight is more of a showcase for Tszyu given the vastly different skill level between the boxers.
Tszyu is only two or three fights away from challenging a top contender like Julian Williams, or a champion like Jermell Charlo or Erslandy Lara.
One thing is for certain, Australia is thriving right now with contenders such as the Moloney brothers and George Kambosos Jr. and Tszyu is leading the charge.
To watch Tszyu vs. Spark, tune in Wednesday, July 7th on ESPN+ at 5am EST.