Tim Tszyu Set To Return; Erickson Lubin Targeted, But There’s A Backup

Tim Tszyu, the former WBO junior middleweight champion, is set to return to the ring on September 22, per his promoter No Limit Boxing. He’ll be fighting in Australia, but nothing else has been set– including his opponent.

Shortly after his return was announced, the IBF ordered a final 154 lb. world title eliminator between Tszyu (24-1, 17 KOs) and Erickson Lubin (26-2, 18 KOs). That fight, however, is up in the air. According to Tszyu and his team, Lubin’s unwillingness to sign on for the trip to Australia under the terms apparently proposed is the roadblock to the bout.

No Limit Boxing CEO George Rose recently affirmed to The Australian newspaper that his side is ready to go, but that Lubin has yet to come aboard.

“There’s no hesitation from our side,” Rose told The Australian. “We want the fight and Tim wants the fight, but it’s a scary fight for Lubin. You’re up against the uncrowned king of the 154-pound division.

“To be able to convince anybody to fight Tim, it costs a bit extra and he’s in that seven-figure stratosphere. That’s where Tim is now. It’s a very costly process when you’re at this level and fighting the quality of opponents Tim is.”

Tszyu, himself, has expressed his desire to get back into the ring and meet Lubin for a shot at competing for a world title once again, this time against current IBF junior middleweight titlist, Bakhram Murtazaliev

“A lot of people talk the talk, but when it’s up to getting it done, they go the other way running,” Tszyu also told The Australian. “We’re the two main boys in the division in the IBF, so I hope we can get it on. Let’s see if he accepts…It’s real simple. I just want to fight. I want to get it on.”

The two sides have until July 30 to reach a deal.

In a recent interview with FightHubTV, Tszyu revealed that the backup to Lubin is Jesus “Mono” Ramos, who Lubin beat via controversial unanimous decision last September.

Tszyu, who is the son of Hall of Fame junior welterweight champ Kostya Tszyu, was regarded as one of the top rising stars in the sport and held the WBO junior middleweight title coming into his most recent bout on March 30, headlining the first PBC on Amazon Prime pay-per-view show.

Plans Ruined

Originally scheduled to meet former welterweight champ Keith Thurman, an injury to Thurman brought former WBC interim titlist Sebastian Fundora into the mix as a late replacement. From there, everything went sideways on the second-generation star.

The tall and unorthodox Fundora made for several awkward exchanges, one which resulted in an elbow right below Tszyu’s hairline at the end of the second round, opening up an ugly gash that could not be controlled.

Up until that accidental foul, Tszyu looked to be in control and on his way to the same kind of dominant victory that he had been registering in recent outings against Tony Harrison, Carlos Ocampo, and Brian Mendoza.

The blood gushing into his face tempered his performance, though, and clearly threw him off his game.

To Fundora’s credit, he pushed forward and outworked the Australian the rest of the way, earning a split decision victory that was a legitimate win, despite requiring a bit of an asterisk.

The Comeback

“It was a minor setback to a major comeback,” Tszyu told FightHubTV. “If I didn’t get elbowed, it could have been a different story, but that’s in the past. He did what he had to do to win, and kudos to him.”

Tszyu would move past the rough loss quickly and sign on to face fellow 154 lb. battler Vergil Ortiz Jr. in a highly-anticipated clash of all-action warriors. That bout would fall apart after Tszyu couldn’t get medical clearance due to the slow-healing cut from the Fundora bout.

But now the comeback is back on track and Tszyu is eager to get back in the ring. A No Limit social media post has Lubin, Ramos, Fundora, and former unified champ Jermell Charlo on the fighter’s short list of targets. Tszyu has also thrown Ortiz’s name back into the mix.

The plan is there and the fighter is raging for a return. Now, it’s just time to let the businessmen get everything in order.