Tim Tszyu Will Face Brian Mendoza On October 15th

Tim Tszyu will face Brian Mendoza on October 15th, 2023, in what will be the first defense of his WBO junior middleweight belt.

The Australian will become the full champion after Jermell Charlo begins his fight with Canelo Alvarez on September 30th, 2023, after the WBO’s decision to elevate him as the full champion.

This will be Tszyu’s third fight this year following his wins over Tony Harrison and Carlos Ocampo.

Meanwhile, Mendoza secured a win over Jeison Rosario, which was followed up by a stoppage win over Sebastian Fundora in his last fight.

And given that Mendoza is the current WBC interim champion, there is a chance that he could be elevated to being a full champion, which would make the Tszyu fight a unification.

The winner would then be in line to face Charlo for a potential undisputed bout provided that the American comes back down to 154 following his fight with Canelo. 

Meanwhile, a shot at a defence against Terence Crawford or Errol Spence could also await the winner provided that both move up to 154.

“I’m expecting a war and I’m expecting Mendoza to test me more than any other fighter. He has power in both hands and has shown he thrives off being that underdog, so I doubt coming to Australia will bother him but don’t expect a single person to be cheering for him.

“This was the fight to be made and the only fight that had me pumped up. Styles make fights and it has the potential to be a banger because we both go looking for the fight, have heavy hands and chase those killer knockouts everyone loves to replay over, and over, and over again.

“The road to undisputed continues, it’s just going to take a little longer. But trust me, the journey to get there will be way sweeter,” Tszyu