Tim Tszyu has been mandated to fight for the WBO super welterweight world title, currently held by Argentine Brian Castaño.
The WBO made the announcement via email to Tszyu’s promoters at No Limit this morning, finalising weeks of discussion around whether the Australian would be elevated to mandatory status, according to Fox Sports.
The report states there’s no timeframe on when the fight will take place, with Tszyu set to fight again in November before fighting for the title in 2022. A unification rematch between Castaño and Jermell Charlo is still a possibility, meaning Tszyu could face either fighter.
The rematch between Charlo and Castano also depends on whether Charlo is forced to fight his IBF mandatory Bakhram Murtazaliev.
“It’s massive! There’s been a lot of hard work and it comes down to the fact I’ve been so active – fighting consistently against former challengers and champions, and the WBO has recognised that,” said Tszyu.
“I’ve been fighting in big fights, here at home in Australia, and the world has been watching. Now we are at a very exciting time.”
Tszyu has declared his willingness to fight for the title in the US but the strong preference remains to bring the world title fight to Australia.
The star’s promoters still plan to proceed with a November fight for Tszyu, with American former world champion Tony Harrison the preferred opponent.
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