Tim Tszyu Vs. Tony Harrison: Odds, Records, Prediction (Updated With Betting Results)
Tim Tszyu has proven he’s not afraid of a challenge. He originally was supposed to clash with Jermell Charlo earlier this year for the undisputed junior middleweight championship, but when Charlo pulled out with a broken hand, Tszyu took another tough challenge while he waits. Now, Tony Harrison wants to make Tszyu pay for his decision. Here’s everything you need to know about Tim Tszyu vs. Tony Harrison, including the odds, their records and a prediction on who will win.
Clearly, Tszyu wants a chance to win the undisputed titles from Charlo, and clearly, he’s taking a risk in facing a former world titlist in Harrison as he waits for Charlo to heal. But if he beats Harrison, which would still be the biggest victory on Tszyu’s resume, he’ll get his shot at Charlo and all four belts.
his solid victory vs. Terrell Gausha, Tszyu is ready for an even more accomplished opponent.
"I was really devastated," Tszyu said, via Yahoo, when he found out about the Charlo injury. "I was devastated because it was such a big opportunity . . . But you have to realize, there are so many more problems you face in life than this. It's just a little hurdle. I'm at that top level now where there are plenty of opponents. There's no point crying about things like this.
"[Harrison] is a bit quicker and rangier. They have some similarities but I think Harrison has more boxing skills."
Harrison is a sneaky good fighter. He doesn’t necessarily have the kind of power that Tszyu would face against Charlo, but he’s experienced and technically sound. He’s had problems with his chin, which Tszyu surely would love to test, but it’s not unreasonable to put your money on the underdog in this fight. Harrison has already beaten some of the top fighters at 154 pounds, and Tszyu hasn’t yet proven he’s among the very best at junior middleweight.
Said Harrison: “This is exactly what our division needs. This is what boxing needs. This is the year all the best fight the best.”
Here’s more info on the Tim Tszyu vs. Tony Harrison showdown that U.S. viewers can watch on Showtime beginning at 10:45 p.m. ET on Saturday.
The oddsmakers seem have it right on (at least as I see it), making Tszyu the betting favorite at -278 (bet $278 to win $100) and Harrison the +210 underdog (win $210 on a $100 wager), as of Friday afternoon. I don’t love betting on Tszyu’s money line, but I could be convinced to grab him to win by stoppage at +110 or to win by stoppage in rounds 7-12 at +250.
If you want to put money on Harrison, I’d take him to win by decision at +450.
While Harrison would be the biggest win on his resume, Tszyu (21-0, 15 KOs) certainly has solid victories. He confirmed his legitimacy as a contender by knocking out fellow Australian Jeff Horn in 2020, and since then, he’s scored wins against Gausha, Dennis Hogan and Takeshi Inoue. At 351 days since his last fight, Tszyu is coming off the longest layoff of his career.
In his 12 year as a professional, Harrison (29-3-1, 21 KOs) appears to still be in his prime, even if it’s on the back end. There were questions heading into his last fight after losing to Jermell Charlo and managing a draw vs. Bryant Perrella, but Harrison looked great in dominating Sergio Garcia last year. But remember: Harrison, whose biggest win came against Charlo in 2018, has been out of the ring for 11 months, and he’s fought only three times since 2018. You have to wonder if and when his inactivity will catch up with him.
Harrison might be technically better than Tszyu, and I expect him to give Tszyu plenty of issues in this fight. But I like Tszyu’s power, and I love the fact he’s going to be fighting in his home country of Australia. I think he catches Harrison with hard shots late, and considering all three of Harrison’s losses have come by stoppage, Tszyu will have the power to TKO him. Say Tszyu by stoppage in the ninth round.
Though Harrison fought well for much of the fight, using his job to keep himself in the mix, Tszyu turned it on in the ninth, dropping Harrison with a variety of shots. Though Harrison beat the count, the ref stopped the fight as Harrison stumbled around the ring, giving Tszyu the ninth-round TKO victory (ahem, just like I predicted).
If you took Tszyu to win straight up, you earned $36 on a $100 wager. If you grabbed him to win by stoppage in rounds 7-12, like I advised, you made a $250 profit, and if you bet on him to win by stoppages in rounds 9-12, you earned $400. But if you were smart enough to bet on Tszyu to win in the ninth round, you made a tidy $1,400 on a $100 bet.
