After months of speculation, Tim Tszyu finally looks to have found his next challenger for the WBO junior middleweight title, with American star Keith Thurman reportedly locked in for a March bout in Las Vegas.
The undefeated Australian has been linked with a number of high-profile fighters since defeating Brian Mendoza last year, with the likes of Terence Crawford and Vergil Ortiz Jr. throwing their proverbial hats into the ring, while potential challenger Erickson Lubin denied claims he pulled out of negotiations with the Sydney-born rising star.
But in a fresh development, the 29-year-old is now set to headline a pay-per-view card on March 30 in the United States, which has been his well-publicised goal.
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According to ESPN, Tszyu (24-0) will square off against Thurman (30-1) in the main event of PBC's first major event in their partnership with Amazon Prime.
The bout will mark Thurman's first endeavour into the squared circle in over two years and the challenger will be moving up to the 154lb weight class for the first time in his storied career, which features just one blemish against Manny Pacquaio in 2019.
The former unified welterweight champion was regarded as one of the world's pound-for-pound best, but inactivity in recent years has hindered his title aspirations.
https://twitter.com/MikeCoppinger/status/1750374827813191784?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Tszyu on the other hand has been tearing through his opposition, dropping both Tony Harrison and Carlos Ocampo last year, before emerging victorious against Mendoza in mid-October via unanimous decision and has reiterated his desire to take on the very best the world has to offer.
https://twitter.com/Tim_Tszyu/status/1749625490007319020?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
He won't be the only Aussie featured in a prominent position on the card either, with long-time rival Michael Zerafa reportedly in line for a WBA middleweight title bout against current champion Erislandy Lara in the co-main, according to Boxing Scene.
At this stage, neither fight has been formally announced by either Tszyu or Zerafa's promoters – but all signs point to an Aussie takeover in Sin City later this year.
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