Opinions and Observations: Tszyu-Harrison

When Tim Tszyu was originally announced as Jermell Charlo's next opponent, I wasn't filled with a lot of confidence that the undefeated Australian prospect with the famous last name was ready to give the undisputed champion a run for his money. Yes, Tszyu featured a sterling record of 21-0 with 15 knockouts, but very few of his bouts were against top-level opposition. In his last fight, Tszyu had a rougher-than-expected outing against former title challenger Terrell Gausha. Gausha dropped him in the first round when Tszyu tried to come inside too recklessly. When Tszyu would unfurl his power-punching combinations, Gausha often countered him effectively. Even though Tszyu won the fight without controversy, he still seemed a little too green in the ring. 

Nevertheless, Tszyu's title shot was announced. However, months later Charlo had to pull out of the fight with an injury. Tszyu and his team now had two options to consider: Take a stay-busy bout against a marginal opponent while he stayed on track for a title shot or fight a real challenger as a way to continue to improve in the ring. Tszyu's team opted for the latter approach, selecting former 154-lb. champion Tony Harrison as his next opponent. And it was a big risk. Harrison had just dominated the tricky Sergio Garcia in one of his best performances as a pro and he featured a cerebral and technical style that would be a completely different look than Tszyu's notable past opponents. 

Despite the matchup being challenging on paper, Tszyu entered the ring with a clear understanding of how to fight and beat Harrison. As early as the first round, it was apparent that Tszyu had learned some valuable lessons from the Gausha bout. Instead of charging in irresponsibly, he patiently stalked Harrison looking to create openings. In fact, he had his earliest success in the fight, not leading, but as a counterpuncher. In the second round Harrison followed a jab with a straight right hand and Tszyu immediately countered with a hard right uppercut. 

Photo courtesy of boxingscene

This pattern continued throughout most of the early rounds of the fight. Whenever Harrison went to his power shots, whether it was a straight right hand or a left hook, Tszyu had an immediate counter ready and they landed frequently. Tszyu's counters weren't just scoring blows; they were so accurate, crisp and effective that they made Harrison reluctant to throw anything other than his jab. 

It's here that Tszyu's team, led by uncle Igor Goloubev and grandfather Boris Tszyu, deserve a lot of credit. They noticed a specific flaw that Harrison made when he threw his power shots. He would lean a little too far over his front foot while throwing them, exposing his chin for a momentary second. As soon as Tszyu recognized the power punches coming his way, he knew exactly what to do. These sequences had been drilled into him during training camp. He had the right punches ready to go and his timing on the shots was exceptional. 

Tszyu's team had clearly worked on this specifically for Harrison and as a result they helped create additional dimensions for Tim in the ring. No longer could he win only by front-foot aggression; he could now make opponents pay for their mistakes from distance. 

Another aspect of Tszyu's performance that really impressed me was his poise. Fighting in front of a raucous home crowd, it would have been understandable, expected even, if he tried to force an early knockout to galvanize his fans. But Tszyu didn't succumb to that trap. He was patient. He didn't overcommit with his shots. He didn't gas himself trying to look spectacular early. He fought like a veteran who understood the task at hand. He needed to break down his opponent over time and he executed that game plan to perfection. 

Now the fight wasn't all one-way traffic. Harrison's jab was terrific. And there were enough dead moments in the fight where Harrison's stick was enough to win rounds or at least make them very close. Of the eight completed rounds in the fight, I had Harrison winning three of them (the judges scored it the same way). But unlike Joe Joyce's jab against Daniel Dubois, Harrison's jab wasn't able to hurt Tszyu or cause real damage. It ultimately wasn't enough to thwart Tszyu's gameplan or stymie his aggression. Harrison needed something more and it wasn't until the second half of the fight, where he landed some short uppercuts, that he threw power punches on a consistent basis. 

In Harrison's corner, his brother kept chiding him for overthinking things during the fight. Yes, Tszyu was following an expert game plan, but Harrison's self-inflicted errors in judgment played into Tszyu's hands. When Tony is at his best, take the first Charlo fight or against Sergio Garcia, his movement can be among the best in the sport. His ability to use lateral movement, foot feints and circling can force opponents into hesitancy or self-doubt. 

But Harrison also had a history of fading in fights, and perhaps too much movement had been a contributing factor. To me, it was clear that Harrison tried to save his legs as much as possible in the early rounds of the fight and overcompensated in doing so. By not using any lateral movement, he remained too close to the pocket to evade trouble. So, in trying to solve one problem (preserving his gas tank) he created another (taking too many clean shots early). Perhaps the best answer was to mix in selective lateral movement to keep Tszyu guessing. Instead, Harrison moved in straight lines throughout the first half of the fight, making him an easier target. 

The end of the fight in the ninth round was a power punching clinic by Tszyu, who mixed in devastating right uppercuts and straight right hands against a mostly defenseless Harrison. And in the final moments, Harrison once again demonstrated that he lacked the ability to survive rough moments. Similar to the Charlo rematch where he refused to hold or tie-up upon getting hurt, Harrison didn't engage in any tactics to break the momentum of Tszyu's onslaught. He stood there, almost motionless, unable to process what to do next. 

Photo courtesy of boxingscene

Perhaps like many fighters, Harrison held onto the belief that he could punch his way out of trouble. But he never was able to arrive at a crucial understanding throughout his career, that other people can hit hard and take you out in a moment's notice. Harrison's losses have all followed the same pattern – a quick unraveling as soon as he got seriously hurt. 

Harrison is a student of the game and I'm sure that he's analyzed his fights over his career. Intellectually, I'm positive that he knows how important it is to tie-up when hurt. I bet he teaches the fighters he trains to do just that. But during those rough moments in his own career, he never had that instinct to tie-up, and it has cost him several fights, including a couple earlier in his career where he was clearly ahead before getting hurt. 

Ultimately, Tszyu's decision to fight Harrison turned out to be the perfect step for his career. He has now beaten a top contender. And it wasn't just that he defeated Harrison, but the manner in which he did so. He didn't need a hometown scorecard to get the nod; he created clear separation. As he has waited for his title shot, Tszyu has taken advantage of this period and developed additional facets of his game. He is now a serious threat. Charlo beating him is no longer a formality. Tszyu will make him have to earn it. And if Tszyu continues his rapid improvement in the ring, who knows how far he can go? 

Now there's intrigue. And now there's a great fight to sell. 

Adam Abramowitz is the founder and head writer of saturdaynightboxing.com. 

He's a contributing writer for Ring Magazine, a member of Ring Magazine's Ring Ratings Panel and a Board Member for the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board. 

Email: saturdaynightboxing@hotmail.com

snboxing on twitter. SN Boxing on Facebook. 

SI Boxing Podcast

I joined Chris Mannix's SI Boxing podcast this week, which also featured journalist Michael Woods. We discussed the Canelo/DAZN drama, the Charlo brothers and their upcoming fights, and what should be next for Tim Tszyu. To listen to the podcast, click here or here. The podcast can also be viewed on DAZN starting Sunday, September 6th. 

Adam Abramowitz is the founder and head writer of saturdaynightboxing.com. He's a member of Ring Magazine's Ring Ratings Panel and a Board Member for the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board. 

Email: saturdaynightboxing@hotmail.com.

snboxing on twitter. SN Boxing on Facebook.

SNB Stock Report 8-30-20

After a busy month of fight action, it's time for another edition of the SNB Stock Report. See which fighters' stock went up (+), down (-) or remained unchanged (NC). To read more about the Whyte-Povetkin and Alvarez-Smith fights, click here. 

Shawn Porter (+)

Photo Courtesy of Sean Michael Ham

In his first ring action since last year's thrilling fight against Errol Spence, Shawn slugged his way to a shutout against Sebastian Formella. Porter dazzled with combination punching on the inside and exhibited solid technical boxing skills on the outside. This was always going to be a marking time bout for Porter, but he looked very sharp and didn't fight down to the level of his competition. Expect Porter to be back in the welterweight title picture in 2021.

Erislandy Lara (NC)

Erislandy Lara remains a formidable fighter in the junior middleweight division. This month he boxed his way to a unanimous decision against overmatched Greg Vendetti. Lara's timing was off at points early in the fight and he wasn't always able to stop Vendetti from getting in close. However, he got the best of the action with straight left hands, left uppercuts and right hooks. At 37, it's a fair question to ask if Lara's reflexes are still at their peak form, but we're going to need to see a much better opponent than Vendetti to find out that answer. 

Alfredo Angulo (-)

Many fight fans have been calling for Angulo to retire for a number of years. His physical skills have declined and he's taken far too many heavy blows. However, he had a nice come-from-behind victory against Peter Quillin last year, which was supposed to set up a meaningful fight against Caleb Truax. But Truax had to pull out of that matchup for health reasons and Angulo wound up facing late-replacement Vladimir Hernandez. After a slow start, Angulo slugged his way back into the fight, but he did slow down in the final two rounds. He wound up losing a unanimous decision, but more importantly, he was hit with hundreds of additional hard shots throughout the fight. He's now 38 and if he had been harboring any dreams of finding his way back into the title picture, that reality is now up in smoke.  

Angelo Leo (+)

Leo was supposed to fight Stephen Fulton for a vacant belt at 122 lbs., but Fulton tested positive for COVID-19 the week of the fight. Southpaw Tramaine Williams stepped in on short notice and despite a radical difference in opponent style, Leo was able to impress. Taking a few rounds to assess to Williams's hand speed and movement, Leo eventually had success on the inside with a merciless body attack. He also displayed an exceptional ability to cut off the ring, nullifying Williams's foot speed advantage. Leo won via a unanimous decision and put his name into the hat as another top fighter in the deep junior featherweight division. 

Ra'eese Aleem (+)

Every now and then an unheralded veteran fighter will suddenly emerge on the scene and force the boxing industry to take notice. Thirty certainly isn't an age for most junior featherweights to make an initial impression; that's when many smaller-weight fighters are already comfortably in their decline phase. However, Aleem, who had been boxing mostly in the Midwest and Pennsylvania circuits, made a significant statement by stopping Marcus Bates in his Showtime Championship Boxing debut. Aleem put forth an impressive power-punching display and he also demonstrated significant skills both on the inside and outside. With his electric performance, he'll certainly have another notable opportunity soon.  

Jose Ramirez (-)

Ramirez looked like he was in peak form during an impressive performance against Maurice Hooker last July. Since then, a scheduled fight with Viktor Postol was cancelled twice on account of the COVID-19 pandemic. Finally, back into the ring after 13 months, Ramirez struggled against Postol's clever boxing from the outside. Ramirez did have a few notable moments in the seventh and eighth rounds where he hurt Postol with left hooks against the ropes. But for the most part, he seemed to fight Postol to a standstill, with neither fighter truly able to assert his will upon the action. Ramirez wound up winning a majority decision. It wasn't a robbery, but the unified junior welterweight champion did not look commanding or convincing in the ring. He will still have an opportunity to become the undisputed 140-lb. champ in a future fight against Josh Taylor, but Ramirez's career momentum took a hit with his inconsistent showing against Postol. 

Viktor Postol (+)

At the age of 36, Postol was supposed to present a couple of challenges to Jose Ramirez, but few, if any, expected him to win the fight. Yet after 12 rounds, the actual winner of the contest was very much in doubt. More than a few on social media thought that he had jabbed and moved his way to a close win (count me in this group). Although Postol lost by majority decision, he demonstrated that he's still an elite junior welterweight. With a different judging panel, he certainly could have had his hands raised at the end of the night. 

Katie Taylor (+)

Photo Courtesy of Mark Robinson

Katie Taylor has now boxed 20 rounds against Delfine Persoon and has come away with disputed victories in both fights. Without getting into the intricacies of scoring, both Taylor-Persoon bouts have been among the best women's boxing fights that I've seen. In my opinion both boxers have been elevated by their performances. Taylor-Persoon is just one of those matchups that stylistically will lead to close verdicts on the scorecards. From my vantage point, I thought that Taylor boxed a little sharper in the rematch and used her legs to better effect. My scorecard read 96-94 for Taylor; however, I don't think that her victory was definitive by any means. But ultimately, the fight was fantastic, and sometimes that's more important than the minutiae of scoring criteria. 

Delfine Persoon (+)

It's long been a working theory of mine that the best way to fight expert, polished boxers is to dispense with any notion of trying to match their skills. Persoon doesn't possess the pretty jabs, textbook left hook, or foot speed of Katie Taylor, but she has specific dimensions that will always bother her. Persoon's relentless aggression forces Taylor to fight at a pace (faster) and a distance (closer) that is uncomfortable for her. In addition, Persoon is wonderful in the clinch, utilizing her physicality and maneuvering her body to get off chopping power shots at close range. It's a shame that Taylor and Persoon fought only two-minute rounds. In so many of their rounds Taylor dominated the first half and Persoon came back in the final minute. A third minute could have provided a definitive winner in both bouts.  

David Benavidez (-)

On one hand David Benavidez took care of business this month by defeating Alexis Angulo in an impressive, one-sided beat down. But "business" is the key word, as far as it concerns Benavidez. He missed weight by almost three pounds prior to the fight and wound up losing his belt on the scales, the second time in his brief professional career where he has lost a world title outside of the ring. Benavidez has now earned the reputation of being unreliable, which is not a positive development for him. It's unclear if Benavidez can even safely make super middleweight going forward. If he can, he may still get a fight with titleholder Caleb Plant in 2021, but he won't have the same financial leverage that he would have had as a champion. 

Sebastian Fundora (+)

Last year Fundora had a difficult matchup against Jamontay Clark. Fundora built an early lead, but somehow let Clark, whom he had hurt multiple times, come back into the fight to earn a draw. Did Fundora have enough physical strength on his lanky frame? Was he unprepared for Clark's lateral movement? Facing former contender Nathaniel Gallimore this month, Fundora put all those questions aside for now and impressed in all aspects against a much different opponent. Not only was his punch selection, power and work rate fantastic, but he also showed a new-found ability to use his physicality to rough up Gallimore in the trenches. Fundora won via a sixth-round knockout. It's still anyone's guess as to which division Fundora will ultimately settle into, but he's starting to grasp more advanced aspects of boxing in the ring. If he keeps making steady progress, he's going to be a tough out. 

Israil Madrimov (NC)

Madrimov defeated veteran Eric Walker this month in an overall strange performance. After a fast start, Madrimov seemed to tire by the fourth round. In the seventh and eighth rounds he was getting hit by a lot of shots. Then the fight got weird. In the ninth round, Madrimov landed a leaping left that knocked Walker down. During the follow through of the punch, Madrimov's shoulder also connected with Walker. Referee Gary Ritter ruled that the knockdown was due to the foul, which was a questionable call at best. After a long break, the fight resumed and Madrimov dominated the remainder of the action. He would win a unanimous decision. Madrimov possesses incredible athletic talent, but his lack of defensive fundamentals is problematic at this point in his young professional career. Walker routinely landed with simple one-two's. And it's surprising that with Madrimov's substantial amateur career, that he still has such defensive shortcomings. Madrimov's team has talked about getting a title shot as soon as possible at junior middleweight. In my opinion he still needs three or four fights before he's ready for that level.

Tim Tszyu (+)

In a big fight in Australia, Tszyu, the son of the former champion, Kostya, stopped recent welterweight champion Jeff Horn. In just his 16th pro fight, Tszyu fought like a seasoned veteran, handling Horn's roughhouse techniques and grappling with aplomb. Tszyu featured a pulverizing left hook and a commitment to body punching. Like Madrimov, Tszyu is one of the up-and-comers in the 154-lb. division. And although he possesses offensive firepower, he would do well to fight a legitimate contender or two before he gets a title shot. To this point he hasn't had enough competitive rounds in his professional development.  

Rolando Romero (-)

Romero made his Showtime Championship Boxing debut this month against Jackson Marinez, and quite frankly, he didn't look ready for the big stage. Loading up on every shot, Romero seemed befuddled by Marinez's polished boxing skills and athleticism. Romero did connect with some tasty power punches, but there weren't enough of them. Romero was awarded the victory, but it was a robbery. It's never a good sign when the WBA President immediately tweets out that a rematch should be considered based on the scoring of the fight. At 24, Romero still has time to develop additional aspects of his game. He has to learn to set up shots strategically. For many opponents, one shot will not suffice. 

Otto Wallin (+)

Wallin, who gave Tyson Fury some problems last year, stopped Travis Kauffman in the fifth round of their fight this month. Wallin is one of those fighters who doesn't necessarily pass the "eye test," but he can fight. Although he doesn't possess big-time power, his punch volume, jab and movement are unique factors in a division where many fighters would prefer to be stationary. He needs additional rounds against credible heavyweights to assess just what his ceiling could be, but he has some interesting raw tools. It wouldn't surprise me to see him spring a notable upset or two in the near future.

Adam Abramowitz is the founder and head writer of saturdaynightboxing.com. He's a member of Ring Magazine's Ring Ratings Panel and a Board Member for the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board. 

Email: saturdaynightboxing@hotmail.com.

snboxing on twitter. SN Boxing on Facebook.