A showdown between contender Tim Tszyu and undisputed Jr. middleweight champion Jermell Charlo was on the books for early 2023. 

An injury to Jermell Charlo kept him out of the ring until what will likely be the fall of this year. It’s probably the best thing that could have happened for Tszyu and for the scope of the event itself. 

In two appearances this year, Tszyu has posted two knockout wins and deepened his position as the number one threat in the division. In his first appearance, Tszyu methodically broke down former titlist Tony Harrison for the best win of his career. Saturday, he faced former title challenge Carlos Ocampo and gave the Harrison win an encore.

Like most encores, it was brief and played the hits.

Ocampo looked like he didn’t know what hit him. 

It’s probably why he was there. Tszyu’s team picked an opponent once knocked out in one by Errol Spence and who later lasted the distance witn Sebastian Fundora for a reason. It’s one of boxing’s most common reasons: comparison shopping.

Maybe it wasn’t intentional, but the obvious benefit of fighting someone other relevant performers near your weight class have fought is to be able to compare your performance to theirs. Tszyu went through Ocampo in a way Fundora couldn’t and more violently than Spence. 

It was a statement win. The statement was that Tszyu is coming for the prize.

Futures: Coming for it doesn’t mean Tszyu will get there. Charlo will be coming off a long layoff of more than a year but the experience gap still rests with the champion. On Saturday, Tszyu showed off power and fire, but he also took some shots he can’t afford to let Charlo have. Tszyu is an excellent offensive fighter, but his head and upper body movement can still be lacking. There will need to be further refinements in the lab before he gets to his title shot.

What Saturday, and the Harrison fight, have done though is make a fight with Charlo bigger. Tszyu isn’t just a promising contender with a Hall of Fame last name anymore. He carries the appearance of a real threat. Tszyu’s performances this year have elevated his title shot from interesting to must-see. Is he going to continue to improve? Will his activity make him sharp enough for one of the game’s most tested champions?

This is what boxing can be when divisional clutter is minimized. Crown the king and form the line to the right. Real challengers emerge and fans want to see the fights. 

More eyebrows are raised now than they would have been earlier this year and Jr. middleweight has a serious title fight coming.

Cliff’s Notes…

Sam Goodman was another real contender on display in Australia on Saturday. Ra’eese Aleem had been on a good run but Goodman outfought and outfoxed him to step ahead of him in the race for cracks at unified titlists Stephen Fulton and Marlon Tapales…Regis Prograis is 34 and one has to wonder if that’s starting to matter. Saturday, he looked slower and his timing never allowed him to sustain offense against Danielito Zorrilla. Jr. welterweight had a hell of a run going with the World Boxing Super Series and the parallel development of Jose Ramirez but that’s starting to get further away. Time passes and new young guns are coming quickly.  

Cliff Rold is the Managing Editor of BoxingScene, a founding member of the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board, a member of the International Boxing Research Organization, and a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America.  He can be reached at roldboxing@hotmail.com