MINNEAPOLIS – Tim Tszyu reached a point last summer where he knew a trip abroad was in his immediate future.

The second-generation boxer would enjoy two more fights at home before his team agreed it was time to bring the act stateside. With that comes the long-anticipated U.S. debut for Tszyu, who faces former title challenger Terrell Gausha (22-2-1, 11KOs) this Saturday at The Armory in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

“It was time to get out of Australia and come to America,” Tszyu told BoxingScene.com. “We’ve done a lot of great things in my home country. They’ve even named cities and arenas after me, which is pretty crazy if you think about it.

“But this is where I need to be. I’m buzzing, I’m super excited to fight here.”

Tszyu (20-0, 15KOs) braced for the inevitable comparisons to his Hall of Fame father and former lineal junior welterweight champion Kostya Tszyu, from the moment he first decided to box. The younger Tszyu quickly carved out his own name, developing the proper way even if with far greater fanfare than normally afforded the average rising prospect.

The unbeaten junior middleweight advanced from newcomer to prospect prior to the pandemic shutting down the sport. His return in August 2020 launched a run where Tszyu transformed into box-office gold, to the point of taking over Newcastle—aptly dubbed ‘Tszyu-castle’ for his two appearances there in 2021, knockout wins over Dennis Hogan and Steve Spark.

Both fights took place at the Newcastle Entertainment Centre, which housed his father’s final domestic fight in 1998 before embarking on his second title run which included eight straight fights in the U.S. In fact, his entire second title reign spanning the final 12 fights of his career aired live on Showtime beginning with a knockout win over former titlist Rafael Ruelas in a WBC title eliminator.

The younger Tszyu remembers those moments along with being raised on Hall of Fame talent from North America which drew him to the sport and spawned visions of one day conquering America.

“This is what I’ve always watched as a young kid growing up,” noted Tszyu, who is the mandatory challenger to WBO junior middleweight champion Brian Castano. “From the Roy Jones and Felix Trinidad days. I’ve always watched it. If this isn’t a buzz for you, if this doesn’t get you blood pumping, I don’t know what will.”

Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox