Top super welterweight contender and rising star Tim Tszyu will make his long-awaited U.S. debut when he takes on U.S. Olympian Terrell Gausha in a 12-round showdown that headlines action live on SHOWTIME Saturday, March 26 from The Armory in Minneapolis in a Premier Boxing Champions event. Fight fans outside the US can watch the fight card LIVE on FITETV.
Unbeaten rising prospect Joey Spencer will battle Ravshan Hudaynazarov in an eight-round middleweight attraction that highlights the non-televised undercard lineup on Saturday, March 26 in a Premier Boxing Champions event from The Armory in Minneapolis.
The SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING® telecast begins at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT and will feature rising undefeated lightweight contender Michel Rivera dueling fellow unbeaten Joseph “Blessed Hands” Adorno in the 10-round co-main event, plus hard-hitting super lightweight contender Elvis Rodríguez faces Juan José Velasco in the 10-round telecast opener.
Tickets for the event, which is promoted by TGB Promotions, No Limit Boxing and Warriors Boxing, are on sale now and can be purchased at the Armory at http://ArmoryMN.com/ and through Ticketmaster.
The undercard lineup will also include super welterweight contender Brian Mendoza (19-2, 13 KOs) squaring off against San Antonio’s Benjamin Whitaker (15-7, 3 KOs) for eight rounds of action, undefeated Australian heavyweight Joseph Goodall (7-0-1, 6 KOs) facing Matthew McKinney (8-4-2, 5 KOs) in an eight-round fight and unbeaten super welterweight contender Bakhram Murtazaliev (19-0, 14 KOs) in a 10-round bout against Ahmad Cheikho (18-7, 13 KOs).
Rounding out the card are a trio of unbeaten prospects as 21-year-old Travon Marshall (4-0, 3 KOs) takes on fellow unbeaten Timothy Parks (3-0, 2 KOs) in a six-round super welterweight tilt, 25-year-old Michael Angeletti (4-0, 3 KOs) steps in for a six-round super bantamweight contest against Angel Luna (15-9-1, 8 KOs), and 19-year-old lightweight Breeon Carothers (1-0, 1 KOs) battles Deljerro Revello (0-2) in a four-round attraction.
The 21-year-old Spencer (14-0, 10 KOs) turned pro in February 2017 and immediately caught the eye of fans and pundits with his combination of speed, power and athleticism. Following an impressive 2020 campaign, the Linden, Michigan native added three more victories to his ledger in 2021, including his first eight-round fight as he earned a unanimous decision over James Martin in July. Most recently, Spencer delivered a sensational Christmas Day knockout of Limberth Ponce in the fifth-round of action.
A native of Uzbekistan, Hudaynazarov (19-4, 14 KOs) now fights out of Las Vegas as 12 of his last 14 bouts have taken place stateside. The 37-year-old was unbeaten in his first 17 pro fights before suffering four defeats from 2018 to 2020. Hudaynazarov bounced back to win his last two fights, stopping Eduardo Ayala in April 2021 before most recently winning a decision over Sergio Sarabia in June 2021.
After a long flight from Australia, WBO No. 1-ranked contender Tim Tszyu (20-0, 15 KOs) has arrived to the U.S. in preparation for his upcoming showdown with 2012 U.S. Olympian Terrell Gausha (22-2-1, 11 KOs). Tszyu vs. Gausha, a 12-round clash, will headline live on SHOWTIME, Saturday, March 26 from The Armory in Minneapolis in a Premier Boxing Champions event.
“I have come to America with big visions of taking over the whole super welterweight division and becoming the next great 154-pound champion of the world,” said Tszyu, the son of Hall of Fame fighter Kostya Tszyu. “To become a legend, you must come to America at some point in your career and leave a mark on the sport. I want to continue my family’s legacy in boxing, as well as forge my own journey. March 26 is the start of my era.”
“I respect my opponent, he has a world-class amateur pedigree, and has fought at the championship level,” continued Tszyu, who will be making his U.S. debut. “I feel that facing someone like Gausha, who is coming off a big win, makes for a great fight. This will be my SHOWTIME debut, and I am looking to not just be the best, but to also be the face of the network. I want to follow in the footsteps of my father, and one day be inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame.”
“We are ready to take the next step in Tim’s career as we have had amazing success back home, but we want to show the whole world what he is capable of, and what better place than America for that?” said Tszyu’s trainer Igor Goloubev. “I know that he has the ability of a Hall of Fame fighter, now we must prove it. 2022 will be a great year for us and we look forward to the journey fighting here in the U.S.”
“We have big plans for Tim Tszyu to really make a name for himself here in the United States,” said George Rose, CEO of No Limit Boxing, who promotes Tszyu. “A great performance on SHOWTIME will be the start of something special”
SHOWTIME SPORTS® OFFERS FIRST LOOK AT VIDEO FEATURE SHOWCASING TIM TSZYU’S PATH TO MUCH-ANTICIPATED UNITED STATES DEBUT TONIGHT ON SHOWTIME
SHOWTIME Sports has released an exclusive interview detailing Tim Tszyu’s unique journey from watching his father fight on SHOWTIME as a young child to being on the precipice of making his own highly-anticipated network and United States debut and stepping out of his dad’s shadow as a top contender. Tszyu, the son of former undisputed 140-pound world champion and International Boxing Hall of Famer Kostya, takes on rugged veteran Terrell Gausha tonight, Saturday March 26 live on SHOWTIME at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT from The Armory in Minneapolis. To watch and share the video, go to https://youtu.be/v1FXXDrc4BM.
“Every son sees their father as a super hero, my dad was actually a real-life super hero,” says Tszyu in the interview conducted by SHOWTIME’s Hall of Fame analyst Al Bernstein of Kostya who fought on SHOWTIME 10 times. “I’m super proud as a son of what my dad did. But at the same time, this is my own career and I’ve always wanted to step away from that shadow to be known not just as Kostya Tszyu’s son but I want to be known as Tim Tszyu. It’s taken years and years of work.”
Tszyu, a hugely popular figure in his native Australia, built up a perfect record of 20-0 with 15 KOs in his home country, including a TKO over former world champion Jeff Horn. He’s now eager to make his stateside debut in impressive fashion and showcase why he deserves to be next in line to face the winner of the upcoming Jermell Charlo-Brian Castano showdown for undisputed status on May 14 on SHOWTIME.
“There’s plenty of big fights to be made and it’s quite exciting,” says Tszyu, who is ranked No. 1 by the WBO and No. 3 by the IBF and WBC at 154 pounds. “I’m at a good age as well, 27 years old, I still haven’t reached my peak. There’s so much to learn and there’s so much to know that it’s a never-ending story. This is the new chapter and it begins now.”
The video feature will air on tonight’s SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING® telecast that also features rising lightweight contender Michel Rivera vs. fellow unbeaten Jos
