Jeff Horn vs Tim Tszyu Preview Aug. 26th
There’s a big domestic fight in Queensland, Australia this Wed. Aug. 26th as former world champion Jeff Horn will be tangling with unbeaten Tim Tszyu in a 10-round super welterweight bout. The fight, for Tszyu’s IBF Australasian, and WBO Global Super Welter Titles can be seen live early in the morning in America on ESPN+. Horn last fought in December when he beat Michael Zerafa buy 10-round majority decision for Zerafa’s WBA Oceania, and WBO Oriental Middleweight Titles. The two met at the end of August with Zerafa stopping Horn in the ninth of a slugfest to win the belts. Tszyu last fought in December as well when he stopped Jeff Brubaker in the fourth round.
Horn vs Tszyu Betting Odds
Here are the betting odds from online sportsbook BetOnline.ag (full review here).
- Jeff Horn +180
- Tim Tszyu -210
My Pick
The 32-year-old Horn of Brisbane is a former physical education teacher who will climb through the ropes with a record of 20-2-1 with 13 Kos to his name. He’s a former Olympian who reached the quarterfinals of the 2012 Games in London, England as a junior welterweight. He turned pro the next year and has fought 146 rounds since. Horn has also won a few inter-continental titles along the way before taking Manny Pacquiao’s WBO world title via a gift decision in July of 2017. He defended it once against Gary Corcoran via an 11th-round TKO.
He was stopped in nine rounds by Terence Crawford in June, 2018 and lost the crown in his second defence. Horn has also beaten the likes of Ali Funeka, Anthony Mundine, Randall Bailey, Ahmed El Mousaoui and Rico Mueller with his lone draw being a three-round technical affair with Rivan Cesaire in August, 2013. Horn stands 5-feet-9-inches tall with a 68-inch reach. He has decent power with a current knockout ratio of 56.5 per cent. He’s not a finesse boxer by any means as he relies on his aggression to win fights and so far he’s been relatively successful at it until running into Crawford and Zerafa.
The Tszyu name is well known in Australia as Tim is the son of former world champion Kostya Tszyu. The 25-year-old climbs into the ring with a perfect mark of 15-0 with 11 Kos. He’s just under 5-feet-9-inches tall with a 72-inch reach which gives him a four-inch reach advantage on Horn. Tszyu has better than average power with a current knockout ratio of 73.3 per cent.
He’s boxed just 66 rounds since making his pro debut in 2016 and has also captured the interim WBA Oceania, WBC Asian Boxing Council Continental, and Australian Super Welterweight Titles since turning pro. Tszyu will be stepping up in class on Wednesday for his first major test as he hasn’t faced any legitimate world contenders as of yet. So far he’s beaten the likes of Wade Ryan, Ruben Webster, Larry Siwu, Denton Vassell, Joel Camilleri and the late Dwight Ritchie.
Prediction…
Horn is never in a dull fight and this should be no exception. When he’s at his best he’s able to compete with the best in the world but if he’s below par, he has trouble. Tszyu is by no means his father at this stage of his career but if he can beat Horn and then continue to take on stiffer competition he may well become a top-10 boxer. Horn has proven to be a durable fighter with the limited skills he possesses while Tszyu has speed and power. This should be an exciting fight and I’ll be giving a slight edge to Tszyu due to his youthfulness and motivation factor.
Tszyu is out to live up to his father’s legacy.
Play Tszyu -210 @ BetOnline.ag
Check out my recent boxing betting picks to see my current form.
Jeff Horn betting • Tim Tszyu betting