By Ian S Palmer
Unbeaten Tim Tszyu of Australia will be putting his WBO Global Super Welterweight Title on the line against Japan’s Takeshi Inoue this Wednesday, Nov. 17th with Inoue’s WBO Asia Pacific Title also being up for grabs. The 12-rounder from Sydney, Australia can be seen live down under on PPV. Tszyu last fought in July when he stopped Steve Spark in the third round to defend his title and also win the vacant British Commonwealth Super Welterweight Belt. Inoue hasn’t fought since last November when he beat Nath Nwachukwu by an eight-round unanimous decision.
The Tszyu name is well known in Australia as Tim is the son of former world champion Kostya Tszyu. The 27-year-old climbs into the ring with a perfect mark of 19-0 with 15 Kos. He stands just under 5-feet-9-inches tall with a 72-inch and possesses better-than-average power with an impressive current knockout ratio of 79 per cent.
He’s boxed 83 rounds since making his pro debut in 2016 and has also captured the interim WBA Oceania, WBC Asian Boxing Council Continental, IBF Australasian, and Australian Super Welterweight Titles since turning pro. Tszyu’s first step up in class came in August, 2020 when he stopped former world champion Jeff Horn in the seventh round.
Tszyu hasn’t faced any other legitimate world contenders as of yet but Inoue once fought for the WBO World Super Welterweight Title. Tszyu has also beaten the likes of Dennis Hogan, Wade Ryan, Jack Brubaker, Ruben Webster, Larry Siwu, Denton Vassell, Joel Camilleri and the late Dwight Ritchie. He’s at least taking a step in the right direction here as Inoue is a formidable opponent.
The 31-year-old Inoue hails from Tokyo, and carries around an impressive mark of 17-1-1 with 10 Kos. He turned pro in 2014 and has 114 rounds in the bank since after going 39-16 as an amateur with 21 Kos. He stands 5-feet-8-inches with an unlisted reach so is just a half-inch shorter than Inoue. The lone loss on his record came hat the hands of Jaime Munguia via a unanimous decision in January, 2019 in a shot at the WBO Super Welterweight crown.
Inoue’s draw was a four-round affair which came in his pro debut against Daishi Nagata and he’s won four straight fights since losing to Munguia. Although they share the same last name, Inoue isn’t related to Naoya Inoue and Takuma Inoue. However, he has has won several regional and domestic titles including the Japanese, OPBF and WBO Asia Pacific Championships with wins over the likes of Nonaka, Akinori Watanabe, Koshinmaru Saito and Ratchasi Sithsainthong.
Inoue isn’t really know as a hard hitter with a current knockout ratio of 52.6 per cent and that won’t help his cause against Tszyu. Inoue doesn’t mind brawling though as he’s physically strong for a small man and likes to get inside and eventually break the opposition down. He arrived in Australia in great shape and is quite confident of going home with a win.
Prediction…
At this stage of his career, Tszyu is by no means at the same level as his famous his father, but has plenty of power and speed in his fists. This is a good test for him as Inoue is a solid boxer and a legitimate top-10 contender. Inoue should be his toughest opponent to date and while I don’t expect it to be easy, I’m still expecting Tszyu to emerge with a victory following a hard-fought battle.
