In either a display of complete meanness or he’s gone wild, super welterweight world champion American Jermell Charlo has gone on a rampage about Aussie superstar boxer Tim Tszyu.
And no one can fathom it.
Charlo, who will at some point have to face Tszyu for a unified title fight if the gifted Aussie wins against Mexican star Carlos Ocampo on Sunday, completely and bizarrely wrapped Tszyu with a stream of seemingly irrational comments.
Three different attacks came in from Charlo, first about some kind of water doping conspiracy when the Aussie destroyed Tony Harrison, second about Tszyu’s style mimicking his old man, Kostya, and third claiming that Tim doesn’t have the fighting tools he has.
The water was insane.
Aussie Tim Tszyu (in blue swimsuit) blasted US star Tony Harrison when they fought earlier this year, leading World Champion Jermell Charlo to say Aussie water was to blame
Speaking on Showtime overnight, Charlo suggested that Australian tap water aided Tszyu in the Harrison fight.
“I feel like there’s something wrong with him (Harrison),” he said of Harrison’s performance as he was sensationally and brutally beaten up by Tszyu who lost by TKO in the 9th round.
‘Something about Australia.
“I’m sure he wasn’t also business oriented.
“They probably put him in a nice hotel… they have nice hotels all over the world… but the secret about Australia is they got a little salt in their water.
“So just rehydrating will be bad.”
“Just by the way you lose weight, cut, then put salt water in your body, you keep it up…maybe the weight loss was the problem.”
Colorful champion Charlo (above) on the night he won the world title in 2016 pulled out of a fight with Tszyu scheduled for January this year, but will face him if the Aussie wins on Sunday
“I’m not trying to make excuses for him, but… it’s a little different there.”
Okay, Sydney, where the Harrison fight took place, has some of Australia’s lowest salinity in the entire country and is considered one of the safest drinking water drinking places in the world.
Compare that to Michigan, where Harrison was born and raised. In 2021, residents of several black communities were told by the state government not to drink tap water.
So Charlo’s claim only intensifies with oddity.
Then there’s the rant about Tszyu’s style, which mimics that of his famous father, which by the way, if correct, isn’t such a bad thing as Kostya is considered one of, if not, the greatest light welterweights in the history.
‘I don’t care at all,’ said Charlo.
“Your father is not in the ring, your father’s era is old.
“If you keep up that style, you don’t adapt to this new era, this new style, you’re going to have more problems anyway.
Mohammed Ali was great in his time. This is a different era right now.’
Weird comments. Just really bizarre.
But he didn’t stop there, started off with a self-aggrandizing diatribe that again defied logic, especially since Harrison beat Charlo a few years ago, and we know Tszyu beat Harrison into submission, but the American talks in the third person like he’s almost immortal in the ring.
“I’m going to get him out of the comfortable position and see how he can do it if he’s uncomfortable.
Tim Tszyu continues to build an amazing record now at 22 – 0 will fight Charlo as he takes care of business on the Gold Coast on Sunday
“If you beat me, you beat me – best man wins.”
“I’m not here to hold an undisputed record, I’m cool with that.
“I’m just unchallenged — and I’ve just worked too hard to get this, so I’m just going to step it up.
“I’m sure no one else in boxing has what I own in the ring, especially with my weight.
“I’m a much bigger fighter than people think.
My arms are faster and longer, I’m taking another punch, my sideways movement is ridiculous.
‘I can’t sing, but I can dance. I am an artist in the ring.”
Just the fodder Tszyu needs to paint the town red with him when they finally meet, hopefully later this year.