Tszyu to Be Stripped of Title if He Loses Non-Title Fight to Thurman

Australian commentator Ben Damon reported that the WBO has changed the terms for the catchweight (up to 70.3 kg) non-title fight between Australian Tim Tszyu (24-0, 17 KOs) and American Keith Thurman (30-1, 22 KOs).

The event will take place on March 30th in Las Vegas, USA. It will be a non-title fight since the World Boxing Organization declined to sanction it. However, the WBO has decided to strip Tim Tszyu of his title in the event of a loss to Thurman.

"The WBO has upped the stakes for the Tszyu vs. Thurman fight. It has been decided that Tszyu will be stripped of his title if he loses the non-title fight," Damon wrote.

Tszyu's last fight took place in October of the previous year against Brian Mendoza (22-3, 16 KOs). It was the first defense of the title, in which Tim won by unanimous decision.

Keith Thurman has fought only three times in the last seven years, with his last ring appearance in February 2022 against Mario Barrios (28-2, 18 KOs), winning by unanimous decision against his compatriot.