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Tim Tszyu is set for a unification fight with super-welterweight champ Jermell Charlo after the WBO ordered the American to defend his belts against him.
Tim Tszyu has declared his unified mega-fight with Jermell Charlo his "Zab Judah moment" as the undefeated Australian bids to emulate his legendary father.
Tszyu will take on Charlo later this year for the undisputed super-welterweight championship after the WBO ordered the American to defend his belt against the Sydney boxer.
Tszyu has been the WBO's No.1 mandatory challenger for more than a year, prompting the sanctioning body to intervene following Charlo's victory over Brian Castano last month.
Also the holder of the WBC, IBF and WBA belts, Charlo's win in California elevated the 32-year-old into boxing immortality as only the seventh man in the 18-year four-belt era to claim all major straps in one division.
Now Tszyu has the chance to follow in the footsteps of his father Kostya, who unified the light-welterweight division in 2001 with a second-round knockout of American Zab Judah in Las Vegas.
While his promoters from No Limit Boxing are promising to "do everything" to bring the fight to Australia, the blockbuster is almost certain to take place in the US - and possibly even at the MGM Grand where Kostya Tszyu KO'd the previously unbeaten Judah 21 years ago.
"Actually I wouldn't mind America. Anywhere. Four belts on the line, I couldn't care less where I'm fighting," said Tszyu, noting the similarities between the trash-talking Judah and Charlo, who has been sledging the Australian for months.
"This is the Zab Judah moment for me. This is the destiny and everything I've ever worked for. Twenty seven years old and for it to happen this early in my career, it's great.
"Top of the mountain. Straight to the top of the mountain. It's crazy and I'm actually speechless."
Charlo dismissed Tszyu as "Tim Kazoo" and "Tim who?" after stopping Castano.
"He (Charlo) is just typically the man. The typically flashy, talk smack type of guy," Tszyu said on Wednesday.
"There's no better way to punch him in the face and that's what I want to do.
"The best thing about it is he thinks it's going to be a walk in the park. I guarantee you this is no walk in the park for him."
Charlo 35-1-1-(19KO) is offically ranked among the top-10 pound-for-pound fighters in the world.
"I give credit to Charlo, he's good," said Tszyu (21-0, 15KO).
"He's not bad ...He's at his peak - 30 years old - and he's on a high, he has all the belts and that's the best thing about it.
"You take on someone like that, in their peak, in the pound-for-pound list and take it all away from them, it's even sweeter."
The Tszyu and Charlo camps have a deadline of June 20 to make the fight, proposed for August 28 but more likely to happen in October or November, or a purse bid will take place.
With George Kambosos fighting American Devin Haney in Melbourne on Sunday for undisputed lightweight honours, the Tszyu development could potentially give Australia two unified world champions hailing from the same suburban Sydney gym.
Kambosos started boxing at the Kostya Tszyu Boxing Academy in Rockdale and was mentored by Tim Tszyu's esteemed trainer, his uncle Igor Goloubev, chalking up 85 amateur wins before turning professional in 2011.
