Tszyu retains world title with points win over Mendoza

Oct 15, 2023, 02:00 AM ET

Tim Tszyu has retained his WBO super-welterweight crown with a tense and electrifying points win over tough American Brian Mendoza.

Tszyu captivated a sellout crowd at the Gold Coast Convention Centre with one of the most polished displays of his still-undefeated 24-fight career to record a unanimous victory on Sunday.

The 28-year-old son of a gun once again called out former undisputed divisional king Jermell Charlo after the three judges awarded him the fight 116-111, 116-112 and 117-111.

Tim Tszyu, right, dominated Brian Mendoza in the second half of the fight to retain his WBO junior middleweight world title Saturday night in Gold Coast, Australia. Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images

Both fighters landed heavy punches in the opening round, which Tszyu probably shaded with more connections.

The mutual respect between the pair was evident in a watchful second round as Mendoza landed a straight left to Tszyu’s nose, and the Australian replied with some clean body shots.

There was nothing in the third round either, but Tszyu was very much on the front foot in the fourth as he carefully probed a way through the US powerhouse.

Tszyu batted Mendoza in the fifth with a series of punishing combinations to the challenger’s head.

Mendoza hit back in the sixth with a big right hook and straight left in his best round yet.

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The crowd erupted as Tszyu hurt Mendoza with a flurry of huge uppercuts to dominate the seventh round.

The two combatants continued to dazzle spectators in a bruising eighth round as both fighters copped heavy blows to the head and body.

While on top, the Australian remained wary of Mendoza’s one-punch power in the championship rounds in a measured defensive display.

Tszyu worked his opponent over in a savage 10th round as the underdog courageously and remarkably stayed on his feet.

The American was saved by the bell in the penultimate round and only a knockout of his own in the last could savage an unlikely victory.

It didn’t come with Tszyu too slick to let the fight slip.

“Charloooooooo. Charloooooo, where you at?” Tszyu beamed after dominating his first defence since being elevated from interim to full WBO world champion on October 1.

Charlo has twice cancelled on Tszyu since the pair were slated to fight for all four belts in January.

But the American can longer hide from the Sydney slayer.

“Hopefully see you all in Vegas,” Tszyu said before Face-Timing his legendary father Kostya.

In the co-main event, Sam Goodman scored a unanimous points decision over Mexican Miguel Flores to remain on track for a super-bantamweight world title shot.

Stepping up to 125-pound catchweight to “keep busy”, Goodman dropped Flores in the eighth round of a commanding performance to improve his unbeaten record to 16-0.

The 25-year-old is ranked No.1 in both the IBF and WBO rankings and will likely land a crack at Japanese warrior Naoya “The Monster” Inoue for world supremacy early next year.

In the historic all-Indigenous women’s affair, Shanell Dargan captured the vacant Australian super-bantamweight title also with unanimous points verdict over Amber Amelia.

Amelia required treatment every round for a nasty cut above her right eye after Dargan opened her up early in a dominant display.

Amelia copped a pounding and did well to stay on her feet, but the result was never in doubt with all three judges awarding Dargan the bout 77-75.

“This means everything to me. It’s the start of a new journey and I want to go to the top,” an emotional Dargan said.

“I’ve worked so hard. Getting up at 5 (o’clock), 4.30 in the morning every day to drive to the gym with my boy in tow.”