Tszyu made it clear he still views Charlo as a central figure in the division despite his inactivity and the belts changing hands.
“Charlo for sure,” Tszyu said to Brian Custer’s channel when asked about desired opponents. “I think just because he’s never lost to get the title back. To a certain extent, he’s still the king of the 154 division in my eyes,” said Tszyu to Brian Custer’s channel.
By targeting older fighters, Tszyu looks like a trophy hunter. By targeting Errol Spence Jr. and Jermell Charlo, Tszyu is going after the biggest established names possible, even if their “prime” years are arguably in the rearview mirror.
When Tszyu and Spence meet this summer, Spence will be coming off a three-year layoff and a brutal TKO loss to Terence Crawford. It is a massive name for Tszyu’s resume, but he’s fighting a version of Spence that has never competed at 154 pounds and hasn’t won a fight since 2022.
“He sort of went on his honeymoon, say, and he sort of gave up the division. He never really forfeited from it, so I feel like Charlo would be definitely on the bucket list,” Tszyu said.
It’s a classic “fighter logic” quote that feels equal parts strategic and stubborn. Tszyu is basically using a romanticized metaphor to ignore the cold, hard reality of the current rankings.
By saying Charlo “never really forfeited,” Tszyu is leaning into the old-school boxing mantra that you aren’t truly beaten until someone takes the belts from you in the ring. Since the sanctioning bodies (WBO, WBC, IBF) were the ones who moved on while Charlo was inactive or fighting Canelo at 168, Tszyu is choosing to view Charlo as the uncrowned king.
“Look, it’s one of the toughest challenges out there, so why not?” Tszyu said.
Calling it one of the “toughest challenges out there” while the man hasn’t fought in three years definitely feels like a stretch. It’s hard not to see a bit of a contradiction in how Tszyu is talking about his upcoming opponents compared to how he’s portraying Charlo.
After beating Denis Nurja on April 5, 2026, Tszyu immediately dismissed Spence’s trash talk, saying, “The guy has been on the couch for what? Three or four years. He can’t talk.”
In the same breath, he calls Charlo, who has been on an identical “honeymoon” from the division, the “King” and a “top challenge.”
If Spence is just a guy “on the couch” who “got smashed” in his last fight, then Charlo, who also got dominated in his last outing against Canelo and hasn’t fought at 154 since 2022, should technically fall into the same category.
Tszyu is likely being more “promotional” than “disingenuous.” To keep the value of a Charlo fight high, he has to maintain the illusion that Jermell is still the gold standard.
If Tszyu admits Charlo is a faded, inactive 36-year-old, the “bucket list” win loses its luster. By calling it a tough challenge, he’s pre-selling the magnitude of the victory.
Tszyu’s promoter, George Rose, recently admitted they are targeting “big drawcards” like Spence, Charlo, and Thurman because they attract more attention than the actual champions like Sebastian Fundora and Xander Zayas.
Physically, Charlo is a tough stylistic matchup. Tall, athletic, and explosive. Tszyu might genuinely respect the skill set, even if the resume hasn’t been updated in years.
