The WBO champion Tim Tszyu is scheduled to face Keith Thurman

Sources inform ESPN that Tim Tszyu will defend his WBO junior middleweight championship against Keith Thurman on March 30 in Las Vegas. The 154-pound title fight will headline PBC’s inaugural pay-per-view event as part of a new partnership with Amazon Prime Video.

Tszyu (24-0, 17 KOs) broke through in 2023, defeating former titleholder Tony Harrison by ninth-round TKO, Carlos Ocampo by first-round knockout, and Brian Mendoza by unanimous decision. Following his victory against Mendoza in October, the 29-year-old Australian said that he will continue to campaign in the United States.

Tszyu, the son of Hall of Fame boxer Kostya Tszyu, will begin his quest for American glory against his most high-profile opponent yet, Thurman, a former unified welterweight champion and one of the finest 148-pound fighters in the previous decade. Thurman (30-1, 22 KOs), 35, had just one career loss, against the legendary Manny Pacquiao in July 2019, when he was floored in Round 1 and rebounded before losing a split decision.

However, Thurman has been quite idle. His only fight following his defeat to Pacquiao was in February 2022, when he defeated Mario Barrios by unanimous decision. Thurman’s victory was his sole fight in the last four and a half years.

He will finish a 25-month hiatus by moving up one weight class to face Tszyu, ESPN’s No. 2 fighter at 154 pounds. Tszyu was scheduled to battle Jermell Charlo for the undisputed junior middleweight belt last January, however Charlo withdrew due to a hand injury.

Tszyu went on to win the WBO interim title and was promoted to champion after Charlo was removed. Thurman has strong decision victory against Shawn Porter and Danny Garcia from 2016 and 2017, respectively.

The event kicks off PBC’s collaboration with Amazon Prime Video, however the PPV will also be accessible on conventional television. PBC has been Showtime’s primary boxing provider since 2013, but the network announced in October that it was discontinuing its sports programming.

Journey of self discovery