Errol Spence Jnr has landed in Australia ahead of his July 26 bout with Tim Tszyu but Jermall Charlo, set to appear on the undercard, remains stranded in the U.S. due to ongoing visa issues.
Before embarking on his 15-hour journey, Spence, 36 and out of the ring for three years following a brutal loss to Terence Crawford, saw his request agreed for the bout with Tszyu to be switched from 158lbs to 160lbs.
Saying he felt “good” while being interviewed by Fox Sports upon landing, Spence – a career-long welterweight prior to this bout – was asked why he’d requested the extra two pounds so late in the day.
“There was no reasoning at all,” Spence, 28-1 (22 KOs), said.
“I don’t see why we don’t fight at 160. Why are we fighting at 158? Might as well fight at 160.
“If I was scared I wouldn’t have taken the fight. In Australia I’m the big fish. I’m the A-side.
“If I didn’t want to fight here, I don’t have to fight here.”
Australia’s Tszyu, 31, has been struggling to keep a lid on his annoyance with the American in recent weeks. First there was Spence failing to show for an online face-off, leaving Tszyu and trainer Jeff Fenech hanging in the studio for more than hour, then came the request to change the stipulated weight at the 11th hour.
Tszyu, 27-3 (18 KOs), has questioned Spence’s wisdom in jumping straight into a fight like this after so long out of the ring.
“I don’t give a fuck what [Tszyu] says,” Spence said. “He’s just a regular fighter to me. He doesn’t matter.
“He can say it’s a big mistake. We’ll see when we enter the ring, when we face off against each other.”
Whether Charlo, 34-0 (23 KOs), makes it into the ring to face off with Koen Mazoudier, his scheduled opponent at the Afterplay Arena in Sydney Olympic Park, remains to be seen.
According to Fox, both Charlo, who trains with Spence, and Stephen Fulton, also due to fight on the undercard, were still at Los Angeles Airport on Thursday.
It’s understood that both fighters are experiencing issues with visas.
