Tim Tszyu Eyes Two-Division Glory Against 43-Year-Old Erislandy Lara

Tim Tszyu isn't done climbing. After outpointing Errol Spence Jr on home soil in July, the 31-year-old Australian is now set to chase a second world title in a different weight class, reportedly returning in late November to challenge WBA middleweight champion Erislandy Lara for the belt at 160lbs.

Lara is the obstacle, and he's an unusual one. The Cuban southpaw holds a 32-3-3 (19 KO) record and, at 43, is the oldest reigning world champion in the sport. He hasn't fought since dropping Johan Gonzalez twice en route to a unanimous decision last December, which only sharpens the questions about his activity heading into a defense Down Under.

The Case for Tszyu

The Spence win reset Tszyu's trajectory. Many expected a tougher night in July; instead he cruised to a one-sided unanimous decision and effectively retired the former unified welterweight king. It was Tszyu's biggest result since 2023, when he took the WBO super-welterweight title off Brian Mendoza after stopping Tony Harrison and Carlos Ocampo back-to-back.

That run wasn't all smooth. Tszyu was stopped by Sebastian Fundora — now the WBC super-welterweight champ at 24-1-1 — and later by Bakhram Murtazaliev, who has since dropped to 23-1 after a majority-decision loss to Josh Kelly. So the move to middleweight is both a fresh start and a chance to erase two rough entries on the ledger.

The Lara Question

At his peak, Lara is a slick, deceptively powerful southpaw. The problem is nobody's seen that peak in a while. His ring rust, age, and absence from any pound-for-pound conversation make him look like a beatable champion on paper, and the 40-fight veteran will be defending in hostile territory.

The undercard adds a twist: Jermell Charlo is reportedly slated to feature, his first appearance since getting outboxed by Canelo Alvarez over 12 rounds back in 2023. If Tszyu gets through Lara, he joins the two-weight club — and does it against a name most wrote off years ago.