Tim Tszyu didn’t have many demands for his first fight in the U.S. and under the Premier Boxing Champions banner.

The only real request made by the unbeaten junior middleweight contender from Sydney was to not waste his time flying from Australia while in the prime of his career.

“I’m here to fight the best, not to pick and choose,” Tszyu told krikya360.com.

The search led to PBC selecting 2012 U.S. Olympian and former title challenger Terrel Guasha (22-2-1, 11KOs) to man the opposite corner of Tszyu (20-0, 15KOs) this weekend. The two will collide atop a Showtime tripleheader this Saturday from The Armory in Minneapolis, marking Tszyu’s long-awaited stateside debut.

“Terrel Gausha was the best opponent we were offered so we agreed,” noted Tszyu, the number-one ranked WBO junior middleweight contender. “I was ready to fight [former WBC junior middleweight titlist] Tony Harrison as well. It didn’t matter to me, I couldn’t care less.”

The fight is the first for Tszyu since a twelve-round decision win over another former title challenger in Japan’s Takeshi Inoue (17-2-1, 10KOs) last November in his Sydney hometown. The distance win snapped a five-fight knockout streak, largely due to Inoue’s disinterest in engaging with Tszyu—completely opposite from his January 2020 thriller with then-WBO junior middleweight titlist Jaime Munguia (39-0, 31KOs).

“He went into defensive mode. When he fought Munguia, he came forward and attacked,” noted Tszyu. “With my style, I never allowed that to happen. I’m an all-around tough fighter. It was good to get the twelve rounds in.

“It was my first time, and it was nice knowing to pick it up, turn it down a bit. It’s all part of the process. You can’t just knock out everyone quickly. Some go the distance, some don’t.”

That same mindset applies to this weekend’s challenge. Tszyu has every intention of putting on a show, though also expects Gausha to do what he does best—survive in the ring. It matters little to the 27-year-old second-generation Australian boxer, who next expects to challenge the winner of the Jermell Charlo-Brian Castano undisputed junior middleweight championship rematch and then maintain the same level of ring activity enjoyed back home—no matter the opposition.

“We’re quite easy to deal with. We worked well with PBC,” Tszyu noted in signing an agreement to showcase his talents on this side of the world. “It’s worked out very well. We’ve left the door open for a lot of future fights.”

Jake Donovan is a senior writer for krikya360.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox