Erislandy Lara vs Tim Tszyu Set For December 12, Jermell Charlo To Make Return as The Co-Feature

Tim Tszyu is not wasting any time in 2026, as No Limit Boxing and Premier Boxing Champions announced that he will face WBA middleweight champion Erislandy Lara (32-3-3, 19 KOs) on December 12 at the Cbus Super Stadium in Queensland, Australia, live on DAZN.

The fight has been in the works since September, as Tszyu (28-3, 18 KOs) hinted it would be finalized during a Zoom call with FightsATW. Other details still needed to be settled before the announcement. Now that the fight is official, we can start breaking down the matchup in the coming weeks.

Although Lara is now 43, he remains an active fighter and can give Tszyu problems if he is taken lightly. The WBA middleweight champion had this to say after the announcement was made official.

“I’ve worked my entire life to be in this position, and I’m blessed to have more opportunities like this to be a world champion and defend my title,” said Lara. “Traveling to Australia to fight Tszyu is something I’m really looking forward to. I know he’s a tough fighter, and I respect what he brings to the ring, especially fighting in front of his home fans. But I’ve been in big fights my whole career and I know what it takes to win at this level. I’m grateful to be able to showcase my skills on DAZN in front of boxing fans all around the world, and I’m going to Australia with one goal…to defend my title, put on a great performance and give the fans a fight they’ll remember for a long time.”

Tszyu is ready for the challenge that would make him a two-division world champion if successful. After beating Errol Spence Jr., Tszyu looks to beat Lara and continue on his path to stardom.

“This is what I live for. Lara is a great champion and one of the most avoided fighters in the world. That is exactly why I wanted him,” said Tszyu. “Spence was the first step. This is the one that matters. This fight is about legacy. My dad is a Hall of Famer and the greatest fighter this country has produced. Becoming a two-weight world champion is the one thing he never did. That is what I am chasing, and it drives me every single day. Queensland and the Gold Coast have always backed me. I stopped Jeff Horn and defended my world title in Queensland stadiums and crowds and I can’t wait to feel that again. I’m ready to take that belt off Lara on the Gold Coast.”

Adding to the intriguing main event is the co-feature, which will see the return of former undisputed 154 lb champion Jermell Charlo (35-2-1, 19 KOs) as he makes his middleweight debut against Brock Jarvis (23-2, 21 KOs) in a scheduled 10-round bout. Charlo hasn’t been in the ring since losing to Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez over three years ago. It will be interesting to see what he looks like after such a long layoff and whether this could lead to a potential future fight with Tszyu or Vergil Ortiz Jr., pending the outcome of their fights.

December is shaping up to be an interesting month, and the results of the fights will set the stage for 2027 to be a year of even bigger matchups.

Abraham Gonzalez

Abraham Gonzalez is a 2x award-winning writer, International Boxing Hall of Fame voter, founder and publisher of FightsATW. His journalistic work has been published and used across several platforms, including online, network TV, and promotional companies. He is an alumnus of an American Public University and a full member of the Boxing Writers Association of America (BWAA). Abraham was the Managing Editor for NYFights, Big Fight Weekend, and contributed to The Ring Magazine, FanSidedMMA, and ProBoxTV.

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