Jeff Horn vs Tim Tszyu fight canceled due to gatherings ban in Australia

Just days after finally getting a venue named for the event, the scheduled Apr. 22 fight in Australia between domestic stars Jeff Horn and Tim Tszyu has been canceled due to the country’s order to ban gatherings of more than 500 people.

Former welterweight titleholder Horn (20-2-1, 13 KO) and prospect Tszyu (15-0, 11 KO) were set to meet in a 10-round junior middleweight main event at Queensland Country Bank Stadium in Townsville. It was going to be a major fight for Australian boxing, and a possible passing of the torch if the 25-year-old Tszyu had been able to beat the 32-year-old Horn.

Tszyu, the son of Hall of Famer Kostya Tszyu, has looked good since turning pro in 2016, largely dominating his opposition to date. He last fought on Dec. 6 in Sydney, stopping Jack Brubaker in the fourth round.

Horn, who controversially beat Manny Pacquiao in 2017, is 3-2 since the biggest night of his career. He dropped the WBO 147-pound belt in a one-sided thrashing at the hands of Terence Crawford in 2018, but came back to destroy an aged Anthony Mundine in 96 seconds five months later. He was upset in August of last year by Michael Zerafa, but got some revenge in a rematch on Dec. 18 in South Brisbane.

One would expect the fight to be rescheduled for a later date.