We have a date. We have an arena. We have a fight.
The highly-anticipated all-Aussie bout between Jeff Horn and Tim Tszyu will take place at Queensland Country Bank Stadium in Townsville on August 26.
It's understood up to 16,000 fans will be allowed to attend the event with tickets already on sale.
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Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said: "This blockbuster event will be a big shot in the arm for the Townsville economy."
"Jeff Horn is one of Queensland's favourite sporting stars, I know the people of Townsville and North Queensland will jump at the chance to see him box in their own backyard.
"We built the Queensland Country Bank Stadium in Townsville to attract world class sporting and entertainment events and it's the perfect showcase for the region.
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"The Elton John concert at the venue was a sellout and I'm confident the Horn vs Tszyu fight will be too.
"This is a testament to what new infrastructure can do for tourism and business."
Former world champ Horn was equally as excited about the prospect of fighting in his hometown of Queensland.
"I can't tell you how happy I am," he said.
"To finally have a new date and to know I'll be fighting in Townsville in front of a home crowd is just great."
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The fight itself, which is now just over six weeks away, is expected to draw a big crowd of domestic and international viewers.
One person who will definitely be watching closely is Horn's previous opponent Michael Zerafa - who most have tipped to take on the winner.
Rather surprisingly, though, it wasn't Horn who Zerafa was keen to share his thoughts on - it was actually rising star Tszyu.
"I fell asleep. He can't string a sentence together. It sounds like he's talking underwater. He's the most boring fighter I've ever seen," Zerafa told The Age.
"I'm not going to knock his ability. He's up and coming. But if you took his last name away, he wouldn't have this fight. He's growing each fight, he's looking good but I think Horn beats him with his awkwardness and toughness.
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"I'm looking forward to it but the real fight is with me, either the finale of trilogy with Horn or a blockbuster with Tszyu."
While the latest outbreak of COVID-19 cases is causing more headaches for sports codes across Australia, it appears virus-free Queensland has worked in favour of the long-awaited mega-fight between the country's two best boxing talents.
"COVID-19 has had a devastating impact on the tourism and events industry," Queensland Premier Palaszczuk said.
"But thanks to the efforts of Queenslanders to flatten the curve, we've been able to slowly ease restrictions and start reopening our economy.
Topics: Tim Tszyu, Boxing, Coronavirus, Australia, Covid-19
