Tim Tszyu was plotting, stalking and patiently waiting to uncork something impactful over the first six rounds.
His moment came in the seventh round, when the WBO junior middleweight world champion connected on a crunching triple uppercut that rocked Brian Mendoza.
Tszyu rode the round and threatened a stoppage behind a barrage of right hands in the 10th round toward a unanimous decision victory. Judges at the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre in Broadbeach, Queensland, Australia on Sunday scored it 116-111, 116-112 and 117-111 all in favor of Tszyu who improved to 24-0 and recorded his first defense of the WBO 154-pound world title.
Fresh off of winning, Tszyu made his intentions clear by calling out unified junior middleweight world champ Jermell Charlo for a possible undisputed championship fight.
Tszyu was promoted to WBO junior middleweight world champ once Charlo fought Canelo Alvarez last month.
Over the first six rounds while Tszyu searched for a fight-changing shot, Mendoza took advantage by being the busier boxer. But that would drastically change in the seventh when Tszyu's triple uppercut hurt Mendoza.
Tszyu rode that momentum by continuing his power game, especially with clubbing right hands in the 10th round in a barrage that a gutsy Mendoza somehow withstood.
A measured Tszyu would only continue his power surge over the 11th and 12th toward victory.
Here's how the entire Tszyu vs. Mendoza fight went.