Tim Tszyu was aching to begin the next chapter in his career.
The son of Hall of Famer Kostya Tszyu has relished his remarkable run to the top of the junior middleweight rankings while fighting only in his native Australia, where fans have enthusiastically embraced him.
Tszyu (20-0, 15 KOs) is like a young eagle that needs to soar, though. And that could happen in only one place: America. Destiny was calling and he was ready to fly.
The WBO’s No. 1 contender will take the first step in the next phase of his career against 2012 U.S. Olympian Terrell Gausha on Saturday night at The Armory in Minneapolis in front of a national television audience on Showtime.
Tszyu has hit the big time.
“Just being here, being here for five weeks is unreal,” he told Boxing Junkie on Monday during a stopover in Las Vegas, where he trained at the famed Mayweather Boxing Club. “I’ve been in Australia and it’s a bit different, it’s the same old thing. It’s like, ‘Oh, this is getting boring.’ I’ve done this so many times.
“Now I’m here. I’ve watched this in my dreams, watched it growing up. That’s why the buzz and excitement is back.”
Another day in the office pic.twitter.com/Y0EkLi9xy8
— Tim Tszyu (@Tim_Tszyu) March 17, 2022
A training stint at the Mayweather gym might seem relatively ordinary for some elite fighters. A gym is a gym, after all.
Tszyu lives almost 8,000 miles from Sin City, though. The training center owned by the greatest fighter of his generation – Floyd Mayweather – was something he could see only on YouTube or some other platform on which one watches videos.
When he landed there, with Floyd Sr. on hand, it was special.
“When I sparred at the Mayweather gym, with everyone screaming … that’s what you live for,” said Tszyu, who was scheduled to fly to Minneapolis on Tuesday.
Of course, he can’t let any glitz and glamour distract him from the task at hand. And he doesn’t. He has hard work to do, just like at home.
Tszyu is gifted (thank you, Dad). He’s quick, athletic, naturally strong and durable. He also pushes himself to his limits with task-master trainer Igor Goloubev, a commitment to the sport that also came from the elder Tszyu.
Many sons of famous (read: rich) boxers have it easy growing up, which isn’t ideal in terms of the hunger necessary to motivate most fighters. They might have some success but something often seems to be lacking in the next generation.
Tszyu seems to be unusual in that regard. His father made sure of that.
“Yeah, I think my dad was different,” said Tszyu, who has two siblings. “He wasn’t a regular dad. There was no easy way out with him. He was a tough man and he put it upon us. And that’s the way we are now. Nothing is given, everything is earned.
“You gotta work hard for everything that you want. … We weren’t really given s— at all.”
That’s the work ethic he has brought into camp for the fight against Gausha, a polished boxer with experience at the highest level of the sport. He has lost his biggest fights but has almost always given a good account of himself.
Tszyu got very serious when he was asked about Gausha’s abilities, saying, “This is a different level now. There are no easy fights from here on out.”
Indeed, Tszyu is evolving into one the best Australian fighters of his generation and could progress beyond that, as countryman George Kambosos Jr. has. He’s not guaranteed his first shot at a world title if he beats Gausha but that will come soon.
He obviously would be an ideal candidate to face the winner of the May 14 Jermell Charlo-Brian Castano fight for the undisputed championship, assuming the winner stays at 154.
The possibilities in this stage of his career are thrilling. And it all starts Saturday.
“This is massive,” Tszyu said, “my coming [out] party. New chapter, new beginnings.”