 Art of War by Kostya Tszyu
By David A. Avila (June 2, 2005) Photo © Mr.Will/ HoganPhotos.com
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Staunchly perched on the junior welterweight throne, Kostya Tszyu surveys opponents as carefully as warlord Sun Tzu might have done 2,000 years ago. But when he walks into the M.E.N. Manchester Arena to face hometown favorite Ricky Hatton he could be breaking one of the doctrines of battle: fight on your own terms.
Not since 2001 has Tszyu, the junior welterweight champion from Australia, been an underdog. But he may face that prospect on Saturday against hometown favorite Hatton (38-0, 28 KOs) at the M.E.N. Manchester Arena in England. The fight will be shown on Showtime.
Tszyu, 35, has always been a sort of tactful fellow. In 1994 he faced a Southern California fighter named Hector Lopez. Despite being out-boxed and bamboozled by the bad boy of Atwater, he got a decision win though much disputed. But it was a good lesson because it showed him what he needed to learn.
"Hector Lopez is a very good fighter," said Tszyu (31-1, 25 KOs) a few years after that fight. The two later became friends though Lopez always wanted a crack at him. Lopez never got it.
Tszyu who fights out of Australia, by way of Siberia, then captured the IBF title in 1995 with a blowout victory over Jake "the Snake" Rodriguez. Things were moving along smoothly for five consecutive fights then he met Vince "Cool" Phillips in 1997 and lost.
It was an exciting fight that saw Tszyu discover once again that some fighters exist who can outbox and out-power him. Instead of seeking a rematch, once again Tszyu opted to go another route.
"Vince Phillips is an outstanding fighter," said Tszyu after winning the WBC title two years later against Miguel Angel Gonzalez. But he never gave Phillips a rematch.
Some fighters are funny when it comes to rematches. Guys like Shane Mosley refuse to admit defeat and jump to seek revenge against their victors. Then you have guys like Tszyu who lose to someone and more or less admit they can't beat those guys and simply move on. Sun Tzu would be proud of him.
Hatton, 26, falls in the other category. He's a street tough whirlwind of a fighter whose strong mental will may be his primary asset. It will be needed against Tszyu.
During the last four years the boxer known in the United Kingdom as "the Hitman" has steadily progressed with an array of opponents meant to lead to this event for the undisputed junior welterweight world title.
"I have been waiting a long time," said Hatton during a telephone press conference. "I have had several fights out there fall through over the last 12 months, but obviously, after securing the biggest fight that is out there, in the end, it turned out better than I could have imagined."
Hatton, like Tszyu, does not have a large following in America. But in his country fans line up around the block to purchase tickets for his bouts. They sing songs, display placards of loyalty and cheer his every blow. All that adds to an undefeated but yet to be distinguished career.
"I think it could be an advantage, but only a very slight one," said Hatton regarding the pro-bias crowd that will be in force. "The atmosphere at a Ricky Hatton fight tends to be more what you would relate to a soccer match. It can be very vocal, very loud and very passionate."
Though Hatton appears to have a clear advantage with
the crowd, the judges and youth, it's difficult to
imagine Tszyu, the tactical wizard of prizefighting,
conceding leverage to the younger fighter.
Tszyu points to his fight against Julio Cesar Chavez
as a similar fight. He met the Mexican fighter five
years ago in one of his strongholds Phoenix and
proceeded to give him a severe beating.
"You have to remember 15,000 Mexican fans were in the
stadium and it was unbelievable," said Tszyu who
stopped Chavez after six rounds. "I even had to jump
from the ring right after the fight and walk away
because there were so many mad people there."
Winning is the only scenario Tszyu has envisioned and
it's difficult to imagine the Siberian native walking
into a trap.
"I do love great challenges," Tszyu said.
Somewhere Sun Tzu may be nodding his head approvingly.
SOUTHERN CALI. FIGHTS
It's a busy week for boxing in So. Cali., from Oxnard
to San Diego. Here is a quick summary of local fights
for the next two weeks:
THURSDAY
Damon "Bolo" Willis meets John Clarke at the Henry
Fonda Theater located at 6126 Hollywood Blvd. in
Hollywood on Thursday. The fight card begins at 8 p.m.
For ticket information call (323) 525-0120.
Jairo Ramirez meets Ismael Gonzalez at 4th and B
Street in downtown San Diego. The card begins at 7
p.m. For ticket information call (619) 250-1385 or<
(631) 258-9905.
FRIDAY
Carlos "El Elegante" Bojorquez (23-7-6) meets Jose
Luis Cruz (12-12-3) at the Doubletree Hotel in Ontario
on Friday. The fight card begins at 7:30 p.m. For
ticket information call (714) 935-0900.
Jose Aguiniga (27-0) vs. Hugo Ramirez (20-3) at the
Performing Arts Center in Oxnard. For ticket
information call (805) 486-2424. First fight begins at
7:30 p.m.
TUESDAY
Julio Diaz (30-3) vs. Marco Angel Perez (21-6) at the
Sycuan Resort and Casino. The first bout begins at 5
p.m. For ticket information call (619) 445-2613.
THURSDAY
Audley Harrison (17-0) meets Robert Davis (31-6) at
the Pechanga Resort and Casino in Temecula. The fight
card begins at 5 p.m. For ticket information call
(877) 711-2WIN.
FIGHTS ON TELEVISION
Fri. Telefutura, 9 p.m., Jose Aguiniga (27-0) vs. Hugo
Ramirez (20-3).
Fri. Showtime, 11 p.m., Scott Harrison (23-2-2) vs.
Michael Brodie (35-2-1).
Sat. Showtime, 9 p.m., Kostya Tszyu (31-1) vs. Ricky
Hatton (38-0).
Tues. ESPN2, 6 p.m., Julio Diaz (30-3) vs. Marco Perez
(21-6).
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