Thomas Gerbasi

Thanks Vince: The New Tszyu Revue Lands in Manchester Saturday

By Thomas Gerbasi (May 31, 2005) Photo © Tom Casino/ SHOWTIME

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I’m usually one of the first to arrive and definitely the first to leave the odd tribal rite known as the boxing press conference. Call it what you will – I call it beating the traffic home. But back in 2001, I broke tradition by hanging around long after the press conference for an upcoming Showtime doubleheader at the Mohegan Sun Casino had ended.

Zab Judah, who was facing Allan Vester on the June 23 card, had long left the building – so had Vester, and so had Oktay Urkal, who was also fighting on the show. Urkal’s opponent, Kostya Tszyu, was haggling over some late contract details that would firm up a unification bout with Judah providing that both won on that summer night in Connecticut.

This was the essence of Tszyu, who did things his own way at his own pace. And there was going to be no nudging of him – subtle or otherwise - from his stance.

So as the remaining stragglers among us packed up our gear and prepared to go, in walked Tszyu, smiling as if nothing had happened as his promoter Vlad Warton informed us that the Australia-based Russian was signed, sealed, and delivered for that weekend’s fight and the proposed junior welterweight unification clash with Judah, which Tszyu subsequently won via a second round stoppage.

The champ sauntered over to a table, sat down, and began to converse with us. And while at 5-7, 140 pounds, Tszyu was - and is - far from an imposing figure, as you spoke with “The Thunder from Down Under”, one thing was clear:

This is one guy you don’t mess with.

Oh, he’s not the type to breathe fire in your face or talk with a lot of wild gestures and vulgar proclamations; in fact, he’s one of the more polite and respectful fighters in the game. But he’s all business and he doesn’t suffer fools gladly. Just ask Showtime’s constantly condescending post-fight interviewer Jim Gray, who was admonished by Tszyu after the Urkal fight with the ‘to the point’ phrase “Don’t be rude to me, please,” after a particularly offensive question. Say what you will, but to me, Tszyu - with his trademark ponytail, piercing look, and worry beads clicking in his hands - is one of the most intimidating fighters in the game.

And also one of the most compelling. Always in control of the situation and very firm in his beliefs, some of the best material that came out of that day four years ago had to do with the rearing of his two sons, Timophey and Nikita. Tszyu, who at that point (and even more so now) had firmly established himself as a star in Australia and whose bank account afforded his children a standard of living that he never had growing up, still wanted to make sure his kids didn’t have it too easy as they went through life.

“They're living different lives than I am,” Tszyu said then. “I was hungrier than they are now. And to be successful in boxing you have to be hungry. They are a little spoiled in this way. I want them to have a tough life. The oldest one came home from gymnastics one day and said 'I don't want to go no more.' I asked why, and he said, 'I'm sore'. I said 'I don't care, I like it.' And I went to the trainer and said to him, 'give him some more'. I don't want things to be easy for him. It's a beginning. If it toughens him, he's richer.”

Dad learned this lesson the hard way and he won’t have his kids make the same mistakes in whatever endeavor they choose to take up as adults. Tszyu’s education toughened him up in every possible way.

And I just had to interview him. Imagine fighting him.

This is the task which awaits Manchester’s Ricky Hatton this Saturday night on Showtime (9pm ET/PT). It’s a fight that boxing fans have waited for, mainly to see if Hatton is the real deal or just a Frank Warren creation who was destined for local stardom but little more. For Tszyu, it’s another payday, another day at the office as he heads into the home stretch of a remarkable career that has seen him establish himself as the premier 140-pound fighter in the world despite being at the boxing-advanced age of 35.

But what allows Tszyu to be near or at the top of his game after 13 years in pro boxing is his dedication to his craft, his desire to prepare constantly for the 36 minutes or less he gets to perform on fight night. For him, boxing is more than a job; it’s how he lives his life.

That wasn’t always the case though. For much of his early career, Tszyu got by on talent and fight-altering power. He shut out former world champion Juan LaPorte in his fourth fight in 1992, stopped Jake Rodriguez three years later to win his first world crown, and after five successful defenses he was one win away from a megafight with Oscar De La Hoya.

The year was 1997, and Kostya Tszyu was in for a life-changing moment.

In Atlantic City, Vince Phillips was just going to be a steppingstone for Tszyu on the way to ‘The Golden Boy’ and true acclaim as a boxing superstar. But as the fight progressed something happened. Phillips landed right hand after right hand on the champion. Tszyu defiantly walked through each one, determined that he could win a firefight with ‘Cool Vince’. But each flush shot was taking its toll, and by the 10th round, a new champion was crowned.

Tszyu had lost, but in losing, he found out the secret to his future success. As he told me in 2001, “I became a professional athlete after that fight. I had a different attitude. I train everyday, it doesn't matter what style my opponents have…This (talking to the press) is important to me, but it's second. Training is first.”

Always in the gym, always working, Tszyu has not lost again, encompassing eight years and 13 fights, with only two fighters (Urkal and Ben Tackie) even lasting the 12 round distance. And even though Tszyu has suffered serious injuries to his Achilles and his shoulder in recent years, his November 2004 return match against Sharmba Mitchell was a three round blowout. Needless to say, he’s ready for whatever Hatton has for him on Saturday.

“I am ready for 12 rounds,” said Tszyu (31-1, 25 KOs, 1 NC) in a recent teleconference. “I have trained like a maniac and usually my training regime goes for more than three hours all the time anyway. If somebody thinks I am not able to do 12 rounds at the age of 35, I think they are mistaken.”

Hatton will undoubtedly try to set a fast pace against his older opponent, and though the ‘Hitman’ insists that he has underrated boxing skills, it wouldn’t be wise to expect Hatton to suddenly try to become Pernell Whitaker on the biggest night of his professional life. No, Hatton will most likely bring the style that got him here, and that’s a lot of pressure and a lot of punching. Tszyu is welcoming such a style.

“I love it,” said Tszyu. “Every time somebody is throwing the punch, there is a good chance that they open up themselves. I am an accurate boxer myself and I know that every time you try to punch in flurries, you have time to leave yourself open. For me, it is all about split seconds. I do not make mistakes myself and when other people make mistakes, when they are throwing the punch, it is usually time to go. That is why I am happy with anyone coming to me.

“I think it is easier for me to fight the guys who are coming to me because I do not need to look for them,” he continues. “It is not easy to fight fighters like Sharmba because you have to chase and chase them. (It’s easier to fight) the guys who will come at you, throw the punches and, like I said, when they start throwing punches, they start making mistakes.”

Tszyu has become an economical technician with explosive fight-ending power in his post-Phillips career. He can look average at times as he tries to get a bead on his opponents and figure them out, but when he’s got you in his sights and he pounces, he’s a deadly finisher. This maturation process, in and out of the ring, has not been lost on the champion.

“I am 35 and I am fresh,” he said. “I am very confident because I am much better now at 35 than I was at 25. I could destroy the 25-year-old Kostya Tszyu right now with the 35-year-old Kostya Tszyu. That is how confident I am right now.”

Confidence is good; overconfidence can be a killer. Tszyu has been there and he knows better than anyone what professional arrogance can do. There is too much on the line now for him to go down that road again, and even though fights with the elite at 140 and 147 pounds await him if he wins this weekend, he’s saying all the right things leading up to the bout.

“I will just take fights one at a time,” he said. “I have been clinging to my title for the last five years. I just cannot walk away from the ring because I still have something to prove to myself, something to do with me. It is something that I love to do.”

Thanks Vince; lesson learned.