Nikita Tszyu opens up about taking on tough fighters, the rivalry with his brother Tim and his plans for the future

Nikita Tszyu is at the start of one of boxing’s toughest fight careers. See the incredible numbers comparing him to the biggest names in the sport.

Nikita Tszyu has big plans for the future. Picture: No Limit Boxing

Nikita Tszyu may only be at the start of one of history’s toughest fight careers, but he’s already thinking about raising the third generation of Tszyu boxing champions.

The son of legend Kostya, and younger brother of world champion Tim, 25-year-old Nikita has revealed that once his career in the ring is finished, he will almost certainly disappear from the limelight to live off the land on a self-sufficient farm – but also train Tszyu 3.0 savages to fight his brother’s children.

“Once I’m done, I’m done,” he told this masthead.

“I’ll still probably be involved in some sort of training facilities and having my own gym where I get to train my kids, that’s going to be my main focus, prepare the next generation.

Kostya Tszyu with Tim and Nikita in 1992. Picture: Matt Turner

“They’ve got my brother’s children also to compete with, so it’s a competition, I’ve got to make sure they’re ready.”

Neither Nikita nor Tim have children yet, but the sibling rivalry is wired so tight that he can’t help daydream about backyard brawls between their offspring.

But before then, Tszyu has his own brawls to settle.

The statistics show that few, if any boxers in history, have fought the caliber of opponent that Nikita has so early in his career.

It’s the “gift and curse” he speaks about, being the third Tszyu, with nowhere to hide his early development.

And there’s the fact that he is already a pay-per-view headliner, so catching the eye of the paying punter can only be achieved by fighting those who can defeat him.

Comparing the records of Tszyu’s first seven opponents to that of Kostya, Tim, Mike Tyson and even modern day greats Terence Crawford and Canelo Alvarez shows the stark reality in risk versus reward.

Kostya Tszyu at Newtown Police Boys Club in 1994.

Nikita’s first seven opponents had a combined record of 44 wins, eight losses and three draws. Tim’s first seven were 27-29-3, Tyson’s were 21-40-2, Crawford’s were 28-49-2, Canelo’s were 5-11-2, and Kostya’s had 131 wins, 60 losses and two draws.

“I have full confidence in my management and my team that they’re putting me up against fighters that are perfect for me at this stage of my career,” Nikita said.

“I knew from the very start when I got myself into this sport that I’d be in the limelight, I wouldn’t be able to duck under the radar and get more experience with lesser known guys.

“It’s a gift but it’s also a curse. I’ve just got to embrace it and move through it.

“I don’t see it as a fearful thing, it’s a motivating thing. When I’m training every day, doing my skipping, I look up at all my dad’s posters, and I see my brother’s posters all over the place, and I feel like it’s an honour to be the next one in line, to do the same thing that they’re doing.

Tim Tszyu has made a dominant start to his career. Picture: Sarah Reed

“They motivate me to keep pushing, because I know the responsibility that my family name has. There is no time to mess around, I will give it my all with everything that I do.”

Tszyu (7-0, 6KO) fights Australian super-welterweight champion Dylan Biggs (10-0, 7KO) in Newcastle next Wednesday for the championship belt.

Ironically, his first national title fight comes just a fortnight after 29-year-old Tim received his WBO World super-welterweight belt, having beaten American Brian Mendoza last month to become a world champion.

But while the pair are similar in ring ability, they’re at opposite ends of the fight style and personality spectrum. Tim is a clinical machine with unwavering focus, but also with a taste for cars and fashion. Nikita is a bludgeoning bomber with a lust for blood, but then prefers to walk barefoot on beaches and tend to his garden.

Canelo Alvarez is one of the biggest names in the sport of boxing. Picture: Getty Images

“Boxing at this point is number one, but after that my attention is going to be on my family,” Nikita said.

“I want to be able to live on a farm where we produce our own food, produce everything ourselves, that’s what I’m working for.

“It’s a quiet life, where it’s back to human nature, just surviving. Not feeling the need to go to events, just the basic needs of food, water and shelter. Anything else in between is where you have your fun.”

Nikita Tszyu has started his career fighting tougher opponents than Mike Tyson. Picture: AP Photo

It was the humble and simplistic surrounds of the village of Serov in Russia that raised Kostya to be the hardened, hungry fighter who would go on to become a Hall of Fame icon in the sweet science.

With his world titles came mansions, Bentleys and designer clothes but Nikita’s cravings claw back to the old world.

“I’ve done a full circle, my mum was a little annoyed with me that they’ve escaped the poverty of Serov, and everything I’m doing right now is getting myself back to that poverty,” he said.

“It’s not for everybody, but that’s where I feel most comfortable.

“Right now I’m at a beach, listening to the waves, watching my dogs run around and sniff stuff, and I feel at peace and very comfortable.

Nikita Tszyu with one of his dogs at the beach. Photo by No Limit Boxing.

“During my architectural life, I loved the city, I loved the whole futurism, advancing the human race. But now, I just want to go back to the roots of what it is to be human, live off the Earth.

“I do feel like I have a bit of bipolar in me, it’s always been inside me, I’ve always been a bit mental in the head.

“My brother doesn’t really understand some of the stuff I say, it’s fair enough, I say some wacky stuff and I have some wacky ideas of what I want to do with myself.

“But there’s a Japanese saying; ‘It’s better to be a warrior in a garden, than a gardener in a war’.

“I really try to embody that, and have that life where inside of me is a real killer, but then have the ability to switch that off and just be in a garden and have inner peace. It’s a beautiful way of living.

“I see my architectural experiences, my love for woodworking, my interest in gardening and animals as a part of that ideology.

“There is a side of me that’s tough and just wants to hurt, but there’s also a side of me that is able to find balance and bring peace into the world.”

Nikita is keen to embrace a quiet life when his career is over. Picture: No Limit Boxing.

Tszyu is adopting a Samurai way of life.

“There’s seven virtues of Bushido; integrity, respect, heroic courage, honour, passion, honesty and sincerity, duty and loyalty,” he said.

He intends to display all those traits throughout his career.

Next is Biggs, the younger man at 21 and with a reported knockdown of Tszyu years ago in a sparring session between the pair.

The Tszyus are undefeated in 47 fights in Australia and Nikita embraces the pressure of keeping that streak alive next week.

“I’ve got accustomed to this world, accustomed to the feeling of going into a big arena and all eyes are on you, I know the feeling and I’m excited for it,” he said.

“It’s a driving factor for me, before I used to be a bit scared but there’s been a switch in my mind, it’s my place to control.”

For now, the boxing ring is his arena, his garden.

It’s time to prune.

Originally published as Nikita Tszyu opens up about taking on tough fighters, the rivalry with his brother Tim and his plans for the future