Tim Tszyu hopes Kiwi Bowyn Morgan will be stepping stone to world title shot against Jermell Charlo
Tim Tszyu finds new and more depraved methods to torture his mind and body in order to become stronger. But are they any worse than what his dad went through?
Boxing/MMA
Don't miss out on the headlines from Boxing/MMA. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Wrapping his hands around his pet chicken’s neck, a teenaged Kostya Tszyu twisted, heard the crack, and it was done.
This was a mental test set by his boxing trainer in Russia.
Kostya’s son, Tim Tszyu, is on a path to emulate his championship winning father, and understands the ruthless mindset that drove him to succeed.
Watch Boxing Live & On-Demand on Kayo. Selected international fights, classic bouts and more. New to Kayo? Get your free trial now & start streaming instantly >
BOXING LATEST
US legend’s incredible gift to fight Aussie star’s ‘robbery’
Boxing 'monster’ leaves world stunned
“During my dad’s career, when he was a kid, when he was 16 years old, his trainer gave him a chicken, a little chick to raise up,” Tszyu said.
“And after three months, he had to break this chick’s neck.
“And he had to cook it and eat it.
“You raise it as your own pet. And then when the coach says it’s time, it’s time to turn that neck and break it.
“And as a young kid, you get emotionally attached. But you can’t have emotions in this sport. And that’s the one thing I’ve learnt as well, you’ve got to switch all your emotions off.
“It’s kill or be killed. Don’t take things personally, and you succeed in this sport.”
Australia in 2020 is certainly less brutal than the Soviet Union in 1985, so how would 26-year-old Tszyu react to such a request by his trainer?
Tszyu does not look downwards or away, he does not shift his gaze, and says blankly: “If I was asked today about breaking that chicken’s neck, if I have to, I’ll break that chicken’s neck.”
This is the unflinching attitude Tszyu’s rivals must contend with.
Each day, Tszyu finds new and more depraved methods to torture his mind and body in order to become stronger.
“During the COVID stage, I was doing stupid stuff, like I would do a 30km run,” Tszyu said.
“I did things like, I didn’t eat for two days just to test myself mentally. I do challenges like that to test myself.
“There’s physical barriers that you can just overcome. The hardest part is mentally, because your brain does say ‘I can’t do this anymore’ or ‘I want to eat’ or ‘I need to stop’.
“If you’re able to control your brain, you can do anything you want in this world.
“I’ve spoken to my dad about this type of stuff. He’s a big believer, his mental strength is something that no one in this world has. He would do all kinds of tests to build that
“So I was able to test myself from a young age like that, just doing random challenges like that.
“Boxing is not just physical, it’s 70 per cent mental.”
Having cleaned out his Australian rivals — Tszyu stunned the boxing community with his eight-round demolition of Jeff Horn in August to build a record of 16-0 (12KO) - he is on the verge of a world title shot.
His next fight, against New Zealand’s Bowyn Morgan on December 16 at Parramatta’s Bankwest Stadium, can position Tszyu as a mandatory challenger for a super-welterweight title.
American Jermell Charlo (34-1, 18KO) is close to unifying the division, holding the WBC, WBA and IBF belts, while Brazilian Patrick Teixeira (31-1, 22KO) has the WBO title.
“It’s a red-hot division, it’s there for the taking and the fact that Charlo’s got all the belts, it’s not very far away from being undisputed champion,” Tszyu said.
“If I can get a fight like that, to be mandatory to fight one of those boys, that’s the goal. And I’m confident and I’m sure that I take him out.”
First he must dispose of Morgan (21-1, 11KO), who has racked up 14 successive victories since his one defeat in 2016.
The 31-year-old from Christchurch also spent the COVID lockdown period relentlessly training, awaiting news of a breakthrough fight for his own world title ambition.
He’ll arrive in Australia with a strong record, no fanfare and as a heavy underdog, exactly why this presents a tricky task.
“He’s a tough boy, he’s coming to win,” Tszyu said.
“He’s going to try to make a name off me. Every fight of my career now, they’re coming in with the attitude that they have nothing to lose.
“That’s what makes this fight so dangerous, but I couldn’t care less about him.”
Tszyu is done with the Australian and trans-Tasman henhouse after this bout.
“I honestly want the big boys,” Tszyu said.
“There’s no time for playing around with the small chooks.”
Originally published as Tim Tszyu hopes Kiwi Bowyn Morgan will be stepping stone to world title shot against Jermell Charlo
Major development after Olympics farce
Imane Khelif has announced a huge career move and the release of a new documentary months after winning gold at the Paris Olympics.
‘I will be back’: Tim Tszyu breaks silence after devastating knockout
Tim Tszyu has broken his silence for the first time since his devastating third round knockout in Florida vowing to find ‘answers’ and return better than ever.