Jeff Horn v Tim Tszyu: Ring surface standard questioned ahead of fight night
Tim Tszyu’s camp has levelled complaints about the ring surface ahead of his fight with Jeff Horn in Townsville. It comes after the latter called for two judges to be sacked over alleged bias.
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Australia’s fight of the year has been rocked by more drama with the Tim Tszyu camp complaining about the ring surface and expressing concerns about Jeff Horn headbutting his rival on Wednesday night in Townsville.
Just 24 hours after The Horn camp accused two judges of a Tszyu bias, News Corp can reveal the Tszyu camp have put officials on notice over Horn’s dirty tactics at the traditional pre-fight meeting between the camps.
And the saga continued on Tuesday night with Team Tszyu whingeing about the quality of the ring surface.
They inspected the canvas at Queensland Country Bank Stadium last night and claimed it was “too bouncy”, prompting organisers into a last-minute rush exploring ways to provide a firmer surface for the fighters.
Tszyu has adopted a steely, calm focus during press conferences in the lead-up to the fight, but the actions of his team suggest the 25-year-old is on edge as he prepares for the biggest fight of his unbeaten career.
Horn, meanwhile, couldn’t care less about tactics and ring surfaces, declaring he is in better shape than when he conquered Manny Pacquiao in 2017 and ready to dispose of Tszyu in his march to claiming another world-title shot.
The Tszyu camp is wary of Horn’s brawling style.
At the pre-fight meeting with officials, the Tszyu camp mentioned Horn’s tendency for headbutting and want the referee to be vigilant of The Hornet getting physical and potentially inflicting a cut with his in-your-face methods.
Horn’s trainer Glenn Rushton believes Horn (20-2-1, 13KO) will enter the ring at least 2kg heavier than Tszyu (15-0, 11KO) and he warned the son of Kostya to brace for the pain of defeat.
“We have a good chance of a KO and Jeff is going for that,” Rushton said.
“If Jeff had this muscle mass when he fought and beat Manny (Pacquiao), I believe he would have stopped him with that extra weight, so what’s he going to do to a young Tim Tszyu?
“Jeff is a V8 machine compared to the four-cylinder blokes Tim has been fighting.
“If the opportunity is there, I’ve said to Jeff, ‘We are going to get in front, stay in front and we will look for opportunities’.
“Any sniff, any chance, Jeff will go for the jugular.
“He will go in to finish this fight _ I think Jeff can stop him in six rounds.”
Tszyu has spent the past 24 hours getting fight instructions from father Kostya, the Australian boxing legend who is now living back in Russia.
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“Me and dad always talk, especially the day before a fight,” he said.
“Dad always says, ‘Fight smart, don’t get hit’.
“The longer you last in this sport is the less you get hit.
“I have nothing bad to say about Jeff. He is a great fighter. He makes things ugly and awkward, but if I wasn’t positive and confident, I wouldn’t have taken this fight or asked for it.
“I have sparred Manny Pacquaio so I know the opposition, it doesn’t bother me.”
Horn said Tszyu will be rocked by his power.
“I’m hitting the bag nice and strong,” he said.
“Tim has never fought anyone like me. He has fought some good quality opposition but no one at the level I’m at.
“Good on him for taking this fight, but this will be a speed-bump in the road for his world title.”
WBO boss’ ruling on Horn-Tszyu judge controversy
WBO global chairman Danny Leigh has revealed the three judges for the Jeff Horn-Tim Tszyu bout will not be sacked following explosive claims of officiating bias on the eve of the Townsville super fight.
The World Boxing Organisation is one of two sanctioning bodies for Australia’s fight of the year, which was marred on Tuesday by stunning revelations that one judge, Phil Holiday, had confessed to privately tipping Tszyu to beat Horn.
Horn’s trainer Glenn Rushton raised integrity issues after pointing out a second judge, Chris Condon, knew Kostya Tszyu for 20 years and had allowed his son, Tim, to train at his gym for the Horn bout.
There have been calls for Holiday and Condon to be stood down to avoid accusations of bias toward Tszyu, but Leigh is adamant the triumvirate will be retained for the super welterweight showdown.
“As far as I’m concerned we have the right officials,” Leigh said.
“I’m very aware of the situation and they (the judges) know their careers are on the line.
“If they do the wrong thing, the whole world is watching this.
“We have selected the right judges for this fight. I have no doubt they will do the correct job.”
The third judge, Derek Milham, set the record straight, confirming Holiday had indeed made remarks about Horn.
“I spoke to the judge and he is quite embarrassed and he apologised to me about it,” Milham said.
“He made a comment that Horn may be in a bit of trouble and could lose due to cut eyes.
“Phil is a very professional guy and we have competent officials.
“There is a red and blue corner and whoever wins the fight, wins the fight fairly.”
Asked if it’s appropriate for a judge to be talking about cuts and their outcome on the fight, Leigh said: “I wouldn’t be saying something like that but in my opinion he’s a professional.
“Whatever happens in the fight, he will score the fight the way he sees it.”
Asked about Condon’s ties to the Tszyu family, Leigh said: “If the judge doesn’t manage fighters, he’s got a boxing gym, it’s the best gym in town, he offered it to both fighters, that’s pretty neutral to me.”
Under the rules, judges are gagged from making any public or private comment in relation to an upcoming bout for fear it would jeopardise the sanctity of the fight.
The Tszyu camp hit back furiously with co-promoter Matt Rose labelling the claims “disgusting” and trainer Glen Jennings lashing Rushton by declaring: “It’s an allegation that can’t be proven”.
But Rushton was ultimately vindicated by Milham’s confession that Holiday had raised concerns about Horn’s tendency to bleed.
“Tim has trained at the gymnasium owned by Chris Condon, I’m not comfortable with that relationship but I thought one out of three judges is not the end of the world,” Rushton said.
“What has also come to light is that a (second) judge has a very strong view that Tim Tszyu would win the fight and he told a friend that.
“That’s two judges out of three. It’s not only a matter of being fair, it’s been seen to be fair.
“I don’t like [any] judges going into a fight with a pre-conceived outcome of the fight.
“All I ask is for a fair go, we don’t want any bias, that’s all we need to win this fight.”
Co-promoter Matt Rose ripped into Rushton, accusing him of trying to destabilise the Tszyu camp.
“To question the integrity of an official on national cameras is disgusting,” Rose fired.
“Trust Glenn Rushton to bring up something like this a day before a fight. He must have learned a bit off (Anthony) ‘Choc’ Mundine in selling a fight.”
Tszyu’s trainer Glen Jennings added: “Rushton should apologise for this. He has picked it out of his arse.
“From the time we have come up here, Chris Condon has been the ultimate professional. I asked him for a coffee one day and he said no I’m an official for this fight.
“We don’t know the other judge (Holiday) from a bar of soap.”
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JUDGE HITS BACK AT INTEGRITY CONCERNS
- Matthew Elkerton
The man embroiled in the controversy surrounding the Jeff Horn and Tim Tszyu fight has spoken for the first time.
Townsville boxing stalwart Chris Condon was caught in the centre of a fiery exchange between Horn’s trainer Glen Rushton and Tszyu’s manager Glen Jennings following the weigh-ins.
Rushton questioned the integrity of the fight with two of the three judges causing concern for the Horn camp. One of those judges was Condon, who is a registered official with the World Boxing Organization and has presided over world title bouts in the past.
Rushton raised concerns that Condon, who operates the Townsville Showground, had a personal connection with Tszyu’s father, and former unified world champion, Kostya.
It is understood Tszyu has also trained in Condon’s gym at the showgrounds in the lead up to the fight at Queensland Country Bank Stadium on August 26.
While he was careful in what he said, Condon cleared the air to News Corp and said he would not step down from his appointment as a judge.
“The appointments were decided three weeks ago, we had a meeting with both camps and from what I knew it was full steam ahead,” Condon told the Townsville Bulletin.
“I actually met Glen (Rushton) at the weigh-in and we had no problems. I think it is a bit of a play-up for the fight.
“I have been involved in boxing all of my life, I am a WBO (World Boxing Organisation) official. I am good friends with Glen Jennings but when he contacted me before the fight for a coffee, I declined. I didn’t want any impropriety before the fight.”
Condon confirmed Tszyu had been training at his gym but that he was not present at any of the sessions.
“The gym was opened up by one of my buddies, and I had nothing to do with it,” he said.
“Jeff was welcome to train there as well. We knew he was looking for a gym and we were happy to have him. That gym has been in Townsville for 30 years.”
The war of words between the camps exploded after the weigh-in at The Ville, with Rushton raising concerns over Condon’s involvement as a judge and the revelation that fellow judge
Phil Holiday had made remarks about the outcome of the fight.
“One of the judges has a strong view that Tim will win the fight and he told a friend that. That is of concern to us,” Rushton said.
“I know Tim is training at the gym owned by Chris Condon. I wasn’t completely comfortable with that relationship but I thought one out of three isn’t the end of the world.
“When I heard about the second judge, that concerned me. I don’t like judges going in with a preconceived idea on the outcome of the fight. You have to be fair and seen to be fair.”
The third judge in the fight Derek Milham, who is the president of the Australian National Boxing Federation, said the revelations were of concern but he had full faith in the impartiality of the judges.
“It is a shame it has gone this way. It is probably unfortunate that it did happen but that was no cloak and dagger about it,” Milham said.
“I have got full confidence in (Holliday), he is as good as anybody.
“All you can do is take my word. There is a red corner and a blue corner and whoever gets the fight wins the fight.”