Tim Tszyu reveals the one trait he doesn’t want to inherit from Kostya ahead of their reunion in Orlando

Ahead of a reunion with his father Kostya, Tim Tzuyu opens up about one of the old-school traits he grew up with that he hopes he will never emulate.

Kostya and Tim Tszyu are scheduled to be reunited in Orlando this week. Picture: Jenny Evans/Getty Images

Tim Tszyu went back to his Russian roots during his intense week long training camp in Thailand with his legendary dad, Kostya earlier this year.

It was a reminder of the old-school mindset that took the elder Tszyu to the very top of the boxing world.

But, ahead of their anticipated reunion in Orlando this week, Tim has revealed the one trait he won’t take from Kostya.

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And it’s a crucial difference that could see him achieve his lofty goal of becoming even greater that his dad.

It stems from how Kostya celebrated one of his world title wins.

Kostya and Tim Tszyu in Thailand earlier this year. Picture: Supplied

It was in Las Vegas, and the super-lightweight kingpin was in his high-rise hotel room overlooking The Strip.

According to Kostya, he stood at the window, spread his arms out wide in victory, and thought: “The whole world is mine.”

It’s a feeling he says he wants both of his boxing sons to experience.

But it’s a sensation Tim says he hopes he never feels.

“He used to remind us from a young age that he’s the king of the world, and that all this is his,” Tim tells this masthead ahead of his IBF world title fight against Bakhram Murtazaliev in Orlando next weekend.

“He used to do that all the time.

“I think that’s the type of mindset that he had and that we grew up in. It’s like, ‘That’s what we’re striving for’.

“But after every victory, for me, I don’t feel that. It’s weird. I don’t feel the same thing that he feels.

“For me, it’s like, ‘Alright, a win’s a win, but it hasn’t changed anything. We move on to the next’.

“It’s different, and I don’t know whether it was him becoming the undisputed champion, but for me, I’ve never felt satisfaction at all from anything in boxing.”

Tim Tszyu celebrated his win over Carlos Ocampo by going fishing. Picture: Supplied/Instagram

His response is surprising when asked whether he thinks he’ll ever reach that same level of satisfaction Kostya did.

“No. And I hope I don’t,” he says, bluntly. “Just because of the fact that you’ve gotta keep striving for more.

“If you’re satisfied, you become complacent. I don’t ever want to feel that.”

Kostya could never be accused of complacency, but he received a wake-up call when he lost his IBF world title to Vince Phillips in 1997.

He adapted and transformed from a great boxer to a great all-round athlete.

It’s a similar story for Tim.

Stung by the shocking first defeat of his professional career against Sebastian Fundora in March, he has dived even deeper into that ‘never settle’ mindset.

That’s why he’s spent nearly three months training in Las Vegas.

Even though, six months on, he says he doesn’t feel like he lost to Fundora.

“I didn’t come out as a loser in that fight,” he says. “I never felt like I got battered.

“I went and improved on all the one-percenters and locked myself in here in America.

“I’ve barely been home since the Fundora fight. Even before the Fundora fight, I was here for two months.”

Tszyu has been dialled in since his loss to Sebastian Fundora. Picture: Steve Marcus/Getty Images

That’s because he never wants to settle. He never wants to feel as though becoming king of the world is enough. Because otherwise, there’s nothing left to achieve.

“I just want to get away from normality,” he says. “Away from society and life and just lock myself into a place where I can grow.

“Because my goals are up there at the highest.

“It’s not just to become the best athlete. It’s everything.”

Think he’s kidding?

Tszyu’s competitive streak goes way beyond fighting. Whether it’s Pickleball, Go-karting, Ten-pin bowling or shooting a basketball, Tszyu needs to win. He even keeps an eye on how many back pages younger brother Nikita gets in the paper.

The day before speaking to this masthead, Tszyu, his uncle Igor and his personal chef Omar Iferd took an afternoon off training to play arcade games downtown in Vegas.

He cracks up laughing when asked who won Go-Karting.

“First question! Omar, first question was, ‘Who won the Go-Karting’,” he yells out.

“I won the Go-Karting. I won basketball.

“What else did we play? I won Pickleball and tennis – it’s one way traffic.”