Tim Tszyu v Takeshi Inoue: Venue, date set for Australia’s biggest fight of the year

A date and venue for the biggest fight of Tim Tszyu’s career have been set as Australia’s boxing phenom takes his first step to world domination.

Australian boxing superstar, Tim Tszyu, on top of Rhapsody looking over the Surfers Paradise, after deciding to make the Gold Coast his training base for his upcoming fight. Picture Glenn Hampson

Tim Tszyu’s super-welterweight showdown with Japan’s Takeshi Inoue will be staged at the Gold Coast Convention Centre on November 17.

Tszyu (19-0, 15KO) is the No.1 contender to the WBO champion Brian Castano, but is willing to risk it all and his shot at the world title next year against the No.7 rated Inoue, who has never been stopped and has a strong record of 17-1-1 (10KO).

Tszyu declared this fight against Inoue as the most important of his career.

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“Inoue is a very accomplished and talented fighter. He is crafty in the ring and like all Japanese boxers, very brave.” Tszyu said.

“He will need to be though because I know he has never fought anyone like me before. I’m putting in the hard work now and come fight night, I’m going to be ready to show the world once again just what I can do”.

Tim Tszyu will fight in his “second home” on the Gold Coast. Picture: Glenn Hampson

Inoue’s only defeat was a decision loss to undefeated world champion Jaime Munguia (37-0, 30KO) in 2019 and will come to Australia ready to shock his undefeated opponent.

“Tszyu is a very good fighter but I’m very confident in my ability” Inoue said via a translator.

“This is an exciting opportunity for me to make a mark on the world stage and I truly believe I will finish Tszyu with a knockout in this fight”.

Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate applauded the decision to bring the fight to the Gold Coast as the city continues to attract big events including after the success of State of Origin rugby league, Test rugby double headers and the women’s international cricket series with India.

“We are a big events City and this fight fits the bill perfectly,’’ Mayor Tate said.

Japan boxing star Takeshi Inoue has vowed to knock out Tszyu in their November 17 showdown in Australia.

“Tim is our adopted son. He loves being on the Gold Coast when away from Sydney and he has established our city as his second training base. I applaud promoters and Major Events Gold Coast for bringing this mega fight together. I’ll be ringside when the bell rings.’’

Tickets for the fight are limited and fans can pre-register through www.nolimitboxing.com.au to receive access to an exclusive pre-sale window which will begin on Monday.

Why Tszyu is risking everything to go global

- Jamie Pandaram

“Stay in there for five to 10 minutes,” Tim Tszyu says.

He is excited to be sharing a new torture method he devised for himself over winter, when he’d wake in darkness, go the shower and turn only the cold handle.

“It’s mind over matter, once you can control your mind you can do anything you want,” the champion Australian boxer said.

“I’ve been doing things I don’t want to do just to test my mind. I know the stuff about recovery with ice baths but for me it’s about stepping out of my comfort zone.

“Every morning now I have a cold shower, I never used to do that.

“Sometimes you wake up and it’s freezing, you say ‘---- I don’t want to have a cold shower’. But I do it because my mind says I don’t want to do it, but I’m going to do it no matter what.

Tim Tszyu knocks out Stevie Spark during the WBA Oceania WBO Global super welterweight title fight in July. Picture: Getty Images

“My lifestyle has changed now in everything I do. Whatever I don’t want to do, I do.

“Having that cold shower, you’ll feel for the rest of the day that you’ve conquered your mind. Stay in there for five to 10 minutes, and you’ve conquered your mind.

“And when you conquer your mind, opportunities start coming up.”

Tszyu’s latest opportunity comes against Japan’s Takeshi Inoue on November 17, a fight likely to be in Queensland.

It is one he doesn’t need. Tszyu is already mandated as No. 1 contender to WBO super-welterweight champion Brian Castano and could sit and wait for his world title shot next year.

Instead, he is risking it to fight Inoue, who has never been stopped, is rated No. 7 with the WBO, has a strong record of 17-1-1 (10KO), and whose only defeat was a decision loss to undefeated world champion Jaime Munguia (37-0, 30KO) in 2019.

“When people think they’ve got a chance, and I can literally take everything away from them, that’s what I enjoy,” said Tszyu (19-0, 15KO).

“I’m not going sit there and wait, opportunities come and go, I’m going to take every opportunity with both hands.

“I’m 26 years old, I’m young, I’m not going to sit on my arse doing nothing.

“I’m excited to go global, I’ll get to get my hands on these international blokes.”

Tszyu says he’s prepared to put it all on the line when opportunities come along. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Joel Carrett

Tszyu doubled down his attack on Al Haymon’s Premier Boxing Champions, whose roster includes Castano, WBC, WBA and IBF champion Jermell Charlo, and Tony Harrison who did not take up a contract offer after declaring he would defeat Tszyu.

“Boxing is full of flops, it’s full of people in their own little minds, I’m sick and tired of it,” Tszyu said.

“All the PBC fighters, they’re a pain in the arse to deal with, I can’t wait until I can get my hands on these guys.

“These guys can’t do a passport photo let alone read a document, to get themselves here all it takes is to go to a post office to get your passport photo taken. It takes them two weeks to do that — how can you work with people like that? It’s impossible.

“Little things like that, you’re waiting weeks and weeks for something that takes two minutes. It’s like you’re working with kindergarten kids.”

Inoue is expected to arrive in Australia in a fortnight and has already predicted a late knockout win over Tszyu, who is confident of the same result in reverse.

“He won’t go the distance,” Tszyu said.

“When [promoter] Matt Rose called me and said ‘This guy has never been stopped’, I said, ‘Yet’.”

Tszyu’s elimination showdown opponent revealed

Tim Tszyu will put his No. 1 ranking on the line against tough Japanese fighter Takeshi Inoue in an elimination showdown on November 17.

After American Tony Harrison pulled out of negotiations, Tszyu has signed a contract to fight Inoue in eight weeks’ time in Australia.

A venue has not been determined but Queensland looms as the likely destination due to ongoing Covid-19 travel restrictions.

Tim Tszyu is putting his No. 1 ranking on the line against Takeshi Inoue. Picture: Mark Evans/Getty Images

Inoue – no relation to undefeated bantamweight king Naoya Inoue – has vowed to inflict the first defeat upon Tszyu (19-0, 15KO) and ruin his shot at WBO super-welterweight champion Brian Castano.

“I’ll finish him by KO,” Inoue said.

“I think we’ll start off exchanging jabs, then slug it out on the inside. In the later rounds, I’ll break his heart and win.”

Inoue has never been stopped, with a strong record of 17-1-1 (10KO) and is rated No. 7 by the WBO. His only defeat was a decision loss to undefeated world champion Jaime Munguia (37-0, 30KO) in 2019.

Tszyu is already mandated to fight Castano and could simply sit back and wait for that opportunity next year, but wants to test himself against a serious threat.

Japan boxing star Takeshi Inoue has vowed to knock out Tim Tszyu in their November 17 showdown in Australia.

“No risk, no reward,” Tszyu said.

“You can sit there and wait for an opportunity or you can keep fighting. And I enjoy the thrill of fighting.”

That sentiment was echoed by Tszyu’s manager Glen Jennings.

“Everyone at this level is a tough fight, so as a team it really came down to the fact we didn’t want to be dictated to by other parties.

“We’ve got a world title shot next year against Castano, that’s a timing issue. We could sit in cotton wool, but that’s not how we do things.”

Former world champion Harrison had been confident of taking out Tszyu, but all of a sudden got cold feet when the fight contract was sent to him two weeks ago.

Former world champion Tony Harrison is in the sights of Tszyu.

His promoters Premier Boxing Champions tried to alleviate his fears that he wouldn’t have proper sparring in Australia by agreeing to fly a training partner with him, but that wasn’t enough.

The Tszyu team then said they’d be willing to travel to Harrison’s backyard and fight him in the United States, yet heard nothing back.

After Harrison failed to respond to a deadline last week, Tszyu’s promoters No Limit turned their attention to Inoue and contracts were signed on Friday.

“Matt and George Rose [who run No Limit] and myself have worked hard to get this over the line,” Jennings said.

“The knockers said we couldn’t get an overseas opponent here but this is a great showcase for Australian promoters that if you have a go, it can be done.”

Originally published as Tim Tszyu v Takeshi Inoue: Venue, date set for Australia’s biggest fight of the year