Shock Pacquiao sessions possible as Tszyu urged to head to America for training camp
Tim Tszyu has been urged to head to America, where he could spend time training alongside one of the greatest of all time.
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Manny Pacquiao’s Los Angeles-based Australian trainer says Tim Tszyu needs to spar in America, and could even spend time training alongside ‘Pacman’ as the Filipino legend prepares for a world title comeback and the chance to become “the greatest boxer of all time.”
Aussie strength and conditioning coach Justin Fortune is one of Pacquiao’s closest boxing confidants, and was in his corner for some of the biggest bouts of his career, including the ‘Fight of the Century’ against Floyd Mayweather.
The pair is working together again in Los Angeles as Pacquiao returns to the ring for the first time in four years for his WBC welterweight world title fight with Mario Barrios at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on July 19.
After back-to-back defeats in 2024, Tszyu rebounded with a dominant win over Joey Spencer in April, and is already back in world title contention.
‘The Soul Taker’ will fight Sebastian Fundora for the WBC super-welterweight world title in the co-main event of Pacquiao’s card, in a rematch of their bloody encounter in March last year.
Speaking from his gym in Hollywood, Fortune urged Tszyu to travel to LA to prepare for the do-or-die rematch.
“Come over here and train and spar for this fight,” Fortune told Code Sports. “That’s what I always tell him, get his ass over to LA and train here.
“It’s make or break. You lose this fight and you’re done.
“Win and you fight another day.
“Tim and Manny probably wouldn’t train next to each other daily, with Manny at Wild Card gym with Freddie Roach, but they could run together and do fitness.
“The fight’s in seven-and-a-half weeks though, so he’d have to get a move on.”
Tszyu and Pacquiao have trained together before, with Fortune organising sparring between them in the early stages of Tszyu’s career.
“Tim wasn’t at Manny’s level – Manny was faster and smaller – but they worked well,” he said. “Manny’s not a prick. He’ll spar to the level of his opponent’s ability.
“But if you take a cheap shot, Manny will f**k you up.
“Tim wouldn’t do that though, so they had a good workout. It was a great experience for Tim.”
Tszyu remembers it as “an unreal experience” and now, years later, Fortune is excited to see them on the same card on July 19.
He’d love even more to see them training in the same city.
Fortune is so sure that the level of sparring in America is superior to Australia that he’s adamant Tszyu would still be world champion if he trained in the US.
“The biggest thing is the sparring here, and even in Las Vegas. It’s a much higher level,” he said.
“In Australia, you’re a big fish in a small pond.
“If he stayed in America, he’d be a world champion.
“If he went and trained with his dad, he’d be a world champion.
“And, I get it, a training camp in LA is very expensive, and that’s the shit part about LA.
“He doesn’t even have to train at my gym, but this is the fight capital of the world. Come over here and mix it with the big boys.
“This is where all the good fighters and good sparring is. It’s where you learn.
“Don’t stay in Australia where you spar the same guys three times a week.
“And, you can put a whole lot of peoples’ opinions to rest, because without that cut, Tim was going to beat the shit out of Fundora.”
Fresh off spending six weeks training boxing superstar Ryan Garcia for his world title defeat to Rolly Romero at Times Square earlier this month, Fortune is back in camp in Los Angeles with Pacquiao ahead of his long-awaited return.
And he says Pacuiqao isn’t just coming back for a one-off world title fight.
He’s eyeing up everyone in the welterweight division.
“Manny wins this and he shakes the whole division up,” he said. “I’ve seen these other mother****rs fight – Garcia, Haney, Lopez – and they’re terrified of getting hit.
“And they’ve never been hit as fast or as hard as Pacquiao can hit.
“He can shake up the whole division again and become the greatest fighter in history.
“That’s my advice to him. The last few weeks I’ve been saying, ‘Fight these guys and take it all back. You’ll be the greatest fighter in history.’
“No one’s come up eight divisions, won 13 or 14 world titles, retired and come back at 46 and done it all again.
“Who does that?”
Originally published as Shock Pacquiao sessions possible as Tszyu urged to head to America for training camp
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