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‘Scary bloke’: World champ Jermell Charlo warned to expect ‘laser focused’ Tim Tszyu

Tim Tszyu’s brother has warned Jermell Charlo the Aussie boxing star is a “scary bloke” and “laser focused” on making history.

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Nikita Tszyu has warned Jermell Charlo to expect a “scary” fight from his brother Tim, who he says is “laser focused” on making boxing history.

Tim Tszyu will take on Charlo in Las Vegas on January 29 in a superwelterweight title bout and if he wins, he will become just the ninth undisputed champion in the four-belt era.

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Tszyu has already headed over to the US, leaving no stone unturned in an intense pre-fight training camp he hopes will have him primed to beat the trash-talking Charlo.

“My grandad speaks to him everyday and he’s been saying he’s in a very good position, very good state of mind,” Nikita told news.com.au.

“They’ve been doing a lot of good sparring with some big American blokes helping him.”

Nikita said he has never seen his brother so focused for a fight.

“He’s really zoned in. He understands the magnitude of this event, he understands the magnitude of the opportunity,” the younger Tszyu brother said.

Tim Tszyu means business. Picture: Richard Dobson
Tim Tszyu means business. Picture: Richard Dobson
Jermell Charlo is the superwelterweight world champion. Photo: Al Bello/Getty Images/AFP
Jermell Charlo is the superwelterweight world champion. Photo: Al Bello/Getty Images/AFP

“He’s so laser focused, it’s insane. Just watching him train here (in Australia), the way he’s approaching things is completely different. He’s so zoned in.”

While the Tszyu brothers have vowed never to fight each other professionally, Nikita has plenty of experience sparring with Tim and believes he’s in career-best form.

“Just doing some rounds of sparring with him before my last preparation, I saw this new animal come out of him,” Nikita said.

“I feel sorry for Charlo, what he has to go through. Tim’s a scary bloke when he gets in the zone.

“He’s very technical. He’s very hard to hit, elusive. He’s been working a lot on his defence and stamina abilities.

“That mixed in with this terminator kind of style where he walks people down, it’s very difficult to fight against.

Tim Tszyu trains in Los Angeles in preparation for his world title fight against Jermell Charlo. Photo: No Limit Boxing/Grant Trouville.
Tim Tszyu trains in Los Angeles in preparation for his world title fight against Jermell Charlo. Photo: No Limit Boxing/Grant Trouville.

“It’s similar to (Gennady) Golovkin where he’s got the technique and he’s got the power as well and he’s always on your neck. It’s a very hard thing to deal with for a lot of rounds.”

Asked for a prediction for how the fight will end, Nikita believes his brother will win in a thriller.

“I think if it won’t go the distance, it could definitely go to a very late stoppage by Tim,” he said.

“I feel that he’s got that style that can really mess Charlo stuff.”

Nikita (4-0), who dominated Darkon Dryden in his last fight, will travel to Las Vegas to watch his brother in action before preparing to get back in the ring himself on a No Limit fight card in March.

Read related topics:Tim Tszyu

Original URL: https://www.news.com.au/sport/boxing/scary-bloke-world-champ-jermell-charlo-warned-to-expect-laser-focused-tim-tszyu/news-story/1860f17ae6ea66ebbfbc40acf29b159d