Australian boxer Tim Tszyu ‘could be better’ than champion father
After securing his 19th consecutive professional win, pundits have started questioning when Tim Tszyu could be compared to his father.
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Ahead of the next chapter of Tim Tszyu’s flourishing boxing career, pundits have started questioning when comparisons should start being drawn to his champion father.
Russia-born Kostya Tszyu was the undisputed light welterweight champion from 2001-2005, boasting a professional career record of 31-2.
He was inducted into the Boxing Hall of Fame in 2011 having dominated at European and world championship levels as an amateur before embarking on a glittering professional career.
Watch Tim Tszyu vs Takeshi Inoue LIVE on Main Event available on Kayo and Foxtel, Wednesday 17th November from 7pm AEDT. ORDER NOW >
His son Tim has followed in his footsteps, securing 19 consecutive wins since turning professional in 2016 as a 22-year-old. Fifteen of Tszyu’s victories have come via KO.
Ahead of Wednesday evening’s highly-anticipated bout with Japan’s Takeshi Inoue, boxing great Jeff Fenech boldly claimed Tim “could be better” than his father.
“Kostya is maybe a bigger puncher,” Fenech told Wide World of Sports. “They do things very similar. But for me in some things, Tim is every bit as good if not better than his dad. He’s getting better and better.
“He’s got his father’s poise. His patience. That’s something you can’t teach. It’s about having that awareness in the ring. No doubt his father has helped shape the fighter he is but Tim is his own fighter. Plus they look like f***ing twins.
“He knows when he’s in danger and knows what to do get himself out of trouble. Watching his father as a boy would have helped.”
Tszyu, the WBO’s mandatory challenger for Brian Castano’s super welterweight belt, has every intention of extending his hot streak when he faces Inoue at Sydney’s Qudos Bank Arena.
Inoue is currently 17-1-1, his last defeat coming five fights ago against Jaime Munguia.
Both fighters have promised to knock the other person out, but only one man will be left standing with their arms aloft in the middle of the ring.
At 174cm, Tszyu is taller than Inoue at 165cm. He also has a much longer reach at 183cm, comfortably ahead of Inoue at a reported 171cm.
While Inoue will be Tszyu’s toughest fight yet, long time manager Glen Jennings said it was “the 20th time we’ve been up here and the 20th time we’ve heard that our opponent is going to better than Tim and as yet, that hasn’t come to fruition”.
How to live stream Tim Tszyu vs Takeshi Inoue fight
You can live stream the fight on Kayo or watch it via Foxtel’s Main Event channel. Both of those options will set you back $59.95 to purchase the pay-per-view.
The main card will get underway at 7pm, while Tszyu and Inoue will enter the ring closer to 10pm.
Originally published as Australian boxer Tim Tszyu ‘could be better’ than champion father
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