Tim Tszyu bans talk of future fights – and why Kostya Tszyu is no longer welcome

Tim Tszyu’s team is taking drastic measures ahead of his all-or-nothing bout with Joey Spencer. Including shutting the door on his famous father Kostya.

Team Tszyu is officially banned from talking about future fights or paydays, while the “Kostya Tszyu experiment” has been branded a failure.

After back-to-back losses in 2024, Tszyu is preparing for a do-or-die comeback fight against dangerous American Joey Spencer in Newcastle on April 6.

A third loss in a row would be devastating and his team is taking extra precautions after his knockout loss to Bakhram Murtazaliev in Orlando in October left him vomiting all night and dealing with concussion.

That means talk of rematches with Murtazaliev and Sebastian Fundora and big-money fights against Canelo Alvarez or Terence Crawford are now taboo.

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The team won’t even be drawn into discussions about fighting Keith Thurman, who jets into Sydney on Friday ahead of his PPV showdown with Brock Jarvis on March 12.

Tszyu was scheduled to fight Thurman 12 months ago before the American pulled out with injury.

Tszyu admits there’s unfinished business, but the team won’t talk about Thurman until after the Spencer fight.

Tim Tszyu in Newcastle. Photo: Michael Gorton, No Limit Boxing

The move comes after the build-up to the Murtazaliev bout was overshadowed by the prospect of a mega-money showdown with Crawford or Canelo, and even the possibility of fighting in Las Vegas on the same weekend as the NRL’s season launch there.

“That last fight, I was focused on too many other things,” Tszyu told this masthead. “This time I’m just focused on this.

“I’m not talking about anything else. Just this.”

Kostya was a surprise arrival in fight week in Orlando, but after a heartwarming family reunion, those closest to Tszyu believe his old man’s presence was another unnecessary distraction.

Tszyu confirmed his dad won’t be back at ringside in April, despite Kostya fighting in Newcastle seven times, including two world title defences.

“No, he won’t be back,” Tszyu said bluntly.

“No I won’t have him here for this fight,” Tszyu added.

“It was good but at the same time I wasn’t used to him being around so it was a bit different.

“I was glad my dad was there.

“He told me some things and hopefully I can learn from it … how to approach things.”

Tszyu’s manager, Glen Jennings – who also managed Kostya for part of his career – confirmed there were too many outside distractions in Orlando.

“I just don’t believe you can bring a third party in and not be distracted,” Jennings said of Kostya’s presence. “I don’t think that experiment worked.

“I take some sense of responsibility too. I love Kostya, but when you’ve got a close-knit group, it’s not always good to bring someone else in.

“We’ve always been insular, and sometimes it came across as not even thinking about Murtazaliev.

“There were all these questions about a mega-fight, and that was a learning curve.”

Kostya Tszyu surprises Tim in Orlando. Picture: Supplied

Jennings said another defeat would be unthinkable.

“It has the potential to crumble, it all depends on the outcome of this fight,” he said.

“When you fight anyone, anywhere, anytime, like Tim does, you can’t bitch and moan when you get beat.

“We copped two in a row, that’s the reality. He has to win and he has to keep moving forward.

“I’m not saying another loss is the end of his career, but it would be a big problem to deal with.”

It took Tszyu months to finally re-watch the Murtazaliev fight, and reliving each of the four knockdowns was a brutal experience.

“Hard. It was hard to watch – very tough,” he said. “Not good memories.

“When I watched it from a tactical point of view, I was hitting him with some good shots, and I think that’s what got me excited.

“Not good memories” said Tszyu. Picture: Paul Hennessy/Anadolu via Getty Images

“It’s a level of experience.

“I got hit with the same shot twice and I intend not to make that mistake ever again.

“I kept going though. I couldn’t believe I kept going, even though I was rattled, and I had a concussion. I kept getting up and kept going even though my legs were shaky.

“It was good to see that spirit.”

Tszyu revealed to this masthead in December that he had copped a torrent of online abuse following the Murtazaliev loss, but he hit back at his critics now.

“Look at the opponents I’m fighting,” he said. “They’re world champion calibre.

“If you fall, you’re gonna fall flat on your face. That’s how I approach life.

“It’s what I do. It’s in my DNA.”

Originally published as Tim Tszyu bans talk of future fights – and why Kostya Tszyu is no longer welcome