Tszyu's goal: Follow in famous father's footsteps and make name in United States
Aussie makes American debut vs. Gausha on Showtime
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Australian junior middleweight contender Tim Tszyu has already made a name for himself at home, sold a lot of tickets and pay-per-views and become the WBO mandatory challenger for the winner of the undisputed championship rematch between Jermell Charlo and Brian Castano, who meet on May 14.
Tszyu, the son of Hall of Fame former undisputed junior welterweight champion Kostya Tszyu, could have continued to fight in Australia but he felt that to really become a star he needed to fight in the United States.
He was just a kid but he remembers watching his father fight and making a name for himself in the U.S. during his heyday, most of which was spent fighting on Showtime.
Now, Tszyu is following in his father’s footsteps by coming to America in an effort to make a bigger name for himself and by also fighting on Showtime, where he will headline against former world title challenger and 2012 U.S. Olympian Terrell Gausha in the 12-round main event of a Premier Boxing Champions tripleheader on Saturday (9 p.m. ET) at The Armory in Minneapolis.
“This has been a long time in the making,” Tszyu said. “I’ve been keen on making my debut here ever since I beat (former welterweight titlist and Australian countryman) Jeff Horn (in August 2020). It’s good to finally be here and I’m quite excited to be on this platform. This is a real opportunity for me.
“My dad hasn’t talked to me too much about what to expect fighting in the U.S. Mostly he just reminds me to stay ready, which I always am. I’m a professional and I’m fighting nonstop. I don’t take rests or honeymoons like some of these other fighters.”
Kostya Tszyu (31-2, 25 KOs), who boxed professionally from 1992 to 2005 and was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2011, had most of his biggest fights on Showtime, which had him under exclusive contract in the early 2000s. It was on Showtime where he fought Julio Cesar Chavez, Sharmba Mitchell twice (including in a unification fight), Zab Judah (against whom he became the undisputed 140-pound champion in 2001) and Ricky Hatton in the final fight of his career when he lost the title.
“It’s a big deal for me to be in this position headlining on Showtime,” Tim Tszyu said. “You dream of it as a kid, and now for it to actually be happening, it’s unreal. I’m the first Australian who’s had their U.S. debut as a headline act, having not even won a world title yet. It shows that what we’ve done so far is pretty good for the moment. We’re here to make statements.”
He owns victories over Horn, fringe contender Dennis Hogan and Takashi Inoue. Next up is Gausha, whose only losses were decisions in a world title fight against Erislandy Lara in 2017 and Erickson Lubin in 2020.
They could not stop Gausha (22-2-1, 11 KOs), 34, of Encino, California, but Tszyu (20-0, 15 KOs), 27, says he is here to record the knockout and excite the public.
“I’m coming to fight and I’m coming to win. I’m not here to tip-tap. If that means going for the knockout, I’ll go for it right away,” Tszyu said. “I’m not here to out-jab someone and win on the scorecards. From the first second when the fight starts, my objective is to take him out. Every second of every round, I’m going to be in front of my opponent’s face.
“This is going to be an interesting fight. I’m quite interested to see what he’s going to bring. Gausha has the tools to win. He’s got great skills and quick hands and a good variety of punches. He does the simple things very well. I like those types of styles. I’ve sparred guys like that in the U.S. and it’s a fun style to fight against.
“I don’t look particularly big or strong, but when I get in the ring, I give off that dominance that says ‘this is my ring. This is what I do and you’re coming onto my stage’. I present that dominance straight away and let everyone know.”
“From the first second when the fight starts, my objective is to take him out.” — Tim Tszyu
Gausha believes he is Tszyu’s best opponent and he is probably right.
“This fight can cement my spot in line for that world title. Tszyu has a lot of backing behind him, he’s young and he’s got a great record. That’s exactly what I want to be up against,” Gausha said. “I feel like I’m just a different kind of opponent than anything he’s ever faced. I’ve trained for a live guy who’s bringing the pressure. But we’ll see how it works out for him on Saturday.
“This is a good fight and I’m glad that he took it. I respect Tim for taking a fight like this. We’re going to put on a show for the fans and give them a great fight. The winner of this fight should get the winner of the Jermell Charlo versus Brian Castano rematch.”
Tszyu is already mandatory for the winner so beating Gausha will propel him into the title shot next as the WBO said the winner must face him or vacate that belt.
“Charlo is a cautious fighter with power in both hands. He wobbled Castano a few times,” Tszyu said of his observations about their draw. “Charlo waits to land that perfect shot and that’s why Castano’s output wasn’t too high in that fight. I thought Castano fought a great fight and out worked him. Charlo didn’t know what to do at times. I think it’s either going to be Castano by decision or Charlo by knockout in the rematch.
“I’m coming for everyone in the division. I’m coming for the belts. You have to have confidence in yourself. I believe that I defeat either Charlo or Castano. I wouldn’t be in the sport if I didn’t believe that. I’d take those guys to places they’ve never been and that’s all that matters to me.”
Photo: Esther Lin/Showtime
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