TRICK SHOT

The unusual skills that make Tszyu a force in the ring

THE razor punch. The coin catch. The head stand.

Boxer Tim Tszyu is incorporating extraordinary skill tests once used by his father Kostya to sharpen his arsenal to defeat Jeff Horn in three weeks.

Tszyu, who is training on the Gold Coast, can cut a newspaper page in half with one punch, catch four coins thrown simultaneously before they hit the ground, and stands on his head three times a week after training to strengthen his neck.

The 25-year-old star has been practising the tricks since he was six years old watching his father become a world champion, and says the exercises originated in Kostya’s birthplace of Serov, a small mining town on the foothills of the Ural Mountains in Russia.

“He used to lead by example but now I think I’ve got him in the bag,” Tszyu said. “It would have originated in Russia, the Soviet type of training.

“Back in those times there wasn’t the modern technology or proper equipment, so they had to deal with what they had.

“The coins, that’s about quick reaction and accuracy. In the olden days in Russia, especially in a poor town like Serov with less than 100,000 people, you don’t have much, so a simple coin chuck and being able to grab the coins before they hit the floor is a quick reaction drill.

“I’m doing it with four coins now, soon I’ll be doing five. I’ll get it, trust me.

“The paper punch is from Russia. My dad always used to do it.

“It’s all about technique. You can have a super-heavyweight punch, it doesn’t matter how heavy his hands are, you’ve got to punch properly, it’s got to be completely sharp like a razor blade.

“Even standing on your head is quite different to what people do now.

“Still, I believe in the oldschool methods. All the oldschool fighters, they reached the top by doing these things. It strengthens your neck.

“I’ve been doing it for a long time. As a young kid I was always doing little drills like that.”

Tszyu is attempting to emulate the feats of his undisputed champion dad, and that road to glory begins against Queensland star Horn on August 26 in Townsville.

It is the biggest bout of Tszyu’s career. The unbeaten Sydneysider (15-0, 11KO) and Horn (20-2-1, 13KO) are expected to fight in front of a crowd of 16,000 people, which would be the biggest boxing event in the world in 2020.