This is gonna hurt
A WORLD title shot is around the corner. International rivals want a piece of Tim Tszyu.
His opponent on Wednesday night, Takeshi Inoue, has studied the footage and declared: “He is made to order for me.”
Perhaps the Japanese fighter plans to feast on perceived weakness, but Tszyu intends feeding him knuckle sandwiches for as long as their 12round super-welterweight fight lasts in Sydney.
For all the talk, Tszyu on Monday brought it back to the basics of boxing.
“I just enjoy hurting people,” Tszyu said. “I know it sounds brutal, but I enjoy the fact of hurting people and I get into this zone and I turn into this different person.
“Two days after (the fight), I’m a different person back home. I’m nice and relaxed, but now I’m in the zone, it’s kill or be killed.
“This is like back in the gladiator days. This is what fighting and brutality is all about.
“The preparation I’ve had and the way I feel in the ring, oh, I feel sorry for Takeshi.”
Inoue is unconcerned. The WBO No.6-ranked fighter understands No.1-ranked Tszyu will pose problems, but he remains supremely confident.
“It’s not at all that I’m seeing weakness, but I do believe it more has to do with how my trainer has been working with me, and how he is very confident,” Inoue said.
“But also when I watched Tim Tszyu’s fights, I can see very clearly that in many ways he is made to order for me.”
Tszyu (19-0, 15KO) is already the mandatory challenger for champion Brian Castano. Given that hurdles are still in the way of Castano organising a rematch against Jermell Charlo for the unified championship, Tszyu could face the Argentinian early next year.
“It’s a very real chance that our next outing will be against Brian Castano for that world title,” Tszyu’s manager Glen Jennings said. “It’s just a matter of timing now to see if the mandate gets enforced.”
US former world champion Tony Harrison announced over the weekend he wanted to fight Tszyu in Australia.
“That’s good news, but if there’s a world title next that’s the path I’m going,” Tszyu said.