Primed to fulfil destiny
HAVING his hand raised in the ring in front of thousands of spectators had always burned in Tim Tszyu’s mind.
How could it not? His father was one of the finest to put on the gloves and show the world what it meant to be a fighter.
But it was not until he saw the father-son boxing dynamic, and how palpable it could be, on the big screen that Australia’s rising star realised his future was to reflect his old man Kostya’s legacy before establishing his own.
“I was watching Creed and I could relate a lot to it,” Tszyu said. “It gave me a spark – it was the father and son boxing, that’s it.
“I’ve always imagined it, always envisioned it, but it’s good to be in this position now.”
Tszyu has spoken in the past about losing not being an option for him in tonight’s bout with Jeff Horn. Nor is it an experience he has had in his professional career – his 15 fights yielding wins in each, including 11 knockouts.
But he is prepared for whatever his former world champion opponent throws at him.
If Tszyu is to end it early, he will. If he has to go the 10 rounds, he will do that too.
Throughout the build-up to the highly anticipated event, Tszyu has largely evaded the pre-fight banter.
The 25-year-old has not been silent by any means. However, his talk has largely been centred around himself – what he intends to do, how he envisions the fight and why he will not lose, as opposed to why Horn will not win.
Should he emerge victorious, Tszyu’s next phase will ideally be a world title shot – although fellow Australian Michael Zerafa has previously demanded to face the winner.
If a crack at the championship is on the cards, Tszyu said he would love to bring it back to Queensland Country Bank Stadium.
For now, he is done with training, he is done with talking – he is ready to fight.
“This is boxing, and in the boxing game you’re going to have people try and put you off your game,” Tszyu said.
“If you don’t let it get to your heart and let it distract you, it doesn’t bother me.
“Everything that I’ve done now is done, it’s finished. I couldn’t do anything more, so now on Wednesday night that’s all there is left – the last piece of the puzzle.
“I’d love to come back here. Townsville’s treated me with open arms again and if a world title comes, hopefully we can bring it here.”