Tim Tszyu admits he wished he had received advice from his father Kostya after shockingly losing his WBO world title in March and is hoping to have Kostya on his side later this year.
But the popular Sydney journalist also laughed as he detailed the “fake” claims his father made at the pair's recent highly publicised training camp in Thailand, where they reunited for the first time in five years.
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The Australian boxing figurehead describes Gervonta “Tank” Davis as “special” and the undisputed star of the lightweight division, and predicts he will score a highlight-stopping knockout against Frank Martin this Sunday.
The 29-year-old Davis, one of the biggest boxing stars in the world, will end the longest break of his professional career when he defends his WBA title against Martin in the main event in Las Vegas, which will be broadcast live in Australia.
Tsushu also predicts that one of his favorite fighters, American David Benavidez, will move up from super middleweight to “beat” Ukraine's Oleksandr Gvozdyk for the WBC interim light heavyweight title.
Tsushu recalls violent clash with Fandora | 02:37
Chu himself, meanwhile, is due to resume sparring in early July as he attempts to return from a shock defeat to big American southpaw Sebastian Fandora that cost him his world title and left him with a nasty cut on his head.
The 29-year-old was due to return from the loss in a bout against unbeaten American phenom Vergil Ortiz Jr in August, but the bout was cancelled as “The Soultaker” needed more time to let his wounds heal.
The shock cancellation also came as a surprise to the fighter, who had already begun two weeks of training in Thailand, including a week with his father, who flew in from Russia.
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Speaking to Fox Sports Australia this week, Tszyu revealed that this was the first time the pair had reunited since 2019, prior to his fight with Jack Brubaker.
Since then, Tsiu has fought 10 more times in Australia and the United States, winning and losing titles while developing into a globally recognised boxer with an old-fashioned approach to combat sports.
So what are the highlights of their time together?
“That was definitely our first interaction,” Tsushu said, his smile widening as he remembered.
“It was special because we hadn’t seen each other for so long.
“good.
“Just spending some one-on-one time together and seeing how he's changed.”
Tusyu and his promoter No Limit have posted several photos on social media showing the pair working up a sweat in various training sessions, with Kostya, 54, seemingly doing his best to beat his eldest son.
“Yeah, he tried to destroy me,” Tsiu continued, grinning.
“He told me a lot about what he was doing in training.
“So I had to say, 'Oh, OK, Dad, I'll do everything you say.'
“It was a lot of fun.”
But how did he handle some of the records that were supposedly set at the old man's physical peak?
“Some of it,” Tsiu said with a laugh, “turned out to be bullshit…”
“To be honest, he was saying things that were physically impossible.”
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But despite having to complete various training tasks while wearing the Kostya GST, Tsiu admitted he wished his father had accompanied him to camp for the fight against Fundora, where he was caught off guard by an elbow and suffered a nasty head clash after dominating the first two rounds of the championship bout.
The Australian then fought virtually blind for 30 minutes but still came within a point of snatching victory, ultimately losing via split decision.
“And I regret not having my father at ringside,” admitted Tszyu, who has often said he never wants his father at ringside again following a turbulent time at his pro debut against Zoran Cassady in 2016.
But given their time together in Thailand and the knowledge his father has imparted to him, Tsiu now hopes his father will be there for his next fight, scheduled for later this year, no matter who he is up against.
“Fandora would have been a real wealth of knowledge to have during fight week,” the fighter added. “It would have been great to have him there when I needed him.”
So maybe in the next game?
“Yeah,” he added. “I hope so.”
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Meanwhile, Tszyuh describes Davis as a “special” fighter and a star in a lightweight division that also includes Shakur Stevenson and the legendary Vasyl Lomachenko, who recently scored a historic stoppage win over Australia's George Kambosos.
When asked his prediction for this Sunday's fight against Martin, Chu said, “I think Tanks will win by KO.”
“He's a special fighter.
“But before that, I’m looking forward to watching Benavidez.
“He's one of my favorite fighters right now. I think he'll dominate Gvozdyk.”
Benavidez could also be a potential future opponent for Australian cruiserweight champion Jay Opetaia.
The Central Coast native and newly crowned IBF champion is fresh off a tough rematch win over Mairis Briedis and recently hailed the possibility of moving up a weight class to face Benavidez.
“If he (Benavidez) wants to move up to cruiserweight, go for it,” Opetaia said in an interview with Fight Hub.
“Cruiserweight is my weight class. Until I get out of it. Come and get it.”
