Nikita Tszyu insists he’s enjoying “one of my easiest weight cuts” after rival Darkon Dryden taunted him over his condition ahead of their fight on Saturday night.
The pair came face-to-face on Thursday at the official press conference for the 20-fight Super Saturday card that also features the IBO Light Middleweight title fight between Sam Eggington and Dennis Hogan.
In a tense exchange Dryden suggested the unbeaten Tszyu was battling with the weight cut.
“He looks weight drained as. I don’t know how much he’s cutting but his cheeks are sucked, his eyes are already sucked in. I hope he’s doing it right,” he said.
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“… I went down to welterweight and I cut like that and I just felt a little bit slower, a little bit heavier and just everything was 10 per cent, 20 per cent off. And if you’re doing it as hard as I think you are, you might just fall in the first (round).
“I hope you’ve got a drip on after you get off the scales.”
Tszyu, though, insisted his preparations had gone to plan.
“I’m feeling good. The cheeks are sucked in because I’m reducing salts. I’m feeling fresh compared to last time and it’s probably one of my easiest weight cuts,” he said.
“You’ve got to be smart with your cuts. Do your research.”
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Tszyu admitted he was looking forward to getting into the ring with a fellow heavy hitter. Dryden has four KO wins from his only four profressional fights.
“It brings this level of focus. You can’t really mess around. There is this little threat in the back of your head but that threat is motivating,” he said.
Thursday’s press conference also featured a bizarre lotto ticket stunt as Darragh Foley mocked rival Blake Minto for vowing to donate funds to mental health if he knocked him out (watch the video below).
“It’s very easy to give s*** away when it’s never going to come true right?,” Foley said.
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