At a time when the NFL, and the Los Angeles Rams in particular, are keen to make incursions into Australia, Tim Tszyu has gone the other way.
Tszyu is in LA for a training camp before taking on Jermell Charlo in a bid to become just the ninth undisputed champion in boxing by holding all four major belts at the same time. The trip to the United States has been no holiday, but Tszyu stole a bit of downtime to attend Thursday night footy, the NFL clash between the LA Rams and the Las Vegas Raiders.
Tim Tszyu swaps jersey with LA Rams star Cooper Kupp.Credit:Grant Trouville
Just hours after the Charlo fight was officially locked in for January 29 – at Mandalay Bay, the Las Vegas venue where father Kostya won world title fights – Tszyu was the guest of honour of the Super Bowl Champion Rams.
Tszyu was welcomed to the sideline as the teams warmed up at SoFi Stadium and then swapped jerseys during a meeting with Rams superstar and reigning Super Bowl MVP Cooper Kupp.
“It was cool, he had this good energy about him,” Tszyu said. “We spoke as fellow athletes and he was really supportive.
“We shared the same experience as fellow athletes. You don’t get to meet a lot of athletes these days, especially from here, so it’s good to just share what it feels like on the sideline.”
Mutual appreciation: Kupp and Tszyu.Credit:Grant Trouville
As for the signature jersey he received, Tszyu said: “Michael Jordan inspired, of course, No.23. I will add this to the collection.”
After swapping jerseys and pleasantries, Tszyu then shared a VIP suite with entrepreneur and author Gary Vee. It was Tszyu’s first trip to SoFi Stadium, but he hopes it won’t be the last.
“Unreal, honestly it looks like a photo. I thought it was a drawing, it’s unreal,” he said. “Fingers crossed, one day I’ll fight here. That is probably the ultimate, but baby steps, one day.”
The rock-star treatment Tszyu is getting in America is a pointer to his growing status in the country. His stocks will rise further still if he inflicts the first-ever defeat on Charlo, considered one of the best pound-for-pound punchers in the sport.
Ironically, Tszyu is making his mark in the United States just as the NFL is trying to expand its influence in Australia. The Rams are one of the teams most actively promoting their brand in an already football-saturated market, to the point there are even suggestions they could play an official NFL game in Sydney in coming years.
The Tszyu-Charlo bout has been locked in for several months but was only officially announced on Thursday [local time]. There has been ongoing speculation over the venue amid a push to stage the bout at the MGM Grand, where Kostya Tszyu won his first world title and later famously defended it with that iconic knockout of Zab Judah.
The Mandalay Bay, however, also has significance for the family; Kostya earned the WBA belt with a victory there over Sharmba Mitchell and successfully defended it against Ben Tackie.
“It’s a long time in the making, finally got that venue locked in and now it’s time to go,” Tszyu said. “It’s in Vegas, that’s all I wanted, the big bright lights.
“I know the venue very well, it’s the only hotel in Vegas I actually stay at, there’s no surprises there. It’s kind of like a second home. Dad fought a couple of world titles there and won. I’ll be doing the same.”
Adrian Proszenko travelled to Los Angeles as a guest of No Limit Boxing.
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