Los Angeles: Upon returning to the United States, Tim Tszyu occasionally gets recognised, despite being almost unrecognisable to the fighter last seen on these shores.
“A few times. When we went to Venice Beach, there were a few guys coming up. It was surprising actually,” Tszyu said.
Tim Tszyu works out in Los Angeles ahead of his undisputed world title fight against Jermell Charlo.Credit:No Limit
“I thought I was in a different part of the world, but there are boxing gyms all around the world. It’s crazy.
“That’s what boxing does. People stop and tune in, They stop their whole life to watch that 40 minutes. It’s amazing how many eyeballs there are.”
Tszyu was speaking ahead of a workout at the Ten Goose Boxing Gym in the central San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles. It’s a tiny gymnasium steeped in tradition, the home of renowned trainer Joe Goossen. When Tszyu was in earlier this week, former lightweight champion Ryan Garcia was one of the many boxers working out beside him.
He was there to prepare for his fight against Jermell Charlo for the American’s IBF, WBC, WBA and WBO super-welterweight straps on January 29. If successful, the Australian will become just the ninth undisputed champion in the four-belt era.
Tszyu defeated Terrell Gausha in Minneapolis in March.Credit:Getty Images
Tszyu looks in superior physical shape to his first and only fight on American soil, against the underrated Terrell Gausha. Charlo, however, will go in as the resounding favourite. The brash Texan had kept a relatively low profile in the build-up, although that changed when he spoke to his fans in a bizarre address that was posted on fighthype.com
“Stop playing with me, Charlo said. “I should be giving you one of the most spectacular knockouts.
“That mother f—er has been running around, talking like he’s bigger and better because y’all know what my nickname is, right? I think I got a pair of shoes around here. It’s always on my shoes.
“If you don’t know by now, you should know. You keep running your mouth. I don’t talk too much shit, I just keep it real clear, locked in and stable.
“We will probably never be mates, but I do have a certain respect for him as a fighter.”
Tim Tszyu on Jermell Charlo
“I’m going to let you know how I move. Real prestigiously.”
Told that Charlo was talking himself up, Tszyu replied: “Yeah good, good. All those antics, let them come in anyway.”
The man dubbed “The Soul Taker” added: “We get in the ring and it’s pure business.
“I’ve got to flick the switch, when I step into the ring, it switches. I’m a monster, that’s it.
Tim Tszyu fields questions from the travelling Australian media.Credit:No Limit
“I’m not going to be friends with him, let’s just say that. I’m not going to be calling him saying ‘let’s go for a coffee’.
“We’re two completely different personalities, we’re not mates. We will probably never be mates, but I do have a certain respect for him as a fighter.”
Tszyu recently completed a training camp in Thailand before relocating to the United States in the lead-up to the Charlo bout. The 28-year-old said the underdog tag suited him.
“It means more. There’s nothing to lose. It’s all in,” he said. “This is my moment. The pressure’s on him. I’ve got no pressure. The pressure’s on him.
“He’s the one that’s putting pressure on himself. He said he’s going to knock me out in a couple of rounds. I know that’s not going to happen. Watch how it goes.”
The Sydneysider said he would leave nothing to chance in his bid to claim all four major belts in the division.
“Man, I’m taking this really seriously. Not many people get to fight for the undisputed world championship,” he said.
“So if you’re going to do it, do it properly. This is why I came over here so early.
“So now it’s all like this: tunnel vision.”
Adrian Proszenko travelled to Los Angeles as a guest of No Limit Boxing.
Sports news, results and expert commentary. Sign up for our Sport newsletter.
