Q&A: Kostya Tszyu!

May 24, 2005

By Craig Watt

Photo: Tom Casino/SHOWTIME

IBF jr welterweight champion Kostya Tszyu (31-1) landed in Manchester on Sunday from Sydney, Australia ahead of his June 4th title defense against unbeaten mandatory challenger Ricky Hatton (38-0). The fight is a 22,000 sell out at the MEN Arena in Manchester and represents the biggest fight in the UK in the last ten years. Tickets for the fight sold out in just over two hours when they went on sale in March. Today the 35-year-old champion discussed his arrival in the UK and upcoming bout against the unbeaten 26 year old Hatton known in the UK at "The Hitman". For champion Tszyu this represents the fourth defense of the IBF title he won in November 2001 when he destroyed current 147lb champion Zab Judah in a 140lb unification match inside two rounds.

The former Russian amateur star won the 1991 World amateur championships and then at the age of 22 relocated with his current wife Natasha to Australia where they now have three children. His progress in the 140 pound division was rapid winning the IBF title from Jake Rodriguez in 1995 in just his 14th professional fight. During his long reign covering seventeen world title fights he has travelled the world defending WBC, WBA and IBF titles. Against Hatton however in his home territory with his notably fervent supporters he faces a tough challenge. Whilst Tszyu has been at world level for ten years the challenger has an extremely high work rate with devastating body punching that has seen him unbeaten in his career to date. Indeed some observers point out that Tszyu has only completed nine professional rounds since May 2002 due to some long term injury lay offs. Weighted strongly in the champion's favour however is the level of Tszyu's experience and thunderous right hand make him a favourite to defeat the unbeaten Hatton and collect a $4m payday.

Kostya, How has your arrival in the UK been since you flew in yesterday?
We arrived in the UK yesterday and my welcome has been warm from the British public who I believe appreciate the boxing skills of Kostya Tszyu. I know I am fighting the home favourite in Ricky Hatton and he has some great support in the UK but I hope the fans will enjoy what will be a fantastic fight. I slept well last night and although my body clock is saying it is 7pm Australian time and is just 10am now in the UK I should adapt in the next day or so. We are well prepared for the challenge that awaits us all in this great city of Manchester. I hope to earn some new fans during my stay and extend my fan base in England which is where boxing all started after all.

How do you rate Ricky Hatton as a challenger for your IBF title compared to other contenders at 140 pounds?
I will tell you after the fight - I don't know whether Ricky will be my hardest defense or another tough contender. I respect his ability and respect his unbeaten record and do not under-estimate anything about him. He is one of the few fighters in the current 140 pound division who is unbeaten and for this commands the respect of Kostya Tszyu. No one has beaten him to date. This fight is a great challenge for me and at this stage of my career when I have won so many titles I want to operate in fights that give Kostya Tszyu a new and difficult challenge. Ricky Hatton is an excellent challenge in this respect because he is unbeaten and no one has defeated him before and I am coming to his home backyard with 22,000 of his fans. This challenge motivates Kostya Tszyu. I am a pure athlete and I want to be constantly challenged by taking on the best available fighters and Ricky is one of the best fighters at 140 pounds. This fight excites me and puts me at a different level. I know that to sacrifice so much for three months I need to have a challenge that excites me and this fight excites me.

Kostya, you have only boxed nine rounds in the last three years and Ricky Hatton has been active in this period with ten fights and completed 83 rounds. Is that a concern for you in this fight?
You should ask Ricky about this question as he should be concerned as I am a fresh 35 years of age. He is 26 years of age but how many wars has he had in the last few years. There is good and bad. Sometimes it is a good benefit to be active like Ricky and sometimes these wars catch up on you. Over time you can get used to getting hit and used to getting cut and this sometimes is not good for you. I have not had many rounds in the last three years but I have been training hard for these fights. I have been in the gym and I tell you that Kostya Tszyu aged 35 years would beat Kostya Tszyu aged 25 years. I would destroy myself because I am smarter, stronger and I am more capable of doing the job than when I was 25 years of age.

From watching Ricky on tape what do you see as his strengths?
It is clear to see from watching Ricky over the last five years that he strength is his work rate. He throws a lot of punches which is an advantage for him but also a disadvantage for him as every time he throws a punch he leaves himself open for a possible mistake. Everyone can see he is open to the right hand and my brain is like a computer and I have planned for this and if you watch me concentrate when I fight I do not blink. I just watch and wait for the right moment and then press the button. The good thing about my career is that I always capitalise on my opportunities. So if Ricky throws lots of punches this is an advantage but also a disadvantage because it gives me an opportunity also to capitalise on a weakness, mistake or opportunity. This is going to be good for me.

Does this mean that Ricky is made for your style?
Ricky must know that he is open for the right hand and I am sure in training for this fight he is planning to avoid my right hand and work around it. He will probably cover over this opportunity for me but the longer and longer the fight goes the more chance he will have to make a mistake. I will be there when he makes that mistake. It is all about mistakes with me- If Ricky creates a space I will go for this and I know where the punch will go. It is all about split second. I find a hole and the punch goes straight in. That is why I have been so successful at 140 pounds. I have studied Ricky's style and approach fragment by fragment and I know exactly what will happen when each opportunity arises. I have planned and practiced each combination meticulously and that is why I am champion. When Ricky creates that opportunity for me then I know I will accept and capitalise on it.

Can you still make 140 pounds or is it a struggle at 35 years of age?
It sounds funny but I can make the weight easier at 35 years of age than at any time. My preparation for the last ten years has been meticulous and every day for ten years I keep a diary and monitor how my weight alters with different foods. I know how to make the weight easier now and when I saw my dietician in Sydney last week she just stated how awesome I looked for my age. My body is now aware at 35 years of age what I need to eat, how I need to exercise to get to 140 pounds. There is no pressure on me for this fight or any recent fight to make the weight. That is why I prepare for three months as everything is meticulous and all planned to achieve this one goal of 140 pounds. My body is like a high quality computer with a good memory of what to do and when. This makes it a programme that works well and even at 35 years of age I do not see this is an issue for this fight against Ricky Hatton.

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Overall Kostya Tszyu has many skills and qualities that have made him the division's premier champion at 140 pounds and these will be tested on June 4th when the marauding Hatton and his 22,000 fans try and wrest the IBF title from such a professional champion. The fight will be televised by Showtime in the US and also on Sky Box Office in the UK.