Behind the Scenes with Tim Tszyu: Training, Family, and Fighting Spirit

Australian superstar Tim Tszyu (24-2, 17 KOs) is currently facing an uncertain future in the ring. Following his recent loss to Bakhram Murtazaliev on October 19, 2024, where he was stopped in the third round after being knocked down four times, Tszyu has yet to announce any plans for a return. With no confirmed date or opponent for his next fight, this period marks an unknown phase in his career.

Reflecting on the two days I spent with the former WBO junior-middleweight champion back in May, it’s clear that the fighter's resilience and dedication remain defining traits. The interview was conducted before he was supposed to face Vergil Ortiz Jr. (21-0, 21 KOs). Unfortunately, that fight was postponed due to the cut he suffered two fights ago against Sebastian Fundora (22-1-1, 13 KOs) not healing in time. Tszyu had previously been set to face Keith Thurman (30-1, 22 KOs), but that fight fell through due to Thurman's bicep tear, which led to Fundora stepping in as the replacement. Despite the setbacks, Tszyu chose to jump in the deep end against Bakhram Murtazaliev without a warm-up fight, showing his determination to test himself at the highest level.

It all began with a text message from my friend Johnny Betts, the fight manager at the Tiger Muay Thai training camp in Phuket. "Hi bro, I just heard that Kosta and Tim Tszyu will be coming to Tiger from May 5th," Johnny wrote. Without hesitation, I quickly booked my ticket and made my way to Phuket.

Tim Tszyu is a former WBO junior middleweight champion and has faced notable opponents such as Jeff Horn (20-3, 13 KOs), Takeshi Inoue (20-2-3, 12 KOs), Tony Harrison (29-4-1, 21 KOs), and Sebastian Fundora. An early wake-up call had me heading to get some coffee and meet Johnny at the famous Tiger Muay Thai training camp, where Tim hosts his training camps while in Thailand.

I met Johnny at 8:45. After a quick chat and regular boxing talk, I was escorted through the bustling Tiger Muay Thai, where the sounds of people hitting pads and bags mixed with loud music filled the air. All of a sudden, peace as we arrived at a private training area behind the gym, away from the noise—the mood shifted, things went quiet and almost peaceful. As I entered, I spotted the man himself, busy stretching in the ring, the “Thunder from Down Under,” Kostya Tszyu. After a quick introduction, Johnny then introduced me to John Hutchinson, a former Irish professional boxer who is now the head boxing coach at Tiger Muay Thai. Hutchinson has been part of Team Tszyu for their last few fights, managing both Nikita and Tim's training camps while they're in Thailand. The man I came to see, one of the best 154-pounders in the world, was busy taping his hands before the training session.

“Hi, I’m Tim,” he said. After a quick fist bump, no introductions were needed.

While Tim busily wrapped his hands, I had a chance to talk to his legendary dad, Kostya Tszyu. Kostya is a multiple world champion, including the undisputed and lineal titles in the light welterweight division. The Ring Magazine, in its March 2010 issue, ranked Kostya as the number one light welterweight of the 2000 decade. He is also included in the boxing hall of fame.

“I’m a huge fan; I read your autobiography,” I said. “Which one? I have many; it's now time for Tim to write his own,” he replied.

As Tim finished his hand wrap, he added a gel on his knuckles for extra protection. I asked about this, and he said it's for extra protection. His dad added that sometimes this is not good, and it's better to toughen the knuckles.

The session started with the usual jumping rope, and then Tim headed into the ring, where he did a few rounds of shadow boxing. Every detail was carefully watched over by Kostya and Coach Hutchinson; every move was done with purpose and detail. After a minute, Kostya handed Tim two 5-baht coins to hold while shadow boxing. I asked what the purpose of this was, and he replied, “I want him to close his fist. Nowadays, many people shadow box with their hands open, and this is not correct. I want him to have his hands closed so he can be explosive with his punches.” I had never seen this before—something so simple but effective—that's experience for you. After two rounds, it was time to lace up the gloves. The first drill of the day was a 22-minute bag round of non-stop punching, utilizing uppercuts and other punches. Tim trains at 9 am until 12 in Thailand; this is the hot season where temperatures can reach up to 40 degrees, and the humidity is through the roof. Hutchinson added, “We started with 20 minutes, and every day we add a minute. By the end of the week, he will be at 30 minutes; this is just his warm-up. One thing about Tim, you can’t break him.” This drill is all mental, Kostya added, “Boxing is all mental, that’s what it is.” I watched Tszyu hit the bag for 22 minutes as his dad instructed him with various combinations; the weather was humid and hot. “If you listen, there is a rhythm to his bag work, tak-tak-tak-tak-tak,” Hutchinson added.

The former champ never took a break, not even a breather, and just kept working. After a grueling 22 minutes and a quick rest, it was time to get in the ring for pad work. On today's agenda, 10 rounds with his dad. A grueling day was not over when he did one more round on the bag. When it was time for core work, I asked if I could join. “Sure,” replied Tim. I quickly regretted my decision when Kostya made us do a 5-minute leg raise. I quietly suffered through the 5 minutes. I asked afterward, “Is this always 5 minutes?” Hutchinson replied, “Sometimes it's more.” Tim replied, “I don’t count.” Johnny came back to see us, and we started talking about cuts. As a manager of Tiger, Johnny also fights Muay Thai, and his face tells the story. The conversation of cuts started; Johnny has 300 cuts on his face. Tim was in awe of the 300-cut count. This would have been a perfect time to bring up the Fundora situation, but it was my first day with Team Tszyu. If you don’t know, during Tim's fight with Fundora, Tim suffered a deep cut to the head in the second round. Enthusiasts and fellow boxers were curious as to why the fight was never stopped.

Team Tszyu kindly took the time to sit down with me after his training session at a cafe. I asked him why he chooses Phuket for his training camps. “I like the humidity, the buzz, the feel. You know, as soon as you finish a fight, you go on holiday. It’s just changing that relaxation to go straight into business, and here at Tiger, I feel like I go straight into business and straight into this tunnel vision,” he added. When asked if Phuket is the start of his camp to get into shape, “I always start two weeks here, then I move back home to Australia, and finally, we move on to America to finish things off.”

It’s clear that Tim is strong mentally. Tim was originally supposed to fight Keith Thurman, but after that fell through, Fundora stepped in as a replacement. Despite not taking a warm-up fight after Fundora, he jumped in the deep end against Bakhram Murtazaliev. With his last fight against Fundora, despite the cut, he continued till the very end. I asked the humble contender about his mental game. “I work with a mental coach, but I fear no one. I believe I’m the best in the division (ranked two at 154 in the Ring ratings), and I just want to keep proving it, you know. I want to make the biggest and best fights out there. It’s quite simple. Have belief in yourself, even when no one believes in you.”

“You’re taking on heavy-handed Vergil Ortiz (21-0, 21 KOs) in your next fight for the WBA Interim World Super Welterweight title. Most fighters would have opted for some time off or they would have taken a tune-up fight. What made you choose the tough route? It seems like you’re going the old school route?”

Tim replied, “You know what, I’m here to make the meanest and baddest fights possible. You’re in this sport for a short period of time, you’re here to make as much money as possible, you’re here to take off as many heads as possible. I’m ticking off all the goals. I fought at the T-Mobile Arena in my last one. The next one is going to be in LA in a historical first of a show as well, surrounded by great fighters. For me, it’s ticking off all these goals and making my way to the top where I was before.”

“Basically chasing greatness,” I added.

“Of course, my goal is to become the greatest boxing family that ever lived. My dad's already led the way; now, it's for me to finish it off. There’s never been a unified world champion father and son. That’s my goal, to win in different divisions as well. I think in boxing, there’s always levels to go, keep achieving, my goals keep growing. I’m far away from where I want to be; there are always steps, no matter what.”

When asked how it feels to have his dad in camp, he simply replied, “Like the good old days, it’s good to have my dad.”

Day 2

I made my way to the training facility where I met up with Team Tszyu as the contender was warming up. Suddenly, my day could not get any better when two very familiar faces walked in. Former IBF featherweight champion Billy Dib and former WBA super middleweight champion Anthony Mundine popped by to greet the Tszus. Out of the blue, a man that arrived with Mundine shouted out to Tim, “Tim, you need a new corner man. That was bullshit, the guy was not pressing the cut, just covering it. Why didn’t they stop the fight? That’s an inexperienced corner man for you.” He shouted. Before leaving, Tim shrugged it off, and I decided to not ask that question.

I asked Billy Dib (48-6, 27 KOs) his thoughts on Vergil Ortiz and Tim Tszyu. “I’m in Thailand watching Tim train; he is a phenomenal athlete and a credit to the sport of boxing. It just shows the type of determination and grit that he has to go from one hard fight where he lost to another super fight against Vergil Ortiz. It shows the fortitude of this man. I’m so proud to be here in Thailand watching him and his father work together. I think he is a phenomenal athlete, and with the right game plan, it’s a fight that he can win. Tim is extremely smart, sharp, and very capable, and I think that when it comes down to the wire, I think that Tim walks away with a really good points decision. Can he adapt? “He can definitely adapt. Look, Vergil Ortiz is not used to being in there with someone like Tim. He’s got phenomenal skills, great speed, great timing, great power, and all of that put together on the night. I think he can definitely perform very well to get an amazing performance.”

The day started with a 23-minute bag drill. Kostya added, “The longest I did this drill was 1:45. It's both for mental and endurance preparation.” Tim is very relaxed during training, and his team has a calm aura that surrounds them. He is very focused and listens to everything his dad says, word for word. It's also important to note that while training was taking place in a private area, fans did arrive to take images with Tim and his dad. They did not turn fans away and always gave them time. Phuket is a massive Russian tourist destination, and there were many fans, and the man is a people's champion.

After the bag, it was time for pad work where Kostya and Tim did 12 rounds. I previously asked Kostya if he liked Thailand. After the fourth round on the pads, he replied, “I'm not sure if I like Thailand; it’s hot,” while smiling. The ring on this particular day seemed slippery, and the former legend said, “When I was younger, I used to shadow box on ice.” At 54, the former champion is in great shape and always exercises. When asked if he exercises every day, he said, “Yes, I've been doing this all my life.” He holds the pads for his son—not an easy job at 54. The Hall of Famer was a legend of a fighter but is also a great teacher. I watched him for two days, going over their pads rounds, and it's so basic but beautiful to watch. The small details are picked up and corrected; the working chemistry is there, and the two seem to click.

As my second day came to an end, I thanked both Kostya and Tim for the opportunity to spend some time with them. The story of Team Tszyu continues—the dying breed of old-school fighters. This team is bringing it back. This is what boxing needs—the best fighting the best. While Tim's immediate future remains uncertain after his recent setback, his commitment to the sport and willingness to face tough challenges show that he’s not done yet. A few carefully chosen build-up fights could pave the way for Tim’s return to form, helping him rebuild momentum and re-establish his position among the elite. The journey continues.