By: Sean Crose
It’s not easy being the son of boxing royalty (or near royalty for that matter) if you yourself make a living by slipping on the gloves. Marvis Frazier, Leon Spinks III, and who knows how many others have failed to live up to their father’s reputations in the ring. Julio Caesar Chavez Jr may be the clearest example of the fact that talent and work ethic aren’t necessarily hereditary. There are, however, those who, if they don’t exactly equal or exceed their father’s career like Floyd Mayweather did, manage to come awfully close. Case in point – Tim Tszyu, who will be fighting Saturday night in his native Australia.
The popular Tim Tszyu, for those who don’t know, is the son of Kyosta Tszyu, one of the most notable fighters of his time. Boasting a record of 31-2, the man ruled the junior welterweight division during the first decade of the 20th century. A brutal 2005 loss to the late Ricky Hatton convinced Tszyu that the brutal rigors of the sport had served their purpose. He subsequently retired. Perhaps even more notably, he stayed retired (the thought of going back to the glory days can be like catnip or a siren’s song to retired boxers of note).
By that point, however, there was another fighting Tszyu on the horizon. The young man turned pro eleven years after this father’s retirement. Unlike other sons of fighters, however, the younger Tszyu proved just how good he was, racking up a record of 24-0 and collecting a WBO junior middleweight title to boot. Then came the cut. While facing the towering Sebastian Fundora, Tszyu suffered a nasty cut. It may welll have cost him the fight, as he was handicapped by all the blood running down his face for the remainder of the bout. In the end, it was Fundora who stepped out of the ring that night the WBO titlist.
A return fight against Bakhram Murtazaliev ended when Tszyu was stopped before a native Australian audience. The following spring saw Tszyu win his first fight in over a year when the corner of Joseph Spencer throw in the towel. It was time for another shot at Fundora. Yet, cut or no cut, Tszyu was not going to beat Fundora that evening. The defending titlist battered Tszyu, causing Tszyu to retire on his stool rather than get up for the eighth round. No one can rightfully criticize the heart of a man like Tim Tszyu for opting out from physical danger, but he had clearly fallen from on high.
Tszyu, however, hopes to return to form Saturday against the hard hitting, undefeated Albanian Denis Nurja. He can swat, Nurjia. His style is something akin to Sergey Kovalev’s back in the day – thought Kovalev fought at a much higher weight. Nurjia’s body shots, in particular, can be potent. Tszyu, however, can hit fast and hard himself. He also has impressive footwork. Furthermore, Tszyu knows how to pile on the punishment when he’s in control. He may have been in a rut, but it’s doubtful Tszyu has lost all his skills over the past several years.
This is a good matchup. Nurja may not be world renowned but there’s no doubt the man is dangerous. In other words, Tszyu isn’t taking a light touch here. He’s fighting a man who may well be able to defeat him. Furthermore, this is Nurja’s big chance to step into the spotlight. Should be best Tszyu in strong fashion, he will at the very least be seeing his mane bantered about the general boxing conversation. It’s Tszyu who has a lot riding on this fight, though. He’ll once again be fighting in Australia, which should prove to be a motivating factor. And, at this point, Tszyu may need all the extra motivation he can get. Then again, he may make easy work of his foe on Saturday. It’s not like the guy hasn’t done it before.
