Tszyu wants to pick up where he left off, on Top
"We need to see who is the best fighter in the world now"
by
Monty McMahon
10/29 - Maybe it’s all of the chatter coming from his opponent. Maybe it’s the doubters who think that his nearly two-year layoff will be too much to overcome when he steps back into the ring. Maybe it’s his increasing age and the knowledge that the majority of his career is over. Maybe its just Kosta Tszyu (30-1, 24 KOs), but the one-time undisputed 140-pound king sounds more than motivated to reclaim his spot at the top of the Jr. welterweight division in his rematch with IBF Jr. Featherweight Interim Champion Sharmba Mitchell (55-3, 31 KOs) on November 6.
“I don’t need to prove by saying anything, I need to prove it by doing something. And that’s why all the critics will probably change their view after the fight,” Tszyu said.
“They’re thinking of the layoff only. I’m going to tell them, look, the layoff doesn’t concern me at all.”
Tszyu last fought in January of 2003, a sixth-round TKO of Jesse James Leija, and twice postponed rematches with Mitchell due to leg and shoulder injuries. For his return fight, Tszyu chose to jump back in against Mitchell, who has won eight straight fights since his loss to Tszyu in February 2001.
“I’m 35 and I don’t want to have any tune-up fights,” Tszyu said. “The reason is, is I’ve always been in top form – mentally and physically – and even though I didn’t fight in two years, I’ve been in the gym all the time.”
Which is just fine for Mitchell, who was forced to retire in the seventh round of their original bout because of a bum knee and has been calling Tszyu out ever since.
“It motivates me even more when they talk. A lot of guys talk before the fight and can’t back it up. I would love to hear what they say after the fight. Usually they’re quite. That’s the difference – victory,” Tszyu said.
And this time, he wants no excuses.
“I hope he is in great form and this particular time we’ll have no questions to ourselves. The best man is going to win. There are not going to be any excuses. I don’t have any excuses for me, being that I had so many injuries. I’m in the best form. He’s in the best form. We need to see who is the best fighter in the world now,” Tszyu said.
Tszyu expects to face a motivated Mitchell and perhaps because of their styles or perhaps because he knows he’ll have to shake off a little rust, Tszyu expects his opponent to open strong in the initial rounds.
“I know from six rounds forward is my time,” Tszyu said. “I know Sharmba starts fast and he fights in the third, fourth and fifth rounds and then he slows down. I don’t like to slow down. I know I need to keep the pressure on more and more and more. And I’m ready to fight 16 rounds if I need to. It’s going to be a very high pressure fight.”
In Tszyu’s absence, Mitchell has been crowned the IBF Jr. Featherweight Interim Champion. And while Tszyu believes that Mitchell’s coronation during his absence from the ring is fair, he fully intends to reclaim the belt on November 6.
“I think there needs to be only one champion. At the end of the day, I am who I am and on the sixth of November, we’ll see who is the man in this 140-pound division,” Tszyu said.
Although he made it clear that getting by Mitchell is his top objective, Tszyu is unsure of what the future holds. The Russian-born, Australian-based fighter discussed the possibility of fighting both Britain’s Ricky Hatton and WBC Jr. Welterweight Champion Arturo Gatti, but is unsure of how many more fights he has left.
“I always take fights one at a time and I always reconsider myself after fights. I’m always looking at what kind of desire I have before each fight. When I finish this fight, I will come home, have a little rest and think about what to book. Because I’m in great form all the time, even when I’m not fighting, it all depends on how much I want to do it,” Tszyu said.
Regardless of what he does next, Tszyu is ready for Mitchell. He believes he’ll see a different fighter than the one many boxing insiders believe gave him trouble last time, noting that Mitchell has taken a more workman-like approach and has not shown as much movement in recent fights.
“Of course I’ve got special tactics, I’ve got special strategy for the fight. He did change a bit,” Tszyu said.
“Whatever is going to be done, I have some answer against. I’m prepared for war. I’m prepared for a chess game. I’m prepared for everything.”
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