TalkingBoxing News
Tszyu: My Training is Perfect
TUE May 31 - I have been in Manchester in the UK for over one week now and everything is great. The people here have been very friendly and my training is perfect. We had some rain here last week, but the last few days have been sunny and cool.
I am staying in a quieter country area outside of Manchester and there are no distractions for me. Just training, eating and sleeping. I have my team around me and everyone is feeling very positive about the fight with Ricky Hatton. I feel so great because I have not competed in Europe for so many years. I am so excited to be here and cannot wait to step in the ring and show all my skills to the great fans in England.
I have decided to maintain my normal training routine and not train at 2am. Right now, I am very comfortable for what I am doing and I have had lots of discussions with different advisers about it. One bit of advice I have got is if I am 100 percent ready and prepare really hard and am in good condition, I do not need to change anything really because when it comes to the day of the fight, you are going to be ready. If you train at 2am in the morning every single day, it is like a night shift, you are going to get tired eventually.
Many people make a point of my age for this fight, but it is not a concern to me. I am 35 and I am fresh. I am very confident because I am much better now at 35 than I was at 25. I could destroy the 25 year-old Kostya Tszyu right now with the 35 year-old Kostya Tszyu. That is how confident I am.
If you will not be at the sold out MEN Arena in Manchester this weekend, my fight can be seen live in the following countries.
USA - Saturday June 4 at 9pm ET/PT on SHOWTIME
UK - Saturday June 4 at 11pm on Sky Box Office.
Russia - Sunday June 5 at 5am (Moscow time) on channel NTV plus Sport
Australia - Sunday June 5 at 9am AEST on Main Event Pay-Per-View and at participating venues on Fox Sports Pub/Club Vision and Sky Channel
Please check your local guides for information on where to watch the fight live on television in other countries.
The support from you the Tszyu Crew continues to be tremendous and helps me prepare for this fight. While I am mentally preparing for my fight this week, I look forward to receiving your emails and messages from the Forum.
There will be some live web chats with people you know this week from my team and we have some new items in my on-line store. Keep checking back at www.KostyaTszyu.com each day as there will always be some new information on my fight with Ricky Hatton.
A reminder for those of you in Australia, my team has arranged a dinner for me on my return home after this fight. On Friday June 10, 2005 I will be at the Panthers World of Entertainment in Penrith, NSW. More details are available from my website and tickets can be purchased via email: oliver@helpinghand.com.au or by telephone: (61 2) 8338 8755.
The hours and minutes keep ticking away and the weekend will arrive quickly. It will be fight time very soon and I will be ready.
Remember the Tszyu Crew rules always!
Your champion, Undisputed Super Lightweight Champion of the World
The 15 Round Body-Belt Session
TUE May 31, JAMES MOORE - Last Friday, May 27th, Ricky "The Hitman" Hatton had once again completed his infamously grueling, and classically "old school", 15 round body belt session. It was the concluding piece of his training jigsaw, and the customary preparation for his upcoming super-fight with the legendary 140lb king, Kostya Tszyu.
Superlatives have been flowing from Billy Graham's Manchester gym, where Hatton works out of and known as the "Phoenix Camp", for weeks. Many seasoned observers have remarked that the Englishman has never looked so fit, so strong, so quick or so confident. The mutual feeling from within Team Hatton is that this, by far and away, is the best Ricky Hatton that they have ever seen. They truly believe that the Hitman's date with destiny will be an encounter of the endearing variety, as they have the ultimate faith in his ability, and can only see one winner come June 5th.
The twenty six year old Hatton's physical condition displayed the "ripped to pieces" state obtained from a perfect preparation the Hitman endured under the guidance of trainers Billy Graham, Bobby Rimmer and Kerry Kayes.
Hatton warmed up for the marathon training session by pounding the heavy bag with some seriously bad intent. The Manchester man's career-long mentor and trainer, Billy "The Preacher" Graham, continued to administer sage advice on blocking and slipping Tszyu's potent arsenal, including the IBF Champion's under rated left hook.
Hatton moved on to the infamous 15 round body belt session by unleashing wave after wave of punishment onto Graham, with the trainer wearing only by the torso protecting body belt and some battered punch mitts.
Ricky finally started to feel the strain after dishing out 14 rounds of his own particular brand of ferocious violence and was treated to an improvised shower from a few water bottles.
Hatton came down the finishing straight and gained his second wind, ending the 15th and final round of the body belt impressively with his trademark withering body shot assault.
Once again the Hitman had demonstrated just why he is the busiest and fittest fighter in world boxing today. Mission complete, Hatton removed his hand wraps and rests assured that the heavy work has finally been done in his preparations to challenge Kostya Tszyu and he's never looked so good doing it.
Kerry Kayes, Hatton's 's dietician and nutrition expert, commented, "Ricky has on his back what's known in the bodybuilding world as a 'Christmas Tree' . It's a definition of muscles off the spine of his back and it's the first time they've ever been noticeable. It's a testament to the hard work he has put in. With every fight we've gotten him stronger, and this fight is without exception. We start every camp with a higher weight platform, and the muscle composition in his body has never been as defined as it is now. I also hoped that the definition wouldn't retract from his strength, and it most certainly hasn't; Ricky has never been as strong as he is right now.'
With just four days remaining until he squares off for the fight of his life, Ricky Hatton feels that this is truly his time. An ardent student of the game, he has studied Tszyu and Hatton feels that he has an answer to whatever the IBF Champion may bring to their contest. Ricky truly believes in his only ability and feels that once he and Tszyu step into the ring in Manchester's Evening News Arena, past achievements are exactly that. Hatton feels that with just himself and Tszyu between the ropes, there will be no doubt that he will come out the better man and take the Undisputed Light Welterweight title of the world form the champion.
www.rickyhitmanhatton.com
Sykes prepares for 'Nightmare' Defense
TUE May 31 - SHOWTIME will set off fireworks July Fourth weekend with a spectacular heavyweight showdown. Featuring the hottest fighter in the division, Samuel “the Nigerian Nightmare” Peter will continue his ascension toward the top of the heavyweight ranks when he returns to the network on Saturday, July 2, at 9 p.m. ET/PT (tape delayed on the west coast).
Touted by many as the future of the heavyweight division, he possesses perhaps the most devastating knockout power in the heavyweight ranks today. Now, Peter will attempt to tame “The Bull” when he battles NABA Heavyweight Champion Taurus Sykes on SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING. Duva Boxing will present the 12-round heavyweight bout from the Reno Events Center in Reno, Nevada.
In his final 2004 appearance, Peter (23-0, 20 KOs), of Las Vegas, Nevada, by way of Akwaibom, Nigeria, thrilled a national television audience by recording his biggest victory with a sensational second-round knockout over Jeremy Williams Dec. 4 on SHOWTIME. The current WBC and WBO #6/IBF #9 heavyweight contender connected with a devastating left hook to Williams’ chin to end the contest 27 seconds into the second.
Sykes and the Peter camp recently have engaged in a war of words, adding to the already high anticipation of this match up.
“This is my year, the year of “The Bull,” and I am not only going to defend my title, but I am going to march up the ranks of the heavyweight division and bring the world championship back to Brooklyn,” Sykes said. “Samuel Peter has been running from me. After we both beat Jovo Pudar, Peter was scared to fight me because he knew I would have jabbed him all the way back to Africa.
“Peter is cut from the cloth of cowards, and under his trunks, he wears panties. When he sees the menace from Brooklyn, he will shiver in fear.”
Promoter Dino Duva remains puzzled by the verbal attacks against his fighter.
“I am not sure what is behind this new-found courage from Sykes,” Duva said. “Last year, we offered him a fight and he ran for the hills and could not be found for a while. When Peter hears how badly Sykes has disrespected him, I am almost afraid of what will happen in the ring on July 2.”
Peter captured the vacant USBA heavyweight title by scoring a fifth-round TKO over Yamplier Azcuy on Jan. 22, 2005, in Miami. Despite getting penalized two points in the second round for intentionally hitting Diaz when he was down, Peter floored his opponent five times en route to the impressive victory. Referee Brian Garry stopped matters at 0:54 of the fifth round.
“The Nigerian Nightmare” made his SHOWTIME debut as the main event on “ShoBox: The New Generation,” Aug. 5, 2004, from Hollywood, Fla. In front of a sold-out crowd, Peter put on a boxing clinic and bloodied Pudar’s nose en route to registering a 10-round unanimous decision.
Peter made his pro debut at age 20 on Feb. 6, 2001, in Almaty, Kazakhstan, and scored a first-round knockout over Gueorgui Christov. During his initial year punching for pay, Peter went 7-0 with seven knockouts, including six KOs within the opening stanza. In his last outing on April 29, 2005, the undefeated heavyweight tallied his third consecutive knockout by sending Gilbert Martinez to the locker room early with a third-round KO in Las Vegas.
Married with one child, Peter, a devout Christian, is a well-respected role model to the Nigerian community in his adopted home of Las Vegas. He lives a clean life, does not smoke or drink and refuses to talk trash or generate controversy.
“I do my talking in the ring,” Peter said.
Sykes (23-1-1, six KOs), of Brooklyn, N.Y., captured the vacant NABA heavyweight title in his last outing with a 12-round unanimous decision over Friday Ahunanya on March 11, 2005, from Hobbs, N.M. Sykes utilized his jab effectively and added simple one-two’s to control the pace. The judges scored the bout 118-110, 116-114 and 115-113.
The pride of Brooklyn opened 2004 on Feb. 21 by registering a 10-round unanimous decision over Pudar in Reno, Nev. Sykes was impressive, picked his spots and made the fight exciting. The three judges scored it 98-92, 97-93 and 96-94.
In his next outing, Sykes stopped Onebo Maxime in the second round on Dec. 10, 2004, from Albuquerque, N.M. Sykes floored his opponent three times en route to the stoppage.
“I waited too much,” Sykes said. “I won this fight with my jab and I hurt him a couple of times. But I could have done better. I thought it was a fair performance.”
SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING’s Steve Albert and Al Bernstein will call the action from ringside with Jim Gray serving as roving reporter. The executive producer of the SHOWTIME telecast will be Jay Larkin, with David Dinkins Jr. producing and Bob Dunphy directing.
For information on upcoming SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING telecasts, including complete fighter bios and records, related stories and more, please go the SHOWTIME website at http://www.sho.com/boxing.
