By: Sean Cross
Twenty-seven-year-old junior middleweight contender Tim Tsiu is focusing on his planned January bout against undisputed division champion Jermel Charlo. Speaking through FightHub , the 21-0 Aussie arrives to prepare for what is clearly the biggest match of his career as he prepares to travel to the US in a raw but confident manner. Of his future plans, he says, “I’m chasing something that makes you wake up in the morning and make a living.” Life has been good lately for the son of legendary ring fighter Kostya Tszyu. With a line up to compete against one of the most famous names in the sport, he’s set to get all the attention that goes along with the challenge.
“I’m not just taking on world championships,” he says ambitiously, “I’m taking on the best in the division.” The fighter made it clear that he is heading into his fight with the highly talented Charlo with laser focus. “I’m just thinking about the undisputed world championship,” he said. Certainly, a win over the undefeated Charlo would certainly put Tszyu in the limelight, which is exactly what the man needs. “Four belts don’t get any better,” he said.
As for his presentation, he was direct and to the point. “Just go hard … go all in,” he said of his training mentality. “I’m going all in, no plan B, I’m all in.” If anyone is looking for a plan B for Tszyu, however, it might be 25-1-1 Charlo. After all, Tsiyu had to come off the mat to beat Terrell Gausha in his American debut earlier this year. But Tsiyu is nothing if not confident. “I’m going to sit on my ass and do nothing for the next hundred days,” he said. “My thing is to feel good, train hard and everything will fix itself.”
Of course, today’s fighters – at least most of the famous ones – don’t fight like they used to. Tsiyu has not fought since defeating Gausha in March. As for Charlo, his last fight was back in May when he beat Brian Castan again in the 2021 fight. When asked about his involvement in the fashion world, Charlo prefers to avoid throwing cheap shots. “Let him do what he will,” he said. When asked where his runway was, Tsyu answered without hesitation, “Direction.”
