Boxer Tim Tszyu following his father's footsteps

Tim Tszyu has his sights set on boxing's Hall of Fame.

Tim Tszyu hits the bag at training

Tim Tszyu hitting the bag hard at training. Source: SBS - John Baldock

Tim Tszyu is dreaming big. 

His father Kostya Tszyu became one of Australia's biggest sporting figures after he emigrated here from Russia in 1992. By the time he fought his first professional fight in 1993 he'd already had 280 amateur fights.  

Tim was born in 1994 and with boxing in his blood, it was inevitable he'd have a crack at making the big time. 

But it hasn't been an easy road, despite his excellent pedigree.

Tim only had a handful of amateur fights before injury saw him take three years out of the sport. 

But watching the 2015 boxing movie Creed inspired him to continue his fledgling career. 

Tim Tszyu at the Rockdale PCYC
Tim Tszyu at the Rockdale PCYC Source: SBS - John Baldock


"It lit the fuse for me" he told SBS News. 

Since turning professional in 2016 he's won all 11 of his fights,  nine of them by knock-out. 

"If I can reach the same heights as my Dad, I think he'd be even more proud than what he achieved himself," he said.

Although his Dad is now living back in Moscow, Tim said his influence is strong: "He tells me not just the good things but the bad stuff that I do wrong. Boxing is a sport where you've got to keep perfecting your craft."




He trains in the same Sydney gym where his father rose to greatness, the Rockdale PCYC.  

Between 2001 and 2005 he was the undisputed light welterweight champion of the world.

Tim is determined to build on the solid start to his career and maybe one day enter the boxing Hall of Fame, just like his father.

"Wouldn't that be cool?  It would definitely be a special moment in my life and in my Dad's life too," he said.


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2 min read

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By John Baldock
Source: SBS


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