Konstantin Borisovich
“Kostya” Tszyu (born 19 September 1969) is a sovie born Australian
former professional boxer who competed from 1992 to 2005. He held
multiple world championships at light welterweight, including the
undisputed and lineal titles of that division between 2001 and 2005.
Tszyu was an exceptional all around boxer puncher who relied heavily
on accuracy and timing, and carried formidable punching power; he
is often regarded as one of the hardest punching light welterweights
in the division’s history.
Undisputed light welterweight champion
Tszyu
then began pursuing his wish to unify all the belts. In 2001, he began
by facing wBA Champion Sharmba Mitchell, taking the belt by a TKO
after seven rounds (Mitchell suffered a knee injury in training, and
during the bout). His next fight was against the German Turk, Oktay
Urkal. Tszyu finished 2001 by recovering his IBF belt in a unification
bout with the current champion Zab Judah, by a knockout in the second
round. A small melee inside the ring followed that fight when Judah
attacked referee Jay Nady for what he felt was a premature stoppage,
reacting by throwing his corner’s seat at the referee and even trying
to choke Nady with his glove at one point. However, replays clearly
show Judah walking on wobbly legs. As a result, Tszyu became the first
man in 30 years to unify the belts in the light welterweight division.
Tszyu in 2002 had only one bout, beating the top ranked contender
of all three of his belts, Ben Tackie of Ghana by a decision in twelve
rounds. Tszyu lost only one round on only one of the judges scorecards
in a masterful display of boxing.
On 19 January 2003, Tszyu
began the year by retaining his title against former world champion
Jesse James Leija by a knockout in six. After the fight, held in Melbourne,
Tszyu announced that fight could be his last in Australia, due to
pressure from promoters to fight in the United States (The win against
Leija came on the birthday of Tszyu’s son).
Tszyu vs Mitchell
II
His first fight in 2004 was supposed to have been held on February
7 in a rematch against Sharmba Mitchell. It would have been Tszyu’s
first fight as a professional in Moscow, but Tszyu injured his sholder
during training. He had successful surgery to correct the problem,
but th injury further extended his absence from the ring. On November
6, he an Mitchell finally had their rematch, with Tszyu knocking Mitchell
out once again, this time in three rounds. Tszyu was voted comeback
fighter of the year by Ring magazine. The bout which was aired on
American cable giant, Showtime, actually made the end of year highlight
reel on rival cable provider, HBO. This was unprecedented.
Dethroned
by Hatton