Tim Tszyu and father Kostya in 'terrible TV' moment after title victory
The boxing great couldn't believe the moment that occurred after Tim Tszyu's fight.
Tim Tszyu put on one of this most dominant performances against Brian Mendoza on the weekend to retain the super welterweight title, but a moment with his famous boxing father, Kostya, left a great stunned. Tszyu was cool, calm and collected to start what could be his final fight on Australian soil for quite some time as he pushed Mendoza around the ring.
And after round 4, Tszyu stepped up the pressure as he used his one-two to split Mendoza's guard. The Australian was dominant in round 10 and 11 as a barrage of uppercuts hurt the American. However, Mendoza is known for his determination and the American fought right till the end of the fight.
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Tszyu was full of praise for Mendoza as a class opponent, but turned his attention to Jermell Charlo. However, one of the more bizarre moments on fight day came in a backstage interview after the fight.
Tszyu called his father during an interview and Kostya joined him on live television. Tszyu was all smiles as his father, who now lives in Russia, joined him to talk about the fight.
The 25-year-old apologised to his father for getting hit during the bout as Tszyu continues improving every fight as a boxer. However, in an awkward moment, Kostya apparently didn't watch the fight.
“Papa, love ya. And sorry for getting hit,” Tszyu said with a smile. He was then told something off screen, before he replied: “Oh, he didn’t see the fight! So good.”
Former boxer Shawn Porter made light of the situation and told Tszyu he shouldn't have admitted this. “That’s terrible TV, you shouldn’t tell ‘em that he didn’t see the fight! You should’ve pretended that he saw the fight!” Porter said.
Tszyu made a joke: “He should’ve told me that as well! Not happy with you man (laughs).”
Tim Tszyu reveals advice from father ahead of bout
Kostya Tszyu wasn't able to make Tim's fight when he dismantled Tony Harrison in Sydney on March 12 due to a family illness. Kostya was currently in Russia caring for Tim's half-sister, who is sick.
However, Tim may have been referring to his father's advice at the time when he told him not to get hit. "Just to be smart. Try and not get hit too much," Tszyu said about his father's advice. "Boxing's quite simple, man. Hit your opponent more than he hits you."
Despite them both being boxing stars, with Tim on course to live up to his famous father's legacy, Kostya has never been a big part of his life. Kostya, a former unified light-middleweight world champion, left his wife and children in 2012 to return to his native Russia.
Kostya is now married to Tatiana Averina, with the pair having two children of their own together. Tim previously said he didn't mind the fact that Kostya hadn't seen him box much live.
“My dad is a hard man, especially when he comes to watch my fights,” he said. “He’s only watched one of my fights and let me say it was … chaotic.
“My first pro fight. It was chaotic. It was hard to deal with. It was just out of control. Because he’s a control freak, it’s hard for him to watch someone he loves fight in the ring. Especially for him.”
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