Kostya Tszyu: “I’m not dumb”
Published 01 May, 2009, 13:27
With thirty two professional wins and only two losses, Russian-born world boxing champion Kostya Tszyu took his first boxing class when he was just six years old - but didn’t like it.
“It wasn’t interesting for me. I was very small and extremely skinny. That’s why I started my boxing career at the age of nine," said Tszyu, at a club in the center of Moscow. "From that time I didn’t miss a single training session. However, you can’t make a champion in one day. It’s training, dedication and motivation.”
The famous sportsman says that one of the biggest stereotypes about boxing is that all boxers are dumb. “Maybe it’s because we get hit on the head sometimes. The other reason is that like many athletes we have to sacrifice education. As for me, I’ve been a sportsman for 30 years and I’m not dumb.”
Kostya Tszyu proved to be one of the best boxers in the world. He made a name for himself as a boxer who managed to unify all belts in the junior welterweight division. He became the first fighter in thirty years to do so in street fights.
“You must learn one thing: you cannot beat people outside the ring. It’s a weapon that you can’t use. In my whole life I’ve been in street fights three or four times. Somebody wanted to hit me and actually did hit me and I had to defend myself. Usually the fight was finished after one punch.”
Tszyu, who has been living in Australia since 1992, says he studied yoga for years and learnt to control himself. “It helped me so much in my career! I’ve learnt to block my nerves very easily.”
“As a professional, I put pressure from the first second to the last second. It’s mental pressure, physical and psychological pressure. I’m not trying to hit somebody. Just to be there is enough pressure. To be honest, it’s huge pressure for somebody not ready for it.”
Tszyu retired in 2005 after losing his world title in a fight against British boxer Ricky Hatton. Since then he’s devoted his whole time and energy to charity work and his family.
“My fourteen-year-old son has started a boxing career after playing soccer for eight years. Last year he told me he wants to be a boxer. I warned him it’d be twice as hard for him as for any other, because everybody will compare him to me.”
“I’ve achieved everything possible in sport. I’m on top, you can’t go higher. But in life I’m in the beginning of my journey. My motivation has always been very high. When I started my career I knew from day one that I’m going to become world champion.”
“Sometimes you say, ‘I can’t do this’. I’ll tell you something I’ve learnt – never say ‘I can’t do it’. You can say, ‘maybe I cannot do it now’.”
So what’s the diet of the man who is so hard on himself? “Water is my best drink. I take some vitamins and I don’t smoke. I’m a morning person.”
Now, Kostya Tszyu is currently looking to open boxing schools across Russian to help bring up a new generation of world champions.
Valeria Paikova, RT
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