Tim Tszyu reveals dad Kostya will be with him at world title fight – and reveals their rocky past

Undefeated Australian boxer Tim Tszyu will have his famous father Kostya with him for his world title fight against Jermell Charlo on January 28 in a huge boost to his chances of winning the biggest fight of his life.

Tszyu, 27, believes the hall-of-famer’s knowledge could give him the edge in the showdown with the light middleweight champ.

Regarded as Australia’s greatest boxer, Kostya now lives in Russia and has only attended one of his son’s 21 professional bouts. The pair haven’t seen each other since Kostya visited Australia in September 2019.

Boxer Tim Tszyu pictured with his famous dad Kostya in 2019. Kostya has only ever watched one of his son’s fights in person – but is planning to be at the Charlo showdown

Tim Tszyu (left) lands an vicious uppercut on Jeff Horn who does his best to cover up

‘Dad said he’s coming … it’s great,’ Tszyu said on Wednesday.

‘It will be good to see my dad. He will be at the fight, it’s a big one for me.’

The younger Tszyu was upbeat when asked what the hall of famer can contribute to his preparation.  

‘Just get a few tips and see what he thinks about the fight, work on some game plans. I’m not sure about the full logistics of it all yet, we’re working on it now. We want to do more face to face. I haven’t seen him since the whole COVID situation.

‘I’ll have to get a few tips off him. His experiences are different to mine. It’s been a completely different journey.

‘Just to be able to see what he thinks will be good.’

Jermell Charlo is the undisputed light middleweight world champion and Tim Tszyu’s next opponent in what will be a big leap in class for the Aussie

Despite having a strong relationship with his dad, Tim and Kostya have butted heads when it has come to boxing. 

Tim found Kostya’s presence at his pro debut to be overbearing and frustrating – and as a result it wasn’t clear if Kostya would again be involved with Tim’s career.

‘My dad is erratic. He’s a bit difficult. [In small doses] I can control him a little bit more,’ Tszyu chuckled.

Now the 52-year-old is set to join Tim in the States for a two-month camp ahead of the Charlo blockbuster.

Tim Tszyu (left) is pictured with manager Glen Jennings and father Kostya. Kostya has lived in Russia for a number of years and hasn’t seen his son since 2019

Tszyu, who was in Queensland on Wednesday to promote Paul Gallen’s upcoming double-fight blockbuster against Justin Hodges and Ben Hannant, was in awe of Gallen’s bravery.

‘I think it’s ballsy by Paul to take on two opponents. It’s going to be a tough one,’ Tszyu said.

‘Hodgo’s going to give him a bit of strife, as well. It’s not going to be easy.

‘Hannant, on the other hand — I don’t know too much about him but I think Gal’s got him covered.’

Tszyu’s next stop is Thailand, where he will be doing a fitness boot camp to get mentally and physically prepared for events ahead. After that he’ll be travelling to the States for his camp to prepare for the undisputed super welterweight title fight.

Tim Tszyu pictured at a media event in Brisbane. Tszyu will be doing his training camp in the States later in the year and will be meeting up with his famous father

‘The whole camp is going to be in Vegas, where I’ll do my boxing.

‘It will be nice to be able to adapt and have no distractions. That’s all it is. I’ve had a few things going on in the past, but in this camp, the only thing on my mind will be the fight.’