MY DREAM FIGHTS FOR TSZYU

By Darren Yates from Down Under



 


 


To those of you I have not 'spoken' to before, my name is Darren Yates and I am a major time Kostya Tszyu fan. It has been a hard wait for his loyal supporters to wait for his return. After taking a well deserved break, Tszyu is back in training for his next bout with Ben Tackie, scheduled for May 18th.

After his successful unification bout with Zab Judah, the world is at Tszyu's feet and the fact that the 140 pound weight division is one of the most talent filled divisions at the moment means we could see some very interesting and exciting match ups in the near future providing the sanctioning bodies don't ruin our fun.

I would be very surprised if Tszyu will risk being stripped of any of his belts so we will probably only see him fight mandatory defenses in the future.

HERE IS MY WISH OF POTENTIAL OPPONENTS I'D LIKE TO SEE KOSTYA FIGHT BEFORE HE RETIRES:

1. - BEN TACKIE
Not a bad mandatory and first title defense for Tszyu. Tackie is fit, tough, determined, with a solid chin and he has absolutely no quit in him. Tackie has better than average fire power and is well capable of producing a Vince Phillips type effort. I doubt whether Tackie will cause an upset as Tszyu really learned his lesson against Phillips and I don't believe he will underestimate an opponent again.

I predict that we will see Tackie suffer a sustained beating similar to the beatings Tszyu inflicted upon Miguel Angel Gonzalez and Rafael Ruelas. Why? Tackie is one dimensional, much slower than Tszyu and certainly does possess the same skill level. The fact that Tackie does have a huge heart, very good fitness, no quit and an excellent chin means he will suffer in this fight. I'm glad that Joe Goossen will be in his corner as Joe knew when Ruelas had enough of Tszyu teeing off on him.

Ben Tackie is a deserving challenger who earned his No.1 ranking with the IBF due to good wins over Fred Pendleton, Roberto Garcia and Teddy Reid. My prediction: 10th round TKO with Tackie still on his feet without being knocked down during the fight.

Aladdin Freeman has informed me that Tackie is vulnerable to body shots and his defensive style would indicate he can easily be hit to the body. If Tszyu decides to launch a sustained body attack like he did against Hurtado we could see a much earlier night than my prediction.


2. - RICKY HATTON

I really like this guy, although he is still relatively untested he has all of the tools and has the right mental attitude and the heart of a champion (after being badly hurt by a body shot by Jason Rowland, he finished the fight 45 seconds later). He has said he is not ready for Tszyu yet and needs to gain some more experience first.

Hatton is extremely fit, ruthless, relentless and has a more determined body attack than any fighter I can remember! Tszyu has yet to fight this style of fighter so I am keen to see this fight happen! At this point in time Tszyu would beat Hatton easily as Ricky is always coming forward with his hands low and although he has good head movement, he is easily hit especially with the uppercut and counter right hands. I think Tszyu would utilize the jab well and left hook off the jab too. Hatton's body work is unquestionable, but his wild swings to the head area of his opponents will make him vulnerable to counter punching.

Hatton's people need him to fight some opponents who can take his shots and fire back with power. Most of his fights he has dictated the action without any real resistance, I doubt whether he will be able to dictate the action with Tszyu. Hatton needs bouts with the likes of Mickey Ward, Arturo Gatti, Jesse James Leija, Terron Millett or even Ben Tackie to prepare for Tszyu. We all saw what happens when your opponent doesn't fall down like you are used to and then fires back with power: See Tszyu-Judah and Phillips-Tszyu. Hatton could well be the future of the division and I feel has more potential than Zab Judah, mainly due to his better work rate and superior mental attitude.

My prediction if the two fought now is that the bout will be an absolute war with Hatton constantly coming forward throwing a lot of punches. I see Tszyu fighting Hatton in a similar fashion to the way he fought Chavez and Ruelas moving backwards and throwing quick and hard counter punches as Hatton winds up his big shots. Hatton's bravery will last only so long as Tszyu hits much harder and much faster than anyone Hatton has ever faced and I feel that he would be stopped around the 6th or 7th round. If this fight happens in 12 to 18 months time it could be a much different story. This is one of the best fights to be made in the division.


3. - HECTOR CAMACHO Jr.

It is time for Camacho Jr. to put up or shut up. He has been holding out on his WBA No.1 rating now for two years and has been offered a chance to fight Tszyu on several occasions (he and Antonio Diaz could have had the opportunity instead of Ahmed Santos but both declined). I want to see this fight because Australians like me don't like big mouths (See my comments on Australia's own Anthony Mundine). Camacho Jr. obviously has a good level of skills and can handle average competition. But once the class steps up, he has problems. We all know what his legs did when Leija hit him with only average solid punches in the 1st round of their bout.

For those of you who don't know, Kostya Tszyu has stopped every southpaw he has fought as a professional and it will be no different with Camacho Jr. My prediction is that Camacho Jr. will go in a similar way to Judah, maybe even quicker! Camacho Jr. has been built up on a diet of very average fighters and fighters who have seen better days (No offense intended Jesse James Leija). Camacho Jr.'s game plan will go out the window with the first solid punch Tszyu lands. Tszyu in two again, unless Camacho Jr. really gets on his bike and shows us those famous Camacho legs.


4. - ARTURO GATTI

Here is a real fight fans fight!

What a difference one fight can make in a fighter's career. After beating Terron Millet we have seen Gatti's ranking rise to No.3 in both the WBC and IBF. With a proposed bout with Mickey Ward coming up soon we might see Gatti elevated to No.1 (hopefully) amongst one of the sanctioning bodies. Arturo Gatti is strong, fast, has better boxing skills than he is given credit for and has no quit. Here we have a guy who has worked hard, fought life and death fights with top competition and has given the fans 100% and first class entertainment. What more needs to be said?

Prediction, Gatti will initially try to box Tszyu and use some defensive strategy, this will all fly out the window once Tszyu lands something hard (which you would think will be early in the bout) and Gatti will revert back to the style which has made him so popular. Gatti wild have his moments in the bout but will ultimately be TKO'd or stopped on cuts as Tszyu hits much harder and is much faster than Gatti while also possessing a superior defense. I think Gatti will be stopped somewhere from the 6th round onwards.


5. - FLOYD MAYWEATHER Jr.

Here we have one of the most naturally gifted fighters in any division who is proposing to come up to 140 to challenge Tszyu.

I would like to see this happen before Tszyu retires as it is a real pick 'em bout. Tszyu's power and experience versus Mayweather Jr.'s speed and youth. Mayweather Jr. will have the advantage that his trainer and uncle Roger fought Tszyu back in 1995 and went the full 12 rounds. It was interesting for me to see Floyd Jr. use some of the same tactics in his last bout with Chavez that his uncle Roger used against Tszyu (not with the same success).

Floyd Jr. has much more ability than his friend Zab Judah and Floyd Jr. has also fought a lot higher standard of competition than Judah. I feel that Mayweather Jr. has made the right move by going to the lightweights before the super lightweight. It would be a real shock to his system fighting the likes of Jesus Chavez and stepping up to fight Tszyu. Mayweather Jr. has had the advantage of being in a couple of tough fights where he had to deal with injured hands during a fight and where he has taken some punishment (Emanuel Augustus, formerly Emanuel Burton), and come back strong. He will gain more of this vital experience in the lightweight ranks fighting Castillo and Stevie Johnston.

My prediction, it's a tough one but at this stage I would still go for experience and pick Tszyu to stop Mayweather late in the fight. Mayweather would probably make Tszyu look silly in the early rounds with superior speed. But Tszyu ALWAYS catches up with his man at some stage in the fight. Mayweather appears to have a good chin (Jan Bergman had a good chin until he faced Tszyu), but he has not faced a puncher with the skills of Tszyu. Tszyu has stopped Bergman, Mitchell and Judah all of whom possessed faster hands than his. I feel Tszyu would prevail in one of his toughest tests due to his naturally larger size, superior power and experience.


6. - MICKY WARD

I don't know whether to wish for this fight or pray that it never occurs.

I am a big Micky Ward fan, he has put his heart and soul into so many fights for so little money over his career. He has always given fans top value for their money and has so much determination and such a good mental attitude. If anyone deserves a shot at Tszyu, it is Mickey Ward!

At his age he is on the downside of his career, I personally hope he receives a big payday SOON against Arturo Gatti before his skills and marketability erode further. If he does not get a shot at Tszyu I will be pleased in a way because he will not be hurt. My greatest fear if this match ever happened would be that Micky could sustain a severe and damaging beating. Micky is far too nice a guy to want to see this happen to him and certainly doesn't deserve it after all these years. At this point in his career Ward is easier than ever to hit than ever and Tszyu is accurate, powerful and will not be phased if his man does not fall down right away, he will keep landing power punches until the referee stops the bout or wins by decision.

My prediction, the referee stops the fight after 5 rounds of a one sided bout.
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These are the 6 most appealing fights for Kostya Tszyu out there at the moment. Other fighters I wouldn't mind seeing him fight:

7. - RANDALL BAILEY
The most dangerous fighter in the division, he reminds me of a young Julian Jackson except with a better chin. If I were Vlad Wharton (Tszyu's promoter), I would avoid Bailey like the plague as he is dangerous and perhaps the best one punch knockout artist in the division. Will probably earn his shot against Tszyu if he can hold onto this secondary WBA title. Apparently he will have to get by Hurtado who is about to be reinstated back into the WBA ratings. I stress APPARENTLY!

Good match up, Tszyu's superior speed and skills get him through a tough fight. Both fighters kiss the canvas at some stage!


8. - ZAB JUDAH

I wasn't happy that Judah had a reason to say he was cheated. I would like to see Tszyu finish the job more thoroughly next time. With that said I feel the stoppage was correct; Judah was very apprehensive entering the ring (although he didn't fight that way in the 1st round) and was not at all effective in the 2nd round and the tide had already turned once Tszyu had figured out his style. Had the bout continued into the 3rd round it would not have been long before Tszyu landed something big again. Zab should be thankful he came out of the bout without any lasting damage.

Same result, maybe after a few more rounds this time!


9. - VERNON FORREST

Tszyu absolutely slaughtered Forrest on points in the world amateur championships in 1991. If you ever doubted that a man 5' 6" could out box a 6' tall fighter from long range, then you should see this fight. Tszyu shows evasiveness that he has been reluctant to use in his pro career.

Not an overly attractive option for Tszyu, he could probably earn more money with less risk in his own division. Unlikely to happen!


10. - SHANE MOSLEY

If Forrest can hurt Mosley, so can Tszyu. The way Mosley went down against Forrest in the 2nd round was the way I thought he would fall if hit by Tszyu's big right hands. It is a pick 'em fight as Mosley is a brilliant technician and so fast. Mosley will come back better after his loss. Definitely the toughest task out there for Tszyu. Unlikely to happen!


FIGHTERS I DO NOT WANT TO SEE FIGHT TSZYU

1. - GIANLUCA BRANCO
Currently ranked No.1 by the WBC; in my opinion has not earned this ranking and does not deserve a title shot unless he beats someone like Hector Camacho Jr., Arturo Gatti or Ricky Hatton in an official elimination bout. I have received word from the WBC website that they are organizing elimination bouts in most of their divisions to determine worthy challengers. Please let us pray that it happens in the Super Lightweights.

2. - DIOSBELYS HURTADO
Sure he did well knocking Tszyu down twice in the first round of their bout and true he only had two weeks notice to prepare for the fight and he tells everyone who will listen that this means he should get another opportunity. What he fails to say is that he had a 10 round fight approximately two weeks before hand, went 10 rounds uninjured and was in shape for this bout? Tszyu had been training for Miguel Angel Gonzalez and also was faced with a completely different style of fighter to deal with so Hurtado was not the only person disadvantaged.

3. - OKTAY URKAL
Put up a tough contest with Tszyu and was fit, tough and game right through the 12 rounds. Just because you win the last round big does not mean you win the fight! I had Urkal winning 3 rounds at best in this bout. No controversy (except for the judge who had Urkal winning 5 rounds?) here, no need for us to see a rematch!

4. - SHARMBA MITCHELL
Has been doing a lot of complaining since his bout with Tszyu. In my opinion he won 2 rounds against Tszyu! Sharmba said he was ahead on the scorecards, it's a pity the judges didn't see it that way, otherwise I could see his point of view a bit better.

I said to my wife when it was announced on the Australian broadcast that Mitchell was thinking of withdrawing from the bout 20 minutes before it was due to start, that Sharmba had his excuse already lined up for when the going got tough. Has Sharmba ever explained why he did not wear a knee brace to assist the alleged problem in his knee? To my knowledge no. The common point of view seems to be that the more Tszyu landed, the more his knee hurt. At the time he quit it was getting close to the rounds where he had been previously stopped and he knew the writing was on the wall. Sharmba, move up to 147 pounds you will probably get another title shot there and much sooner!

I admit I am a biased Tszyu fan, but I'm also a big fan of the sport and I admire most of the fighters I have listed here.


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