Tim Tszyu has opened up on his bizarre feud with boxing’s most powerful man – billionaire Saudi promoter Turki Alalshikh – which includes a “low act” tweet delivered within minutes of his most recent world title loss.
The revelation comes as the former world champ has also delivered a brutal KO warning for Jake Paul, branded his heavily discussed defence as “underrated”, and also explained a meeting between himself and the team of UK heavyweight star Anthony Joshua.
Tszyu vs Velazquez | Wednesday 17 Dec from 7pm AEDT | Tim Tszyu looks for redemption as “The Phoenix” takes on undefeated American Anthony Velazquez in an attempt to reignite his career. | Order Now with Main Event on Kayo Sports.
Speaking with Fox Sports Australia, Tszyu told how the Englishman’s crew had only recently visited his new training base in Miami, Florida as part of their trying to find somewhere to prepare for this weekend’s bout against Youtuber-turned-boxer Paul.
And after speaking at length with Team Joshua, and getting a gauge for how seriously their man is taking the fight, Tszyu said he was predicting a second round KO for the puncher who is “coming to make a s*** tonne of money and hurt Jake Paul”.
While he may be on a run of three straight world title losses himself, Tszyu is being heavily favoured by oddsmakers to begin his “rise from the ashes” in this Wednesday’s Sydney headliner against American Anthony Velazquez.
“Going to quit again”: Coach blasts Tim | 05:02
Apart from being undefeated in all 19 professional appearances, Velazquez also boasts a KO ratio above 80 per cent.
Tszyu, however, has endured a heavy amount in criticism in recent times following a run of outs that includes losing his world title in a Sebastian Fundora bloodbath, getting kayoed by Bakhram Murtazliev, and most recently being forced to retire on his stool in a Fundora rematch.
It was also after that most recent loss against Fundora in July — where he retired on his stool after seven rounds — that Tszyu surprisingly found himself in the crosshairs of the promoter dubbed boxing’s most powerful man.
Taking to ‘X’ immediately after the loss, Alalshikh tweeted: “I said to you from the beginning, Tim Tszyu does not deserve to be on a Riyadh Season or Ring magazine card. He can be useful as a sparring partner for a champion in Riyadh season”.
While the sledge was deleted soon after, it continued a bizarre run of words between Team Tszyu and the heavyweight promoter who works with fellow Australian star Jai Opetaia.
Initially, the beef was ignited after Tszyu’s team had the fighter walk away from a proposed 2024 Alalshikh fight against undefeated American Vergil Ortiz.
Team Tszyu suggested the withdrawal was due to their man having not adequately recovered from a now infamous head wound suffered against Fundora only months earlier.
“I will not work with Tim Tszyu,” Alalshikh said soon after. “Let him do [things] his way, he doesn’t understand.”
He later added of Team Tszyu that “there’s something unclear with the communications from his team with our team, so I believe I will reconsider his situation.”
Asked for a response at the time, Tszyu suggested it “kind of felt like a young kid that didn’t get a lollipop”, and suggested he would ignore it.
Yet as he now readies to begin his push toward a second world title, Tszyu stressed his new management team, and promoters No Limit, could absolutely work with His Excellency moving forward.
Tim Tszyu out for career resurrection | 02:05
But as for his thoughts on that now deleted tweet?
“I dunno, man,” Tszyu told Fox Sports Australia with a shrug. “I do feel like it’s a bit of a low act, tweeting something like that about anyone who is down.
“But I’m also OK with it.
“Because with all the stuff that went on, I’m still not even really sure what happened there. Or who was actually involved.
“I’m just the fighter, man.
“It’s not for me to get involved in all that.
“But I’m OK [with the tweet] because I’ll be back.
“Eventually back not only fighting for a world title again, but holding one.
“And I know when that happens, all the talk will be different.”
Elsewhere, Tszyu also revealed how he had recently caught up with Anthony Joshua’s team in Miami, with the crew visiting his new base at Mundo Boxing Gym while scouting possible training locations for this weekend’s Florida showdown with Paul.
Asked his biggest takeaway from the meeting and Tszyu replied: “Anthony Joshua isn’t f***ing around … he’s coming to hurt Jake Paul.
“I can tell you this is a real fight for him, and he’s taking things really seriously.
“That’s what I really took from the conversion.
“Joshua is coming to make a s*** tonne of money and hurt Jake Paul — that’s the plan.”
Joshua announced to fight Jake Paul | 00:48
And as for a prediction?
“Well firstly, I’ve got to give big respect to Jake Paul for taking this fight,” he said. “But how long it goes? Probably two rounds.
“Because I think Anthony Joshua is taking this one to the extreme.
“When his team even came to our gym, checking out different locations where they could potentially base themselves for fight week, we talked about his preparations, how he feels.
“And he’s coming to hurt Jake.”
Tszyu, meanwhile, has been under fire himself recently.
Apart from having lost all three of his most recent world title fights in the US, the fighter’s most recent two outings involve retiring on his stool against Fundora and being brutally knocked out by IBF king Bakhram Murtazaliev.
As a result, plenty of questions have been asked about the Sydneysider’s defence and what, if anything, new Cuban coach Pedro Diaz can do to fix it.
Yet rather than teaching a new style, Tszyu stressed Diaz has instead been tasked with reviving the ability already within a fighter who in 2023 rose to a world title via the international scalps of Tony Harrison, Carlos Ocampo, and Brian Mendoza.
“And I didn’t get hit,” Tszyu stresses. “Same in my fight earlier this year with Joey Spencer.
“These guys, they’re all good fighters.
“But they couldn’t touch me.
“Against Murtazaliev, yes, I got hit with a shot early.
“I was concussed, couldn’t feel anything and became like a walking target.
“Then with Fundora, when you’ve got someone that tall, that awkward, punches coming from all sorts of directions, it is always going to be difficult to manoeuvre.
“With all of that, Fundora’s going to be a problem for anyone.
“And I know as a result people have been critical of me, saying I’m not defensively sound.
“But in all honesty, I think my defence is underrated.
“I just really need to trigger some things. Bring out what I know a bit more.
“And even in a short time with Pedro Diaz, I can tell you that defensively I’m seeing things much better now.”
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