Kostya Tszyu Wants A Shot
By Boxing News January 29th, 2007Kostya Tsyzu training, fields offers for a title shot
Former junior welterweight champion Kostya Tszyu (31-2, 25 KOs) is preparing for one bout before retiring and is fielding offers for a potential title fight.
The hard-punching vet from Serov, Russia, who fights out of Australia has been out of action for a year and a half since losing his IBF light welterweight crown to Manchester’s Hitman, Ricky Hatton.
“A big name would be interesting,â€? Tszyu told Australia’s Daily Telegraph, “but I would need to see the offer first.â€?
But, the former champion said, “It has to be a real offer. They know I’m available—that’s why I have not announced my retirement.
“I’m just waiting for an offer to come up and then I’ll consider it. How it will come, I don’t know. If I decide to do it, I can’t concentrate on my business.
“Some people want to see me in the ring, to see my ability or they want me to win another title. To me it’s more important to show my skills and maybe it’s worthwhile to have this last chapter in my career. That’s what drives me.”
January 29th, 2007 at 3:21 pm
GO KOSTYA!!!!!!!!!
January 29th, 2007 at 3:27 pm
“…and maybe it’s worthwhile to have this last chapter in my career.” That’s an interesting quote coming from a fighter who in last fight quit on his stool. He either wants it or he doesn’t and it’s obvious that his passions now lie in activities other than boxing.
January 30th, 2007 at 1:25 am
He offered to demonstrate his skills. We still haven’t seen a boxer outbox him. Remember what Hatton said about wrestling all night - he knew he couldn’t beat him in a fight! So they set him up at 2am and mugged him. Don’t forget there was only one knock down - that wasn’t scored, and only one deliberate foul - that wasn’t penalised, and a whole lot of wrestling- that was permitted. No one can beat the ref.
Lets see a contest of skill - preferably with the very best - Mayweather.
January 30th, 2007 at 9:58 pm
good point rod, hatton should join the world wrestling federation, as all he does is grab and wrestle tiring his opponents, he robbed Kosta. Hatton has done nothing to impress me. Nothing.
January 31st, 2007 at 3:37 pm
Ok, let’s get one thing straight…
KOSTYA DID NOT QUIT AGAINST HATTON!!!!!
I have read somewhere that his trainer actually told him NOT to get up for the last round.
January 31st, 2007 at 5:26 pm
The man quit first of all
And second, He let Ricky Hatton buy home feild advantage for 5 million, he knew what he was getting into. Then he went over there and got whipped for 11 rounds and instead of getting whipped one more he quit on the stool.
He doesnt have it in him anymore.
Lastly, lets not even talk about him fighting Mayweather, I mean come on that would be a blowout, Tszyu wouldnt win a round.
Maybee he can fight Baldimir, that might be interesting.
January 31st, 2007 at 7:43 pm
I have to agree with you Joe. Paulie, did you see the fight? His trainer knew he didn’t have it in him and Koysta gave no objection in the least. Bottom line is that he quit on his stool. I’ll disagree however in that he got whipped for 11 rounds. A whipping is what PBF did to Gatti and what Calzaghe did to Lacy. Koysta held his own and even won more than a few rounds.
January 31st, 2007 at 8:29 pm
It might be a matter of apples and oranges. if he really wanted to fight, he’d have talked Johnny Lewis into letting him go out for the final round. But he took a major beating, and Lewis knew it. Personally, I think calling him a qutter in that instance is strong.
That said, I’d rather he stay retired at this point. It’s been nearly two years, and he’s fairly long in the tooth. He needed nearly two years just to get his body 100%; that should be a sign that he’s searching for something that’s no longer there.
Every fighter has or wants that last great moment. The problem is knowing when to stop searching (like Morales and his fans refusing to believe that the first Pac fight was meant to be his last great moment in the sun - or lights). Tszyu’s was the Sharmba Mitchell rematch. The sooner he realizes that, the happier he’ll be in retirement
February 1st, 2007 at 7:54 pm
Kostya vs. Junior Witter?. Go Junior? Nah.
February 2nd, 2007 at 2:41 am
Its a known fact that Jonny Lewis would not let Kostya fight the last round. Kostya has repeatedly said he wanted to continue. Kostya’s self toture that is his training and has been since he was an amature gives him the power of a hard hitting middle weight and his experience (just check him toying with vernon forrest in the finals of the world amature championship) would still make him an extremely high risk big reward for any fighter, and has a habit of ruining perferct records, Zab Jaduh Otkay Urkal Jan Piet Bergman, De la hoyas camp was scared of his power, and i doubt PBF would want a fight he may not actually not know the outcome of before the contracts are signed. Think of what relentless training did for Benard Hopkins at 40+. As for hatton, he wrestled the title of kostya litrally thanks to an obvious bias from the reff, and a kostya who could barely use his right arm. As for hatton walking up to Tszyu and landing a haymaker in his groin i’ll never respect a boxer like that
February 5th, 2007 at 2:50 am
zab would be a big money fight as an undercard on hbo or showtime.
March 7th, 2007 at 5:45 pm
i want to see kostya fight hatton again I KNOW KOSTYA CAN BEAT HIM THE FIRST FIGHT WAS SO CLOSE KOSTYA COULD HAVE WON. win your belt back kostya you have nothing to lose. make hatton retire with you
March 11th, 2007 at 1:44 pm
come on lets see the rematch kostya and hatton. it would be the biggest fight of the year