Nikita Tszyu carries ‘modern-warrior’ mentality into Dylan Biggs clash

Australian junior middleweight prospect Nikita “The Butcher” Tszyu (7-0, 6 KOs) knows he has big shoes to fill.

The 25-year-old Sydney southpaw is not only the son of International Boxing Hall of Fame inductee, former undisputed junior welterweight champion Kostya Tszyu, he is also the younger brother of reigning WBO 154-pound titleholder Tim Tszyu (24-0, 17 KOs).

With that level of brand recognition comes a certain amount of expectation.

“I feel like I have like a big responsibility on them to create a sense of entertainment for the public and to also withhold the family name,” Tszyu told The Ring last Friday.

For Tszyu, that responsibility has been there since the start. After completing his Bachelor of Architectural Design at the University of Technology Sydney, Tszyu turned pro at the age of 23 in March last year. But unlike his older brother Tim who built his name boxing on non-televised undercards all around the country, all seven of Nikita’s pro bouts have been televised in one way or another, four of them on domestic pay-per-views.

On Wednesday night all the pressure will be on Tszyu when he challenges undefeated Dylan Biggs (10-0, 7 KOs) for his Australian junior middleweight title at the Newcastle Entertainment Center in Newcastle, New South Wales.

The pressure to perform and uphold the family name are pressures that Tszyu says he thrives under.

“I love that I’ve got this kind of pressure on me because it’s keeping me sharp,” he said. “It makes every single moment that I get into the ring like a life-or-death situation.

“Honestly, it feels like I’m a gladiator back in the Roman days where any mistake I make would be basically death.

“I can’t make any mistakes or else I die. And that’s a beautiful kind of thing to have in the back of your head. You would essentially be dead if you were living 2000 years ago.”

Like many of Tszyu’s former opponents, Biggs takes umbrage that he has been toiling away at his craft largely unknown while the son of a legend headlines nationally broadcast cards.

Although he is clearly the B-side, Biggs is insisting on walking out last as the champion.

“Let him mentally exhaust himself,” Tszyu shrugged.

“The promoters are the ones that are putting in the big bucks. They’re the ones that are sponsoring the events, the televisions, whoever’s the big boss, they’re the ones in charge.”

A promotional video released last week showed Tszyu chowing down on raw steak alongside his pet dog before throwing a knife at a picture of Biggs’ face.

Biggs has labeled the video cringeworthy and embarrassing.

“I actually liked it,” Tszyu said. “I thought it was a very good representation of what my mind is. There’s a lot of dark areas in my mind and that’s how I feel a lot of the time.

“I’m sitting in a little dark room, I’m always kind of thinking about these fights and kind of pondering about these moments in my career and how to improve business.

“There’s this tunnel vision of my opponents that I’m ready to go.

“I’m not going to get a voodoo doll and curse him with it or anything like that, but there’s obviously a hatred because this man is trying to take your future away from you.

“That’s the way I see it. Without doubt this is the biggest test, probably the toughest opponent, the biggest stakes.

“It’s the way of the warrior and we (the Tszyus) are modern-day warriors.”

But as much as Tszyu wants to make his own name in the sport, he knows much of his marketability comes down to fight fans wanting to see where he sits in the family’s fistic pecking order.

“Right now, it’s my family name, my last name, that’s the ticket seller. And I know that,” Tszyu conceded.

“Know people aren’t necessarily coming for me, and that I still have to make a name for myself, which is what I’m trying to do.

“I have to lift to that standard that my father set. And a standard that my brother has now reset.”

Tszyu continued: “There is a certain level of pressure that they’ve brought on. But I feel like I thrive in that.

“These standards I have to work to, they’re motivating me because knowing all eyes are on me, it’s a huge driving factor.”

Asked whether it was tougher being Nikita Tszyu than Tim Tszyu, Nikita admitted he had never really thought about it in those terms.

“Um, I don’t know,” he said. “It’s an interesting question and an interesting way to think about it. But this sport, it’s tough no matter who you follow.

“Our children will be four, five, six in line… they will have names to live up to as well.”

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