Nikita Tszyu walking to the ring before his debut fight.
Sometimes you get the sense that Nikita Tszyu would just as soon be called Nikita Smith, and be able to work his way up the ranks quietly – but in this country, and that surname, it’s not an option.
“That was a thought that was always going through my head when I was questioning to come back to the sport,” he told Wide World of Sports.
“I knew no matter what happened, there’d be a spotlight on me – so it’s not something I can shy away from.”
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More than two decades after his father captivated the sporting public, both he and brother Tim are among a new breed of young fighters that are turning heads.
“I didn’t want it to be this quick, I kind of wanted to fly under the radar a little but unfortunately my brother didn’t allow that,” he laughed.
“I was put straight into the spotlight, but with that spotlight, there’s so many opportunities that come so I’m grateful for what I’ve been able to take from it.”
But while some critics might say that Tszyu is getting attention far beyond his 1-0 record as a fighter, he’s fully aware, and is reluctant to put himself in the category of other young stars as the future of boxing in Australia.
“I don’t feel like I’ve earned that right yet,” he said
“I’ve only had one fight, I haven’t been able to prove myself yet so I don’t want to get ahead of myself. There’s things in front of me that I need to take care of, and those obstacles are all I’ve focused on.
The next obstacle will be Mason Smith (5-0), whom Tszyu faces in Newcastle on Wednesday.
“I’ve got a good understanding of how he is – he’s tricky, he’s skillful and throws a lot of punches. But the gameplan we’ve set up, we’re ready for it.”
After making short work of his first opponent, Aaron Stahl, Tszyu is hoping for a more lengthy contest this time around.
“I want this fight to go a little bit longer – I want to take it into the deeper rounds because I need that experience,” he said.
“That first fight, I honestly felt like it was an early stoppage, but what can you do? I can’t go against the wishes of the ref, he’s there to support us and protect us.”
Tszyu told the press pack about how the ‘Tszyucastle’ chants would make the hairs on his arm stand up – as they did when his brother fought Dennis Hogan.
“I could feel it running down my spine, I could feel the electricity and the energy it gave me – and I was just on the sideline,” he said.
“It’s going to be a night packed full of adrenaline”
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