Why Nikita Tszyu gave up white-collar work to unleash his inner ‘darkness'
Tszyu, who fights Lulzim Ismaili at the ICC Convention Theatre in Sydney on Wednesday, followed his father and older brother into the sport in March 2022 after an eight-year hiatus.
Over that time, the middle child of Kostya and Natasha Tszyu studied to become an architect, and worked for several years at global firm Woods Bagot.
From the outside looking in, he was set up for life, but white collar work wasn't fulfilling.
Tszyu and Ismaili face-off at Tuesday's weigh-ins. Pictures: No Limit Boxing/Gregg Porteous
Worse, he didn't have a way to channel what he describes as 'the dark thoughts' racing around his head.
'I've never spoken about this before, but I had a spiritual experience that showed me my true desires in life,' Tszyu, Australian boxing's dark prince told CODE Sports after tipping the scales at 69.48kg on Tuesday afternoon.
'It was a vision of pain and suffering, darkness and evil thoughts.
'At that stage of my life, it was showing me the things I desired most in life, and that was inflicting pain, and being a little devil.
'It was essentially the feelings I get from boxing.
'So I knew I'd regret it for the rest of my life if I didn't pursue boxing while I still could.'
Nikita Tszyu is known as Australian boxing's dark prince. Pictures: No Limit Boxing/Gregg Porteous
Tszyu says he can't go into greater detail on his awakening, but he knew boxing was the answer.
'Boxing is the legal way to unleash it,' he says with a grin.
'I used to party a lot to get it out. I'd go out with friends, and I'd f**k with people. Back in architecture school, I used to mess with people all the time – pranks and stuff.'
Tszyu pursued his architecture career with the same obsessiveness he now approaches boxing, and there are stories of him staying awake for two days straight to complete various projects and designs.
Tszyu says he boxes to unleash his inner darkness. Picture: Supplied
He doesn't like to think about how his dark desires would have manifested themselves if he hadn't rediscovered boxing.
'It wouldn't be good,' he says bluntly.
He also doesn't know where it comes from.
'No idea,' he shrugs. 'I've just always had this darkness in me.
'Thank God my parents loved me and gave me attention, otherwise I don't know how I would have ended up.'
Tim, Kostya and Nikita Tszyu reunited in the United States last year. Picture: Johnny Garcia
Still just 10 fights into his professional career, Tszyu's showdown with Ismaili ends a one-year lay-off as he recovered from hand surgery.
He also got married (he made the rings for him and his wife, also named Nikita, himself in his garage), and welcomed the birth of his first child, a daughter named Curiosity.
His long-awaited comeback is also the first step in Tszyu's path towards bigger fights on grander stages against overseas opponents.
The American market is an obvious go-to for his promoter No Limit, but Tszyu lets his team make all those calls.
His own goals in boxing, unsurprisingly, remain much more personal.
'I want to be able to buy a property of land, get a whole bunch of animals, buy a whole bunch of Japanese tools, build my own house and live out there with my wife and kids,' he says.
Tszyu wants to make enough money from boxing to retire in the wilderness. Picture: No Limit Boxing
'If world titles come, they come, but I'm not necessarily chasing them.
'I'm not materialistic, so I'll probably give them away anyway. I'm very simple.'
Thankfully for his darker instincts, that goal of owning a property in the mountains somewhere west of Sydney will also keep him occupied once he can no longer fight.
'I'm just going for it now, because this is all just temporary,' he says. 'I can only do this until I'm 35, and then the body gives in, it's all over and I have to think of a different outlet.
'Once boxing is done, my plan is to have that side of me released through being on a farm with animals and out in the wilderness.
'I want to use that darkness to feed my family.'
Brendan Bradford
Content producer
Brendan Bradford is a sports writer for CODE Sports. He primarily covers combat sports, league, union, cycling and athletics. Brendan has worked in sports media for a decade, covering world title fights, World Cups, Grand Slams and Spring Tours.
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