'Tim can stop him': boxing legend's big call on Tszyu

Perth Now

2 days ago

Training great Johnny Lewis is tipping Tim Tszyu will exhibit his father's legendary resilience and thrust the family name into boxing immortality.
Lewis is not only convinced Tszyu will take out American "Towering Inferno" Sebastian Fundora and join his father Kostya as a multiple world champion in Las Vegas on Saturday night (Sunday AEST).
The iconic former corner man for arguably Australia's two greatest pugilists - Kostya and four-division world champ Jeff Fenech - is adamant Tim's undefeated younger brother Nikita can also rule the globe to secure the Tszyu family's status as the boxing GOATs.
"I still feel that the little brother has got that X factor," Lewis told AAP ahead of Tszyu's date with destiny.
"He does get hit a little bit, but he's just nonchalant about that. If he got the right fight and he worked on his defence, they might see a really good little fighter.
"I like him a lot.
"But we're not talking about him. We're talking about his brother."
That brother being Tim and his redemption shot after losing a split-decision bloodbath to Fundora in Vegas 16 months ago."I honestly believe Tim can stop him," Lewis said before the return bout at the MGM Grand, the iconic venue where Kostya claimed his maiden world title in 1995.
"Technical knockout or knockout, yeah, but I really think he can stop him before the 10th.
"Tim Tszyu over the last few rounds of that last fight was blindfolded, such was his vision, and it was more than a bit of bad luck. It was dreadful luck.
"They should have stopped it. The judges, the officials, the corner ... it was the corner's call."
"It's also an advantage to Fundora that he's seen the best of what Tszyu was delivering.
"So that's also an advantage to Fundora. That's for sure, but I think Tim is a better fighter than Fundora.
"It's great that Tim's got this opportunity. If he wins this fight, he is the luckiest guy in the world.
"And to get two, a father and son, to win two world titles each, yeah, well, even if he never won another fight, the people, the world, would know that."
To do so, Tszyu will need to bounce back from successive losses in his two most recent fights in America, to Fundora then to Russian Bakhram Murtazaliev in Florida last October.
Lewis recalled how he tried to talk Kostya into retiring after a terrible loss to American Vince Phillips in 1997 before the Russian-born great rose again to become a unified world super-lightweight champion and all-time boxing great.
"Comparing the father and son, I don't think there's anything there but they are both great, great fighters," Lewis said.
"But speaking about Tim, he can undoubtedly beat Fundora and be a world champion again.
"But he just needs to lift the work rate. Don't let Fundora get off with that jab. Even though there's not a lot on it, it's a scoring punch.
"All he's got to do is watch his elbow and not walk into that again.
"Just stick to the game plan. I'm sure (coach) Igor (Goulobev) is smart enough to have some sort of plan of attack and I don' think Tim's got to call on too much more.
"I just think he's a far better fighter than last time."
This AAP article was made possible by support from No Limit Boxing.