Tszyu training like a madman
An exclusive look inside camp Tszyu by Paul Upham: WBC and WBA junior welterweight champion Kostya Tszyu 27-1-1 (22) has commenced training at the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) in Canberra for what will be an intense 10 week preparation for his long awaited unification clash with IBF champion Zab Judah 27-0 (21) 1 NC, on November 3.
Tszyu, who normally trains behind closed doors, granted SecondsOut an exclusive inside look at his training sessions this week as he prepares for the most important fight of his career.
The AIS was opened in Canberra by Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser on Australia Day, 26 January 1981 and was established following disappointing results from the Australian team at the 1976 Montreal Olympics.
It is an elite sports training institution with world class facilities and support services, and is widely acknowledged in Australia and internationally as one of the best of its kind in the world.
Since his only professional defeat to Vince Phillips in May 1997, Tszyu has been making regularly visits to the AIS to prepare himself physically and mentally for his contests.
“Someone suggested for me to come here. It has good facilities and after I lost I needed to get some changes and that is one of the biggest reasons I decided to come here,” said Tszyu.
“Since then the early part of my preparation is to come here.”
The Russian born fighter sees many similarities to the facilities he used as part of the elite Russian sports program as an amateur boxer in the late 1980s.
“I am using the four gyms within 100 metres of each other. The accommodation is good and I am staying on the site. There is no need to drive anywhere. Everything I can do by walking and this is important,” said Tszyu.
Walking through the grounds of the AIS, a peaceful calm is very noticeable, something very different to the hustle and bustle of Sydney.
“You can’t have three training sessions in Sydney. It is very hard. Here I get up in the morning and train, have breakfast and sleep. I have got nothing else to do except training. I will have another training session now, have lunch then sleep and then have another training session. All week it is like this.”
Scientific measurements have shown that boxers are among the fittest athletes in the world. Kostya Tszyu believes that he has fitness for boxing, but likes to work on other fitness areas that will give him the edge in the ring. “What we are doing is much more cross training,” said Tszyu before undertaking a gymnastics session.
For the next two hours, I watch in amazement as Kostya Tszyu tumbles, rolls, flips forwards and backwards and does all manner of twists and turns on the parallel bars, still rings and horizontal bar.
He is extremely flexible and nimble on his feet as he is put through the different exercises by one of the resident gymnastic coaches. “I call this a foundation for myself. I am building up not only my fitness levels - I am getting ready for anything. What I am doing here is five and six hours a day training with no excuse and no mercy for myself. It is so hard and afterwards when I do sparring it is so easy. What I have done here has built me up so big that after that, any training is easy.”
Being so isolated from his family, friends and the constant demands on his time, the AIS provides a sanctuary for Tszyu who can focus solely on his training and preparation.
“I get no calls and no one can contact me, nearly impossible. For two weeks I am invisible,” said Tszyu.
“The first week was so difficult and everything was so sore, but now I am in really good condition already and ready to do anything.”
During his time at the AIS, Tszyu will make use of all of the training facilities that are available and he gets to meet many of Australia’s other successful athletes. The junior welterweight world champion is a popular figure among the elite athletes in the village and has many friends. The great Olympic gold medallist swimmer and world record holder Alexander Popov who has been a regular resident at the AIS over the
years is a very good friend of Tszyu’s.
“We are good friends and he is over in Russia right now,” said Tszyu.
“There are many Olympic and World champions and we just walk past and it is normal here. This atmosphere helps you to motivate for hard training. Everyone is equal here.”
The official announcement of the Tszyu-Judah fight is expected shortly, with promoter Vlad Warton currently in the USA finalising details for the promotion, which is now likely to be held in Las Vegas and broadcast in the USA on Showtime.
The 31 year-old Tszyu and 23 year-old Judah both made successful title defences on June 23 on the same card at the Mohegan Sun Casino in Connecticut, USA. Tszyu recorded a unanimous twelve round points victory over Turk Oktay Urkal, while Judah stopped Denmark’s Allan Vester in the third round.
Paul Upham
Contributing Editor
Tszyu, who normally trains behind closed doors, granted SecondsOut an exclusive inside look at his training sessions this week as he prepares for the most important fight of his career.
The AIS was opened in Canberra by Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser on Australia Day, 26 January 1981 and was established following disappointing results from the Australian team at the 1976 Montreal Olympics.
It is an elite sports training institution with world class facilities and support services, and is widely acknowledged in Australia and internationally as one of the best of its kind in the world.
Since his only professional defeat to Vince Phillips in May 1997, Tszyu has been making regularly visits to the AIS to prepare himself physically and mentally for his contests.
“Someone suggested for me to come here. It has good facilities and after I lost I needed to get some changes and that is one of the biggest reasons I decided to come here,” said Tszyu.
“Since then the early part of my preparation is to come here.”
The Russian born fighter sees many similarities to the facilities he used as part of the elite Russian sports program as an amateur boxer in the late 1980s.
“I am using the four gyms within 100 metres of each other. The accommodation is good and I am staying on the site. There is no need to drive anywhere. Everything I can do by walking and this is important,” said Tszyu.
Walking through the grounds of the AIS, a peaceful calm is very noticeable, something very different to the hustle and bustle of Sydney.
“You can’t have three training sessions in Sydney. It is very hard. Here I get up in the morning and train, have breakfast and sleep. I have got nothing else to do except training. I will have another training session now, have lunch then sleep and then have another training session. All week it is like this.”
Scientific measurements have shown that boxers are among the fittest athletes in the world. Kostya Tszyu believes that he has fitness for boxing, but likes to work on other fitness areas that will give him the edge in the ring. “What we are doing is much more cross training,” said Tszyu before undertaking a gymnastics session.
For the next two hours, I watch in amazement as Kostya Tszyu tumbles, rolls, flips forwards and backwards and does all manner of twists and turns on the parallel bars, still rings and horizontal bar.
He is extremely flexible and nimble on his feet as he is put through the different exercises by one of the resident gymnastic coaches. “I call this a foundation for myself. I am building up not only my fitness levels - I am getting ready for anything. What I am doing here is five and six hours a day training with no excuse and no mercy for myself. It is so hard and afterwards when I do sparring it is so easy. What I have done here has built me up so big that after that, any training is easy.”
Being so isolated from his family, friends and the constant demands on his time, the AIS provides a sanctuary for Tszyu who can focus solely on his training and preparation.
“I get no calls and no one can contact me, nearly impossible. For two weeks I am invisible,” said Tszyu.
“The first week was so difficult and everything was so sore, but now I am in really good condition already and ready to do anything.”
During his time at the AIS, Tszyu will make use of all of the training facilities that are available and he gets to meet many of Australia’s other successful athletes. The junior welterweight world champion is a popular figure among the elite athletes in the village and has many friends. The great Olympic gold medallist swimmer and world record holder Alexander Popov who has been a regular resident at the AIS over the
years is a very good friend of Tszyu’s.
“We are good friends and he is over in Russia right now,” said Tszyu.
“There are many Olympic and World champions and we just walk past and it is normal here. This atmosphere helps you to motivate for hard training. Everyone is equal here.”
The official announcement of the Tszyu-Judah fight is expected shortly, with promoter Vlad Warton currently in the USA finalising details for the promotion, which is now likely to be held in Las Vegas and broadcast in the USA on Showtime.
The 31 year-old Tszyu and 23 year-old Judah both made successful title defences on June 23 on the same card at the Mohegan Sun Casino in Connecticut, USA. Tszyu recorded a unanimous twelve round points victory over Turk Oktay Urkal, while Judah stopped Denmark’s Allan Vester in the third round.
Paul Upham
Contributing Editor
SecondsOut Weekly Newsletter
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