Kostya

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Tszyu was born in Serov, a town near the Ural Mountains, in the former Soviet Union to a father of Korean and Mongol descent and a Russian mother. His father was a fitter in a metal factory, while his mother was a nurse. As a child, Kostya was hyperactive, so his father took him to a boxing gym, where he channeled that energy by fighting older boys. He impressed the Soviet amateur team coaches and was sent to the Soviet Union's amateur boxing travelling training camps, visiting more than 30 countries while training and fighting in tournaments. He trained with that group 250 days a year. At the 1988 Summer Olympics, he lost in the third round. In 1991, he went to the amateur world championships in Sydney, felt enchanted with the sights and its people, and decided he wanted to live in Australia. Following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, early the next year, Tszyu emigrated to Australia with his girlfriend, where they married in 1993 and became Australian citizens, settling in Sans Souci, Sydney.

In Their Own Story

In 1995, Tszyu received his first world title shot when he fought IBF Light Welterweight Champion Jake Rodríguez at Las Vegas, Nevada. Tszyu became world champion by knocking Rodriguez out in the sixth round. He then defended the world title, beating former Super Featherweight and Light Welterweight World Champion Roger Mayweather by a decision in 12, Hugo Pineda by a knockout in 11, Cory Johnson by a knockout in four and Jan Bergman by a knockout in six. In 2001, he began unifying the belts by facing WBA Champion Sharmba Mitchell, taking the belt by a TKO after seven rounds. He finished 2001 by recovering his IBF belt in a unification bout with Zab Judah, by a knockout in the second round. A small melee inside the ring followed when Judah attacked referee Jay Nady. As a result, Tszyu became the first man in 30 years to unify the belts in the light welterweight division. In 2005, in what would be his final fight, Tszyu was stopped by Ricky Hatton.

Reader's Guide

Tszyu is considered by many in Australia to be a national sports hero. In The Ring's March 2010 issue, Tszyu was ranked as the number one light-welterweight of the 2000s decade. In December 2010, he was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame for the Class of 2011. From 2012 to 2013 he coached professional boxers Alexander Povetkin, Denis Lebedev and Khabib Allakhverdiev. In 2023, his son Tim Tszyu won the World Boxing Organization (WBO) junior-middleweight title. As an amateur, Tszyu represented the Soviet Union, winning a bronze medal in the lightweight division at the 1989 World Championships, and gold in the light-welterweight division at the 1991 World Championships. He also won consecutive gold medals at the 1989 and 1991 European Championships. He finished his amateur career with 270 fights, 259 wins, 11 losses, no stoppages and no draws.

Did You Know?

• Tszyu was born in Serov, a town near the Ural Mountains, to a father of Korean and Mongol descent and a Russian mother.
• He was a member of the Soviet Army but, as an elite athlete, was not required to serve ordinary duty.
• Tszyu finished his amateur career with 270 fights, 259 wins, and 11 losses, with no stoppages and no draws.
• He became the first undisputed light-welterweight champion in over 30 years after knocking out Zab Judah in 2001.
• In 2023, his son Tim Tszyu won the WBO junior-middleweight title.