Konstantin (Kostya) Borisovich Tszyu. Born on September 19, 1969 in Serov, Sverdlovsk region. Soviet, Russian and Australian boxer, three-time champion USSR (1989-1991), two-time champion Europe (1989, 1991) and world champion (1991) among amateurs, absolute world champion (according to WBC/WBA/IBF) among professionals. Honored Master of Sports of the USSR (1991).
Father - Boris Timofeevich Tszyu, worked at a metallurgical plant.
Mother - Valentina Vladimirovna Tszyu, was a nurse.
He got the surname Tszyu from his great-grandfather Innocent, who was a purebred Korean who came to Russia from China.
When Kostya was nine years old, his father brought him to the boxing section of the Youth Sports School.
In 1986 he entered the Sverdlovsk Engineering and Pedagogical Institute (SIPI). Having successfully passed the tests and exams, he left his studies in February 1987.
From 1988 to 1990 - private in the support battalion of the Oryol Higher Military Command School of Communications named after. M. I. Kalinina KGB USSR (OVVKUS).
In 2012, he graduated with honors (among the 5 best graduates of the year) from the Ural Federal University, then defended his PhD thesis at the Department of Fundamentals of Physical Education at Tyumen State University.
Konstantin Tszyu started boxing at the age of nine under the leadership of Vladimir Cherny.
In 1986 and 1987 he was the champion of the USSR among juniors. In 1988 he participated in Olympic Games in Seoul, reached the quarterfinals at these competitions, where he lost to the future champion Andreas Ziulow from the GDR.
In 1989 and 1991 he became European champion, and in 1990 he won the Games goodwill in Seattle.
In 1991 he won the world championship in Sydney. In the final of this tournament, he was able to defeat future professional world champion Vernon Forrest. Total on amateur ring Tszyu won 270 victories in 282 fights.
Konstantin Tszyu's performance at the World Championships in Sydney impressed Australian coach Johnny Lewis and promoter Bill Mordy. They invited him to return to Australia and turn professional. He accepted the offer and on March 1 he was already performing in the professional ring. In Melbourne, his opponent was the champion of the Australian state of Queensland, Darrell Hiles, who lasted less than two minutes against him.
In the fourth fight, Tszyu faced former world champion Juan La Porte, who held out against Tszyu until the end of the ten-round fight. In the sixth fight, Tszyu met with future world champion Sammy Fuentes and defeated him by technical knockout in the first round. In August 1993, Tszyu defeated former world champion Livingston Bramble.
On January 28, 1995, in Las Vegas, Nevada, a fight took place against IBF champion Jake Rodriguez. After four knockdowns in the sixth round, Tszyu became the new IBF world champion.
Five months later, a fight took place against former two-weight world champion Roger Mayweather. The fight, which Tszyu won, lasted 12 rounds with his full advantage.
At the end of 1995, Tszyu fired promoter Bill Mordy and replaced him with Vlad Wharton. Mordi sued and won compensation from Tszyu in the amount of several million dollars.
The next fight was supposed to take place against Colombian Hugo Pineda, who was the IBF mandatory challenger, in Cartagena (Colombia). Tszyu refused to go to Colombia due to the unstable situation (the government's war with the guerrillas). The IBF announced the possibility of stripping him of his title. Tszyu’s managers went to court, they managed to retain the championship title and transfer the fight to Australia.
Hugo Pineda knocked Tszyu down with a sharp right hand in the first round (the knockdown was easy: after the blow, Tszyu only touched the floor with his knee and immediately stood up). But from the second round Pineda began to lose, in the fourth round he suffered the first knockdown, and at the end of the seventh - in the second. In the eleventh round and after the fifth knockdown, when Pineda sat on the floor near the ropes, the referee stopped the fight.
Tszyu then defeated Corey Johnson (fourth round knockout) and South African Jan Bergman (sixth round technical knockout). He gained a reputation as the strongest welterweight boxer.
IN next fight In the first round, he knocked down Puerto Rican Leonardo Mas three times, but the referee decided that the third knockdown was the result of a blow delivered after the bell. Subsequently, the Athletic Commission recognized a technical draw, but Kostya Tszyu retains the IBF champion title. Tszyu's manager later protested and the result was annulled. The draw was crossed out.
On May 31, 1997, Tszyu made another defense of his title against experienced boxer Vince Philips. It was believed that Tszyu would win. However, from the very beginning the battle took place in a very stubborn and equal struggle. By the eighth round, the initiative had completely passed to Phillips. In the tenth round, the referee declared Phillips' victory by technical knockout.
After losing the title, Tszyu had to start over. He consecutively defeated Ismael Armand Chavez (third round TKO) and former world champion Calvin Grove (first round TKO). Then in a WBC qualifying fight he defeated another former champion- Rafael Ruelas.
On November 28, 1998, a duel took place with Diosbelis Hurtado, which ended with Tszyu’s victory in the fifth round.
On August 21, 1999, Konstantin Tszyu defeated Miguel Angel Gonzalez. Since Julio Cesar Chavez refused a rematch with Gonzalez, preferring a re-fight with Oscar De La Hoya, the WBC 1st welterweight title was played between Konstantin Tszyu and Miguel Angel Gonzalez. Tszyu dominated the entire fight. In the 5th round, he beat the Mexican badly, but he survived. At the beginning of the 10th round, the corner asked the referee to stop the fight.
In February 2000, Tszyu knocked out Ahmed Santos in the 8th round.
In July 2000, Tszyu entered the ring against the former multiple champion in several scales of Julio Cesar Chavez. At the beginning of the 6th round, Chavez hit Tszyu in the groin. The referee deducted a point from the Mexican. Immediately after the fight continued, Tszyu hit Chavez in the head with a double and he ended up on the floor. The Mexican stood at the count of 7. The fight continued. Tszyu immediately attacked Chavez. Chavez began to attack himself. Tszyu was more successful in the exchange - a significant part of his shots hit the target. Tszyu pinned Chavez against the ropes and began to finish. Chavez's corner intervened and the referee stopped the fight. Tszyu’s team, without waiting for the official announcement of the result, left the ring, fearing the audience cheering for Chavez.
In February 2001, a welterweight unification fight took place between WBC belt holders Konstantin Tszyu and WBA Sharmba Mitchell. At the end of the 4th round, Tszyu and Mitchell came together in a clinch, after which Tszyu pushed his opponent, and he fell to the canvas. Referee Joe Cortez removed Tszyu for this point. In the middle of the 7th round, the opponents clashed in another clinch. Mitchell got out of it unsuccessfully, turning left leg and limped. Mitchell was able to reach the bell, but during the break between rounds the corner withdrew his fighter, citing a leg injury. Tszyu won by technical knockout.
Tszyu then defended his titles against WBC challenger Oktay Urkal.
In November 2001, a fight for the title of absolute champion in the 1st welterweight took place between Konstantin Tszyu and Zab Judah. The entire elite of modern times came out to support Judah in this battle. American boxing led by Mike Tyson. Tszyu had to experience enormous moral and psychological pressure before the start of the fight, and he coped with it brilliantly. Despite the fact that Judah pretty much crushed Konstantin in the 1st round, at the very end of the 2nd round (8 seconds before the end of the round) Tszyu sent the American to the canvas. Judah stood up and immediately fell again because his legs were moving apart (as Vladimir Gendlin commented, “legs like spaghetti”). With his legs he performed incredible pretzels like a fantastic dancer, referee Jay Nady had no choice but to immediately stop the fight. Having come to his senses, Judah, who did not agree with this, protested furiously, throwing a tantrum in the ring.
In 2002, there was a fight with Ghanaian boxer Ben Taki. Taki tried to force a fight at a distance. The fight lasted 12 rounds, ending with Tszyu’s victory, which all the judges agreed with.
On January 19, 2003, Tszyu entered the ring against Jesse James Leahy. Tszyu dominated the fight. During the break between the 6th and 7th rounds, Leahy's corner refused to continue the fight due to a suspected ruptured eardrum in his fighter.
In November 2004, the second fight took place between Konstantin Tszyu and Sharmba Mitchell. In the middle of the 2nd round, Tszyu landed a left cross to the head. Mitchell staggered. Tszyu rushed to finish him off, pressing him to the ropes and throwing a series of blows to the head. Mitchell tried to clinch, but missed several punches and fell. The referee counted the knockdown. Mitchell rose to the count of 6. Tszyu tried to finish off his opponent, but Mitchell held out until the gong. At the beginning of the 3rd round, Tszyu landed a left cross to the jaw, and the challenger fell with his back on the canvas. Mitchell stood up at the last moment. Tszyu began to aim the blow. At the end of the 3rd round, the champion again hit the challenger in the jaw with a left cross. He stepped back, pressing himself against the ropes. Tszyu started bombing him. After missing several episodes, Mitchell took a knee. The referee called a knockdown. Mitchell rose to the count of 7. Tszyu immediately pressed him against the ropes again and threw two deuces to the head. The challenger fell back into the ring. The referee stopped the fight without opening the score.
In June 2005, Tszyu entered the ring against the undefeated Briton Ricky Hatton. The fight took place in England. Hatton, nicknamed “The Hitman,” imposed his style on Kostya. Objectively, Hatton’s moral-volitional qualities and physical condition were higher. The ring judges took Ricky's position and did not reproach him in any way for countless violations of the rules. Thanks to dirty boxing, he not only outplayed tactically, but first of all psychologically broke Kostya. Also, Kostya’s condition was greatly influenced by the surprising silence of the judge, who allowed Hatton to fight in such a dirty style. During the break between the 11th and 12th rounds, Tszyu’s corner removed his boxer from the fight.
After this fight, Tszyu decided to end his professional boxing career.
Konstantin Tszyu has developed his own training methods professional boxers, which he successfully used for several years while living in Australia. Returning to his homeland, Konstantin began to regularly conduct master classes, demonstrating his training methods, and train famous Russian athletes.
In mid-2012, Konstantin was already training three famous Russian boxers: Denis Lebedev, Khabib Allahverdiev and Alexander Povetkin.
In the spring-summer of 2009, the absolute world boxing champion Konstantin Tszyu came up with a civil initiative to help develop children's sports in Russia due to the organization of a number sports schools its name throughout the country. To popularize this initiative, as well as in honor of the 75th anniversary of the “Young Dynamo” educational and sports movement, the Kostya Tszyu charity foundation, together with the international Phoenix Foundation and other organizations, organized the “Moscow - Novorossiysk” motor rally.
In July 2009, at the base sports club“FitnessMania” (Moscow, Leninsky Prospekt, 146) opened the first Kostya Tszyu Boxing School in Russia.
Since February 2010 - manager of NL International.
On April 9, 2010, Konstantin headed the editorial office of Russia's first electronic magazine about martial arts, Fight Magazine.
June 12, 2011 Kostya Tszyu was included in the International Boxing Hall of Fame as a person who made a huge contribution to the development of this sport. On the same day, American actor and film director, former Mexican champion Julio Cesar Chavez, coach Ignacio “Nacho” Berishtein and famous referee Joe Cortez received a similar honor.
Konstantin Tszyu in the program "The Fate of Man"
Kostya Tszyu's height: 170 centimeters.
Personal life of Kostya Tszyu:
Was married twice.
The first wife is Natalya Leonidovna Tszyu (born 1972). We met in the early 1990s in Serov. In a cafe, a young athlete noticed a beauty and immediately came up to meet her. The boxer, according to him, courted his chosen one for a long time, and decided to kiss her only six months later.
The marriage produced three children - two sons (Timofey and Nikita) and a daughter, Nastya.
Kostya Tszyu with his wife Natalya and children from his first marriage
Second wife - Tatyana Averina. She has a son from a previous relationship, with whom Kostya found a common language. They got married on December 30, 2014, and the celebration took place in a small circle on February 28, 2015.
At the beginning of 2015, the couple had a son, Alexander, and in November 2016, a daughter, Victoria.
Knockout in the 20th round - this is how you can call the divorce of the absolute world boxing champion Kostya Tszyu with his wife Natalia after twenty years of happy life. Kostya finally breaks ties with Australia, where not only his ex-wife will remain, but also three common children: 19-year-old Timofey, 15 year old Nikita and 11 year old daughter Nastya.
In fact, discord in the family began two years ago. After Kostya completed his professional career boxer, it was more profitable to move to Russia, where he was known, loved and, of course, expected. In his homeland it was easier to set up a business, promote his own person in the media, and for Tszyu it was still more pleasant to live in a Russian-speaking environment.
Kostya Tszyu with his wife and three children in Moscow in 2008. Photo: RIA Novosti
But not only friends and partners were waiting for him here, but also numerous fans, for whom Kostya was another rich athlete, and therefore a promising groom, even despite the presence of a wife and three children. “Nothing, it will move,” they thought, and they turned out to be right.
Natalya Tszyu was not going to give up without a fight and, following her husband, tried to move to her homeland. But after some time spent in Moscow, the children could not stand it. Raised in a prosperous, liberal and warm Australia, they could not stand life in Russian reality. The mother was forced to follow the lead of her own children and returned to the green continent.
Living in two cities is difficult. It’s almost impossible for two countries. What then can we say about Kostya Tszyu, a man in full bloom, who was offered to live on two continents? Okay, if it were Europe and Asia. Even Europe and America, or, as a last resort, Africa. But Australia, to which it takes almost a whole day to fly with one or two transfers... It was impossible.
After some time, Kostya’s wife, through unknown channels, found out about her husband’s infidelities. And in 2009, she was informed that Kostya had started a serious affair during the filming of the then popular show “Ice Age”.
Kostya Tszyu with partner Maria Petrova during the Ice Age show. Photo: RIA Novosti
“I will never forgive him for his betrayal, but we will remain friends. I am grateful to Kostya for the 20 happy years that we lived together. Maybe in the future another man will appear next to me, who will not be a champion, but just a good person,” Life News quotes Natalya Tszyu.
According to her, the marriage broke up two years ago. But only now have we gotten around to legalizing the divorce procedure. All papers will be officially completed on December 3, 2013 in Australia. It’s interesting that Kostya won’t even come for this procedure, but will simply sign the papers and send them to Australia.
He also found almost no time for his children and wife, whom he himself moved to Australia.
“I won’t take a penny of alimony from him. I am able to financially take care of the children. What they need now is not money, but attention. I will be glad if he can see them more often. Recently my daughter turned 11 years old, and she cried because her dad wasn’t at her party. We did the math, and it turned out that Kostya was present at only three of her birthdays,” Life News continues to quote Natalya’s words.
During " Ice Age» Kostya skated with the world and European champion Maria Petrova. But she was not his chosen one. If you believe rumors, Tszyu can often be seen with a dark-haired girl of model appearance...
Kostya Tszyu at the fight between Alexander Povetkin and Vladimir Klitschko with an unknown companion, whom news agencies confused with the boxer’s wife Natalya, 2013. Photo:
Konstantin Borisovich Tszyu is a legend of world boxing, champion of the USSR, Europe and the world (according to WBC/WBA/IBF) in lightweight among professionals. Persistent training turned a common man into a talent professional athlete. After the end of his career, Kostya promotes the idea healthy image life and self-control over your body and soul. The biography of Kostya Tszyu is filled with many highlights. He does not like to give interviews; social events are alien to him. He remained a simple man, a loving husband and father. The athlete trains and lives with his family in Moscow.
Childhood and youth
Konstantin Tszyu was born on September 19, 1969 in the peripheral town of Serov, Sverdlovsk region. His family was quite simple and had nothing to do with professional sports. Father Boris Timofeevich worked at a metallurgical plant. Mother Valentina Vladimirovna was a nurse at the hospital. He received his sonorous surname from his grandfather, who moved from China to the USSR back in the 20th century. Although the athlete has Asian roots, Kostya Tszyu’s nationality is Russian.
As a child, the boy was active and cocky. In order to direct energy in the right direction, in 1979 the father decided to send the child to boxing at the local section of the Youth Sports School. Within six months the boy began to show good results. At the rig he managed to defeat guys who were much older than him. Thanks to his grandfather, the boy played chess well, and it was analytical thinking that helped the young man achieve success in sports. After two years of hard training, representatives of the USSR youth boxing team began to take an interest in the young athlete. This was the beginning sports biography young athlete.
Kostya Dzyu started boxing at the age of 9. His first coach was Vladimir Chernya. In 1986-1987 he became the USSR Champion among youths. In 1988 he went to participate in the Olympic Games in Seoul, but lost in the 1/4 finals to an athlete from the GDR. A year later, Tszyu won the European and then the World Championships, defeating the future boxing icon Forrest in the final. At the amateur level, according to statistics, the boxer won more than 250 victories in 300 appearances in the ring.
Kostya Tszyu’s professional career is rich big victories over the best boxers of that time. The athlete quickly gained the necessary experience, which was so lacking at the amateur level, proving to everyone that he could fight any opponent.
After winning the World Championship, Australian trainer Johnny Lewis became interested in the boxer. The athlete received an offer to return to Australia and begin professional activities.
Decisive and significant battles:
- After signing all the documents, on March 1, Tszyu took part in the Australian Championship, where he competed against Darrell Haizl. This fight ended after 2 minutes 20 seconds in favor of the Russian.
- The 4th fight with La Porte turned out to be the longest. In the 10th round, Tszyu won.
- In 1993, a fight took place with the current boxing champion Braml. It ended in favor of the Russian athlete.
- On January 28, 1995, a fight for the IBF world title took place with Jake Rodrigos. After the 6th round, Kostya Tszyu knocked out his opponent.
After switching to professional ring Konstantin lacked certain experience. After 5 fights, the boxer gained the necessary momentum and began fighting for titles.
Winning titles
After defeating Rodrigos, the athlete had to take a break for six months to regain strength and better prepare for strong opponents:
- Six months later, a fight took place against Mayweather. The skill of the boxers was equal. After 12 rounds, the judges gave their preference to Kostya.
- In 1996, the boxer had to defend his title in a fight with Hugo Pindara. The confrontation was to take place in Cartagete. But due to the unstable military situation in Colombia, the battle had to be moved to Australia. As a result of the second knockout, the opponent was no longer able to get to his feet. The victory went to Tszyu.
- On May 31, 1997, another title defense took place against boxer Vince Philips. In the 10th round, Phillips won by technical knockout.
The first defeat was a big moral blow for Kostya. After all, he was the favorite in the ring. After losing the title, the boxer had to start all over again. In 1998 there were best fights Kostya Ju:
- First victory over Phillips. On November 28, 1998, a fight took place with D. Hurtado, which ended in favor of Tszyu.
- July 21, 1999 - fight for the WBC champion title between the Russian athlete and M. Angel Gonzalez. In the 10th round, Tszyu pinned the Mexican in the corner, and the referee had to stop the fight, giving the victory to Konstantin.
- On November 1, 2000, the boxer moved to welterweight weight category. After 4 months there was a fight with S. Mitchell. At the end of the 7th round, Kostya knocked out his opponent.
- On January 19, 2003, a fight took place with Jesse James Lahey. From the first round, there was an equal confrontation between the two boxers. But by the 7th round, Leahy had to refuse to continue the fight. The boxer was suspected of having a ruptured eardrum.
- On November 6, 2004, Ju entered the ring against Kostya American boxer S. Mitchell. After the gong, the dominance of the Russian athlete was obvious. Already in the second round, Sharmba was knocked out. By the end of the 3rd round, the referees stopped the fight, giving the victory to the Russian champion.
- The last fight took place on June 4, 2005 against Ricky Hatton. Right from the first round, Hatton showed who was boss in the ring. At the end of the 11th round, the coaching staff decided to remove their boxer from the fight.
This was the second defeat of the great boxer. After these events Konstantin Dzyu decided to end his professional boxing career.
Family and children
Kostya Tszyu has always been an exemplary family man. Despite the difficulties and problems, the boxer always devoted time to his wife and children. The Russian champion was the father of many children. He has 5 natural children and 1 adopted one.
The life path of every professional athlete is filled with many difficulties and problems. One of important factors stuffy and physical health- this is the support of relatives. At the age of 46, the athlete suffered a heart attack from high level cholesterol in the blood. He needed surgery. Thanks to insurance, it was free. It was in these difficult moments that Kostya’s family’s help became invaluable.
Born on November 2, 1994 from his first wife Natalia Tszyu. The first son was very similar in character to Constantine in his early years, so it was Timofey who inherited sporting talent father. Young boxer with early years began training under the guidance of Konstantin. WITH physical development His grandfather always helped him, so the boy grew up in a strict training regime.
After graduating from school, the young man entered college. After receiving higher education, Timofey decided to continue sports career. Now the young athlete lives with his family in Australia. The son of Kostya Ju competes in the middleweight, occupying 110th position in the world boxing rankings.
Born in 1995 from his first wife Natalia. The boy followed in the footsteps of his father and brother and began trying boxing at the age of 2. Nikita studied well at school and at the same time trained hard under the guidance of his grandfather. After graduation, the guy did not connect his life with professional sports, however, continues to perform in the amateur ring. Nikita is also interested in football, although he remains faithful to boxing.
Alexander (Vladimir) born in 2015 from the second wife of boxer Tatyana Averina. The youngest son became a rather late child in the family. Konstantin is a caring father, he tries to help his son at any of his requests. It is worth noting that the legendary boxer protects his son from television cameras. Even years later, journalists were unable to find out which of his real names was Alexander or Vladimir. The boy has not yet chosen his sports path, but he can often be found with his father in the training ring.
Nikita Averin born in 1999. He became the adopted son of Constantine. The guy quickly found a common language with the boxer, because they share common interests. At his mother's wedding, Nikita was the guest of honor. The guy graduated from high school with honors and entered the economics department at the institute. A boy helps his stepfather in the business of organizing children's sports complexes in boxing.
Born in 2002. Her mother was Natalia Tszyu. The athlete hid his daughter from journalists and fans for a long time. Nastya lives with her family in Australia. The girl is very attached to her mother, so she helps her in everything. Nastya often visits her father in Russia, because he often misses his daughters. Kostya’s daughter studies in Australia and has good knowledge of the humanities. She has been involved in gymnastics for many years, showing good results in competitions.
Victoria Tszyu- most youngest child in the family. A girl was born in 2017 from Tatyana Averina, the mother of his two sons. The girl received the name Victoria for a reason. From the first days of her life, it became clear that the daughter had adopted her father’s character. Konstantin tries to devote a lot of time to his daughter. Their favorite activity is walking outside. In appearance, Victoria is similar to her mother, but she received her activity and capriciousness from her father. And this gives the child the opportunity to develop in different sports areas.
Natalia Tszyu, ex-wife, met her future husband in her youth, when he was not yet very popular. They met on vacation in a cafe. The young girl immediately liked the boxer. Within six months, the young couple decided to get married. The marriage took place in 1993. After 12 years it broke up. Although Natalia's mother, Valentina Anikina, tried to try on the family again, her attempts were unsuccessful. The reason for this was misunderstanding and lack of love between the couple.
Tatyana Averina appeared in the boxer’s life immediately after the divorce. Journalists even wrote about the betrayal. Tatyana confirmed that she had known Kostya for more than 3 years, but there was no question of any betrayal, since before the official dissolution of the marriage, Natalia and Konstantin had not lived together for several years. The boxer met Tatyana in a bar. After a short conversation, he realized that she was his future. Currently, the couple is legally married and has 3 children.
Information appeared in the Russian press that the famous former Russian professional boxer Kostya Tszyu suffered a massive heart attack, and his life was saved by heart surgery. Is this true?
How did you avoid a heart attack?
Tszyu ended his professional career back in 2005, having been defeated by the rising Briton Ricky Hatton nicknamed the Hitman. However, he did not part with the ring, keeping in shape with regular training and sparring.
A couple of years ago, according to Tszyu, he decided to take a little break from boxing, and when he returned to the ring, he realized that his body had malfunctioned. “When I did some exercises - for example, pull-ups - after 15-20 times I experienced strange sensations. I didn't understand what it was. And one morning I went to the toilet and fell,” says Kostya.
The first person he contacted after this incident was the famous TV presenter Elena Malysheva. On her recommendation, the boxer underwent examination, which showed increased level cholesterol. Doctors decided to do a coronary angiography and subsequently an operation to strengthen the walls of the artery.
The operation was successful, and Tszyu is now in the process of rehabilitation. In addition, it turned out that last year the athlete was observed at the cardio center of Yekaterinburg and received certain recommendations there.
Commenting on the rumors that arose, Kostya’s wife Tatyana Averina stated: “It was not a heart attack. He simply had a blockage in the vessel and was given a stent (a special design made of plastic or metal that is used to restore the lumen of the vessel. - AiF.ru). We avoided any heart attacks.”
“There is no need to spread misinformation and mislead people, because everything is fine with me,” Tszyu himself confirmed. — I had heart problems almost two years ago.
What is Kostya Tszyu famous for?
Tszyu competed in the junior welterweight division (up to 63.5 kg). During his professional career (1992-2005), he fought 34 fights, in which he scored 31 victories (25 by knockout). Kostya is the absolute world champion according to WBC, WBA and IBF, as well as a three-time champion of the USSR (1989-1991), a two-time European champion (1989, 1991) and a world champion (1991) among amateurs.
In 2011, his name was included in the International Fighting Hall of Fame, which is based in Canastota (New York, USA). After returning to Russia (Kostya also has Australian citizenship, he lived on the Green Continent for a long time), Tszyu took up social activities and also coached famous boxers, among which Denis Lebedev, Khabib Allahverdiev and Alexander Povetkin.
