Konstantin Borisovich Tszyu is a famous boxer who competes in the middleweight division. The most interesting thing is that he boxed not only for the Russian Federation, but also for the Soviet Union and Australia.
The guy was never the favorite of fate, but he always achieved everything through constant training and a great love for this sport. It is worth clarifying that Tszyu is a titled athlete who trains many successful young boxers of our time, including Sasha Povetkin and Denis Lebedev.
At the same time, Kostya is involved in social and charitable activities; he devotes a lot of time to educating the younger generation of athletes.
It is worth noting that many people would like to know what the boxer’s height, weight, and age are. It is almost impossible to understand how old Kostya Tszyu is, since the guy looks incredibly young.
The most interesting thing is that Kostya Tszyu: photos in his youth and now are similar, the athlete himself associates this with the fact that he eats right and plays sports constantly. The guy was born in 1969, so he is already forty-eight years old.
Tszyu received the zodiac sign - Virgo, therefore he amazes with his thriftiness, caringness, calmness and smiling. At the same time, the Eastern horoscope endowed him with the sign of the charismatic, stylish, beautiful and cheerful Rooster.
Konstantin’s height is one meter and seventy centimeters, and the handsome man weighs no less than sixty-one kilograms.
Biography and personal life of Kostya Tszyu
The biography and personal life of Kostya Tszyu attracts the attention of people, but the guy was not born into a rich family.
Father - Boris Tszyu - worked at a metallurgical plant in the Yekaterinburg town of Serov.
His mother, Valentina Tszyu, had a medical education, but worked as a nurse all her life.
The sister, Olga Tszyu, did not become famous, but she supports her brother morally, since as a child she shared the last candy with him when the family lived in a communal apartment.
The boy was incredibly active, so it was decided to channel his energy into sports. Kostya was talented, so after just six months he could defeat opponents much taller and stronger than himself in boxing competitions.
At the age of twelve, the guy not only did well at school, but also helped coach the junior team Soviet Union, while simultaneously winning a ton of competitions. Since 1989, Kostya became the USSR boxing champion, followed by victories at the European and world levels.
The guy graduated from SIPI and the Ural Federal University, and received a diploma with honors.
In the nineties, he received gold at the Goodwill Games, and then earned awards of the same value at the World and European Championships. After this, Tszyu ended up in Australia and began training under the guidance of Lewis.
Throughout his entire career as an Australian, Soviet and Russian boxer, the guy took part in 282 fights, winning two hundred and seventy times. In 2011, Kostya was inducted into the World Boxing Hall of Fame, and after that he began training the younger generation using a special system.
As part of charity programs, he opened on the territory Russian Federation numerous schools for young boxers. Since 2010, he has been the editor of the first electronic boxing magazine, and also began to often shine on television as a guest star and star in Australian TV series.
It recently became known that the man suffered a heart attack, but reliable data shows that the heart attack was avoided by installing a stent. It is unclear how Kostya Tszyu lives after a heart attack, but the boxer underwent rehabilitation on Lake Issyk-Kul.
The handsome man’s personal life is not as turbulent as it seems, because before his eyes was the story of his family, where mom and dad loved each other. Cheating for Tszyu was something supernatural, and he married his loved ones. It’s safe to say that there were only two real love stories in the guy’s life.
Family and children of Kostya Tszyu
Kostya Tszyu’s family and children always came first for the boxer; he always found a minute to chat with the kids. By the way, Tszyu is a happy father of many children, since he has five children from two marriages and an adopted son, Nikita.
At the same time, Kostya’s family had only two children - the guy himself and his sister Olya, and they grew up as independent people, since their parents worked constantly.
Many people think that Tszyu is a catchy pseudonym, but this is not so, since great-grandfather Innocent was a Korean, and a native one at that. The guy came to Russia from China in his youth, and then met his love there and stayed to live there.
Son of Kostya Tszyu - Timofey Tszyu
Kostya Tszyu’s son, Timofey Tszyu, was born in 1994, and his first wife, Natalya Tszyu, became his mother. The boy was incredibly similar to his famous father; he inherited his athletic talent.
Tima's father began to train him quite early age, his grandfather helped him, so the guy called his childhood a continuous training camp. He graduated from school, received a higher education, but always dreamed of getting out of the shadow of his father.
Timofey is engaged in boxing, occupying one hundred and ninth place in the world ranking of middleweight boxers. He lives with his family in Australia, is not married, but often communicates with his father, calling him his best adviser.
Son of Kostya Tszyu - Nikita Tszyu
Kostya Tszyu’s son, Nikita Tszyu, was born in 1995, his mother was Natalya Tszyu. The boy repeated the fate of his older brother, since the first photos of the baby in boxing gloves appeared in the family album a year and a half ago.
Nikita did well at school and trained with his famous grandfather. The guy did not start boxing professionally, but is still performing at the amateur level.
Nikita is less attached to his father than his older brother, however, he often visits him in Russia. It is worth clarifying that the guy is interested in football, although sometimes he goes out in public and gives master classes with his father.
Son of Kostya Tszyu - Alexander (Vladimir) Tszyu
Kostya Tszyu’s son, Alexander (Vladimir) Tszyu, was born in 2015, his mother was the boxer’s second wife, Tatyana Averina. He became the first-born in this marriage and a rather late child of Constantine.
The boxer showed himself to be a caring father who ran up to his baby’s first call and was not shy about changing diapers and walking with the boy. By the way, the man protected his son for so long that journalists still don’t know exactly what his name is – Sasha or Vova.
The boy is still too young to talk about his preferences, but he can often be seen with his father at sporting events.
Son of Kostya Tszyu - Nikita Averin
Kostya Tszyu’s son, Nikita Averin, is adopted, but the guy often calls the boxer his own father. The fact is that the guy was born in 1999 in the first marriage of his mother Tatyana Averina.
Kostya quickly found a common language with him, showing him the world of sports and finding a sea of common interests. He was the guest of honor at the wedding of his mother and stepfather; it was from Nikita that the boxer asked his mother’s hand in marriage.
It is worth noting that little is known about the guy, except that he graduated from school and is receiving a higher education in economics. His stepfather has already introduced him into his business of organizing children's sports schools, so it became clear that the boy would clearly not be left without support in the future.
Daughter of Kostya Tszyu - Anastasia Tszyu
Kostya Tszyu’s daughter, Anastasia Tszyu, is the boxer’s eldest daughter, whom he also hid from the public for a very long time. The girl was born in 2002, her mother was Natalya Tszyu.
Nastenka currently lives in Australia with her mother and brothers. She is very attached to her mother, so she often helps her with household chores. At the same time, Nastya quite often comes to visit her father in Russia, but no one tried to make a boxer girl out of the young lady.
Anastasia studies at a prestigious Australian university private school, and makes great strides in the humanities. In addition, Tszyu’s daughter has been involved in gymnastics for many years, constantly winning competitions, representing the Australian junior team.
Daughter of Kostya Tszyu - Victoria Tszyu
Kostya Tszyu’s daughter, Victoria Tszyu, is the youngest in the family of the boxer and Tatyana Averina, she was born just two years ago. By the way, the age difference between the half-sisters is almost fourteen years, which does not prevent them from being friends.
The baby got her name Victoria to prove that she is the most big victory in her father's life. Not sports, but personal and the most expensive. Konstantin constantly conducts free time with his daughter, he walks with Vika, feeds her and rejoices at her new achievements.
Victoria looks like her mother, but received her stubborn and slightly capricious character from her father. The girl always wants to be in first place, so Kostya already believes in her great future in any field.
Kostya Tszyu's ex-wife - Natalya Tszyu
ex-wife Kostya Tszyu - Natalya Tszyu - met her husband in her youth, when he was an aspiring boxer. In the nineties, in provincial Serov, young people relaxed in the same cafe.
The young beauty impressed Kostya so much that he decided to immediately take the bull by the horns. He approached and met the girl, but did not allow himself anything extra. Before deciding to kiss the ring thunderstorm, he courted his Natasha for six months.
In 1993, the marriage was concluded, but twenty years later it broke up, the reason was that the spouses stopped loving and understanding each other. Kostya was offended that Natasha, who worked in the tourism industry, rejoiced at his losses and demanded that he leave his sports career.
Kostya Tszyu's wife - Tatyana Averina
Kostya Tszyu’s wife, Tatyana Averina, appeared in his life almost immediately after the dissolution of his first marriage, which gave rise to rumors that the guy was cheating on his wife. Tanya herself confirmed that before they began to live together, they had been dating for many years. However, there can be no question of betrayal, since Kostya and Natasha did not live together for three years before the marriage officially broke up.
The boxer saw Tanya for the first time in a bar, he met her gaze and realized that he had fallen in love forever. The girl waited five years until her beloved left the family. Konstantin was struck by the fact that she did not even insist that the relationship be legalized.
Currently, the couple is happily married, they understand each other perfectly and are raising children.
Instagram and Wikipedia Kostya Tszyu
Kostya Tszyu has Instagram and Wikipedia famous boxer for many years now. It is from these sources that you can learn a wealth of interesting and relevant information, and you can vouch for its reliability.
From an article on Wikipedia you can really learn everything about personal and family life boxer, about his children and spouses. At the same time, from this source we also learn about Konstantin’s sports career, his opponents and fights.
Tszyu also has an official profile on Instagram, which already has 175,000 subscribers. In it you can find many current photos and videos taken from Konstantin’s personal archive, most of them related to personal training or sports.
Tatyana Averina and Kostya Tszyu had a daughter - what was their name?
The famous boxer and trainer Kostya Tszyu has added to the family - he has become a father for the 5th time!
On November 6, 2016, Kostya Tszyu gave birth to an heiress - a daughter, she was given the name Victoria.
The birth of Tatyana Averina, the boxer’s second wife, was successful in a Moscow clinic, where Tatyana and Konstantin’s son, Vladimir, was also born earlier, who will turn 2 years old at the beginning of 2017 (born in 2015).
Alexander and Victoria are late children, since Tszyu is already 47 years old, Tatyana will be 36.
Averina and Tszyu do not post photos of their children online.
Kostya Tszyu and Tanyana Averina photo today
Kostya devotes maximum time to his family, and also does not forget about the children from his previous marriage. In his first marriage, his wife Natalia gave birth to three children to Konstantin.
Kostya Tszyu with his first family - wife and children (archive photo)
Kostya Tszyu - personal life, family, children
For 20 years, Kostya Tszyu was married to Tszyu Natalya Leonidovna, born in 1972.
As already mentioned, in his first marital union, Konstantin gave birth to three children (two sons and a daughter), each of whom subsequently, in one way or another, connected his life with sports (boxing, football and gymnastics).
The children from Kostya Tszyu’s first marriage – Timofey, Nikita and Anastasia – live with their mother in Australia. The eldest 21-year-old son is already actively performing in the ring.
After the divorce, which took place on December 3, 2013, Konstantin told the media that the cooling of relations with his wife happened 12 years ago. Since then, they have not actually lived together, and Kostya had relationships with other women.
Kostya Tszyu with his second wife Tanya Averina photo
On February 28, 2015, Kostya Tszyu married 34-year-old Tatyana Averina, who at the beginning of 2015 gave birth to his son Vladimir, and on November 6, 2016, daughter Victoria.
Kostya Tszyu met his current wife Tatyana Averina in 2006 at another party. Tatyana is 10 years younger than Kostya and she has a child from her first marriage (a 17-year-old son).
Averina graduated from the Capital Financial and Humanitarian Academy (SFHA), and for some time worked for Konstantin in the field of PR relations.
Kostya Tszyu - biography, height, weight, achievements
Activity:
boxer, trainer
Kostya Tszyu - weight and height:
61 kg, 170 cm
Konstantin Borisovich Tszyu - Soviet, Russian and Australian boxer:
- Honored Master sports of the USSR,
– 3x USSR champion,
– 2-fold European champion,
– absolute world champion among professionals,
– world champion among amateurs
Kostya Tszyu:
- the only Russian boxer who is absolute champion peace;
– the only Russian boxer elected to the international boxing hall of fame;
– Konstantin Tszyu and Sergey Kovalev are the only Russian boxers who managed to win 3 titles.
Konstya Tszyu was born on September 19, 1969 in the city of Serov, Sverdlovsk region. in Russia. The future champion’s father worked most of his life as a metallurgist, and his mother worked as a medical worker.
At 10 years old, Kostya is already after 1.5 years of sports. classes began to enter the ring and defeat older guys.
A couple of years later, Konstantin began to be involved in training for the USSR national junior team. Kostya Tszyu’s career was moving up. He became a prize-winner in various regional and international competitions. He lost and won, but the chosen path slowly but surely led Tszyu to his intended goal.
In 1985, Kostya Tszyu already became the champion of the RSFSR among youth in his age category. Immediately after this, Tszyu began to participate from time to time in “adult” competitions.
1989 – Konstantin’s first serious success in the main age group: gold medals at the USSR Championship and a triumphant performance at the European Championship, where he was again able to take the highest step of the podium. Following this is a series of new victories. In 1989, at the Moscow World Boxing Championships, Kostya Tszyu took third place among athletes in the weight category up to 60 kilograms.
In 1990-1991 Kostya Tszyu became the winner of the USSR Championship two times in a row, a prize-winner of a number of international competitions, gold medals at the Games Goodwill in American Seattle. In 1991, Tszyu added 2 gold medals from the European and world championships to his treasury.
A series of outstanding performances at various tournaments attracted the attention of Johnny Lewis, a famous Australian trainer, to the Soviet boxer, who subsequently convinced Konstantin Tszyu to move to Australia to train and continue sports career. Soon, the talented boxer accepted the Australian citizenship offered to him and began to often perform in exhibition fights around the world.
Throughout his professional career, Kostya Tszyu remained one of the strongest athletes on the planet in his weight category. IN different years the Russian-Australian athlete had the opportunity to defeat such famous athletes like Jesse Leija, Juan Laporte, Judah Zab, Cesar Chavez, Ismael Chavez. All these and many more bright victories brought Kostya Tszyu enormous fame and world recognition in the world of boxing. He became a real star in Australia, and then in his homeland.
In total, during his career Kostya Tszyu spent:
282 fights, among which he managed to win 270 victories.
This figure has always seemed quite impressive. Therefore, the boxer’s inclusion in the fighting hall of fame, which took place in June 2011, did not come as a surprise to anyone.
After completing his professional career, Kostya Tszyu began coaching. For his players, he developed a special training system that allowed them to achieve special success in the ring. At the time of writing this article, Konstantin’s wards included such famous boxers as Denis Lebedev, Alexander Povetkin, Khabib Allahverdiev.
In parallel with this, Kostya Tszyu conducts master classes for young athletes, and also opened a number of sports schools in Russia with his own money. Such measures, according to the plan of the eminent boxer, should have been aimed at popularizing the sport in the country.
In 2010, with the same goals, Kostya Tszyu headed the editorial office of the electronic magazine (the first in Russia) about martial arts “Fight Magazine”, showing himself in a fundamentally new role.
In parallel with all this, Tszyu also often appeared on television as a media person. Over the years, the athlete took part in such projects as “Kostya Tszyu. Be the first", "Australia's Next Top Model", "Dancing with the Stars" and others.
In addition, Kostya Tszyu also played several cameo roles in the Australian TV series “Deal or Not”, “Home and Away” and some others.
Currently, the famous and talented Australian-Russian boxer works as a trainer and editor.
At the end of 2013, rumors began to appear in the media that Kostya Tszyu was allegedly preparing to write his own autobiography. However, on at the moment this information has not been officially confirmed.
Polina Gagarina gave birth to her second child - Who did Polina Gagarina give birth to - a boy or a girl? What was the name of Polina Gagarina's child and what gender is he?Kostya Tszyu is a famous Russian-Australian boxer in the first welterweight category, who achieved good results in the ring and today his name is known to many who are interested in sports and wrestling.
A serious and determined boxer, Konstantin, despite his brutal appearance, has been appearing in various media for many years as “Kostya”, so he wants to be closer to his fans, and in general he prefers simplicity in his personal life. In 2011, the athlete was included in the International Boxing Hall of Fame.
Height, weight, age. How old is Kostya Tszyu
During his sports career, Konstantin was able to achieve noticeable heights, took many prizes, and has awards and prizes not only in Russia, but also overseas. He became the champion of the USSR three times, and twice the champion of Europe, so it is not surprising that among boxing fans today there is not a person who does not know this man by sight.
Tszyu’s popularity especially increased during the period of anticipation of the Povetkin-Klitschko fight, since Kostya trained the Russian boxer. At this time, more and more requests began to appear on the Internet about his achievements, and even height, weight, age. It’s not difficult to find out how old Kostya Tszyu is. The 48-year-old boxer today actively trains athletes.
Biography and personal life of Kostya Tszyu
The boxer was born on September 19, 1969 in the Sverdlovsk region. Since childhood, the boy was very active and energetic, like a top, so in order to use the child’s energy somewhere, already at the age of 10, his parents sent him to the boxing section. Kostya liked it there right away. After studying for only six months, Kostya began to enter the ring, where he defeated older guys in sparring. Several years of such fights and the guy was already invited to the union youth team, where he participated in various regional and international competitions. At the same time, Tszyu entered the Engineering Pedagogical Institute, but after a year he realized that he did not want to study there further. Victories and defeats helped him gain experience and move forward, so Kostya realized that real sport would become his profession.
In 1988, Konstantin went to serious competitions for the first time - he participated in Olympic Games in Seoul, where it reaches the quarterfinals in its category. However, the real professional career Tszyu's career as a boxer began in 1991, when he won the championship in Sydney. He also wins two gold medals in Seattle and becomes world champion.
During his career, he competed many times against the most titled athletes in the world, and now he is one himself. He fought more than 250 fights, received worldwide recognition, and won many victories, and today he is an honored coach.
The biography and personal life of Kostya Tszyu throughout his life, thanks to the dedication and hard work of the boxer, developed very successfully. He was married twice, and still lives with his second wife today.
Family and children of Kostya Tszyu
This guy achieved stunning success in sports himself. He was not helped by eminent parents or big finances. Kostya's parents were ordinary Soviet citizens. His father, Boris Timofeevich, was a worker in the metallurgical industry and worked at a factory, and his mother, Valentina Vladimirovna, worked as a nurse in a clinic. The Korean surname Tszyu and pronounced Asian facial features were inherited by the man from his grandfather.
Despite the fact that the boxer devoted his entire life to sports, he was also fulfilled as a father. The athlete has a large family, and Kostya Tszyu’s children from his first marriage, despite their parents’ divorce, often see their father.
Sons of Kostya Tszyu - Tim, Nikita and Vladimir
Boxer children have quite a big age difference. The eldest son Tim and the middle one Nikita are the same age; they were born in 1994 and 1995 in the athlete’s first marriage to Natalya Anikina. The guys are very similar to their father and are already involved in boxing. Perhaps someday we will hear their names among the champions. Tim Tszyu recently made his debut on professional ring, and has already earned the attention and respect of fans. Kostya Tszyu and his son Nikita often appear together in public.
In 2015, there were posts in the media that Kostya became a father for the fourth time, his new wife gave birth to his first child. Kostya’s youngest son, Vladimir, was born in February, today he is 2.5 years old.
The athlete hopes that Kostya Tszyu’s sons, Tim, Nikita and Vladimir, will become worthy successors to their lineage of boxers.
Kostya Tszyu’s daughters – Anastasia and Victoria
The boxer has five children. The eldest daughter Nastya was born in the athlete’s first marriage with Natalya Anikina in 2002. After the divorce, she stayed with her mother, and today she is a real helper for Natalya. Nastya is 15 years old, she studies at a private school and plays sports.
Konstantin’s second daughter, Victoria, was born in the boxer’s real marriage with Tatyana Averina, in November 2016. Today the girl is one year old, and the parents are raising the child together. Famous boxer feels guilty that he did not take much part in raising his children from his first marriage, so he helps his wife in every possible way and enjoys walking with the baby. Kostya Tszyu’s daughters, Anastasia and Victoria, have a 14-year age difference, but their father still hopes that they will be friends in the future.
Kostya Tszyu's ex-wife - Natalya Anikina
Konstantin and Natalya met when the athlete was 24 years old. The girl was 3 years younger and the boxer immediately liked her. After Kostya’s beautiful courtship, after a while Natalya realized that she wanted to connect her future life with him and the couple signed. Three children were born in this marriage, but only the first years were happy. Konstantin devoted all his time to sports, competitions and travel, while the woman raised children and ran the household alone.
So the couple began to grow apart, the relationship deteriorated, and at the end of 2013 it became known that they divorced after many years living together. Kostya Tszyu’s ex-wife, Natalya Anikina, lives in Australia today, and blames the boxer for what he found new woman, and did not try to save the marriage, but perhaps this was for the best, because they had not had a family in the usual sense of the word for a long time.
Kostya Tszyu's wife - Tatyana Averina
Tatyana and Kostya met when the athlete was still in the barge with his first wife. The couple's relationship was not going well, and when Tszyu was walking in a restaurant in the company of mutual friends, he noticed a pretty woman who he really liked. That's how they met. Tatyana dated the boxer for 5 years until he left the family, and today they live together and raise two children.
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World amateur champion (1991)
2-time European champion (1983, 1991)
Absolute world champion among professionals
Honored Master of Sports of the USSR
Russian boxer, currently lives and trains in Australia, is married and has 2 sons. In the amateur ring he had 259 fights and won 248 victories. Konstantin Tszyu was born on September 19, 1969 in the city of Serov in the Sverdlovsk region, where, by the will of fate, his parents ended up. Translated from Korean, the surname Kostya, which is not quite common for a Russian, is translated as Krasnov. True, in his family only his great-grandfather Innocent, who came to Russia from China, was a purebred Korean. His grandfather no longer knew a single word of Korean and was a student at the Higher Artillery School in Sevastopol.
Kostya started boxing early and always showed some promise. They were destined to come true: for several years Konstantin was a member of the USSR national team and in 1991 in Brisbane he became the world amateur champion. He received a very tempting offer to turn professional, and he readily agreed. Already quite experienced in boxing, he had no doubt that he would be able to prove himself in the professional ring. Although at that time, membership in the USSR national team meant excellent gyms, scientific teams, excellent coaches, and good food.
And when Kostya first entered the boxing gym at the Newtown Club, the comparison was far from being in his favor. Although, of course, there were some advantages. And above all, this concerned equipment. It’s hard to imagine, but nevertheless it is so, and Kostya spent all his fights in amateur boxing with the same binats, which had a very negative impact on the boxer’s health. And although God had mercy on him, he saw many times how the joints of his fellow craftsmen “flyed” every now and then. In Australia, everything was different, and the bandages and pads were excellent, and hand training was carried out according to special programs taken from kung fu. And yet that was not the main thing. The whole problem, according to Kostya, was that in the USSR, with its equalization in everything, the team method dominated in the training of any boxer and boxers of completely different directions and styles trained in the same way. True, even then Kostya himself did only what he considered useful for himself, thanks to which he managed to become the only one in Soviet team world champion in 1991.
Of course, life abroad left its mark, and in the absence of driving coaches, there was a real danger of underperforming. But Kostya was not in danger of such a thing, and he continued to work as he always worked, and in the morning he ran the already rather boring cross-country courses. Only now he ran not in the snow, but in the rain. Moreover, he forced his wife Natasha to run with him, who almost lost consciousness after the first run. But Kostya took her out the next morning, and now she runs ten kilometers with him and does push-ups.
He was very homesick for Russia and at first he often visited the Russian club. But as soon as his parents and sister and family came to him, it became much easier. And, of course, his four children, in whom he dotes, give Kostya great joy. But he never made any new friends and prefers to communicate with his massage therapist and second manager. His relationship with the first one did not work out. After all, it was this same Bill Mourdy, who took Kostya to Australia, who completely shamelessly took advantage of Kostya’s gullibility and ignorance of the language and slipped him papers that, as it soon became clear, reflected primarily his own interests. Of course, Kostya, who was beginning to understand the laws that reigned in the boxing business and speak English, was indignant. But although the conditions he signed actually turned out to be extortionate, getting out of this situation turned out to be not so easy: no matter what Kostya himself said, his signature was on the agreement!
Kostya had only one chance to throw off this yoke: to become the world champion and dictate his own terms. He fought his first fight in the professional ring on March 1, 1992 against Darell Hiles. And there is a downright anecdotal story connected with this battle. Before the start of the first round, the coach asked Kostya not to give his all right away. But Kostya, who did not understand English well, understood everything the other way around and knocked out his opponent a minute later. This was followed by a very intense ten-round fight with former world champion Livingston Bramel. Kostya had to work hard, and he won only on points. Of course, he really wanted to get the gold belt of the world champion in his weight, at least according to one of the world versions, and on January twenty-eighth, 1995, such an opportunity presented itself to him. That day he entered the ring against IBF junior welterweight world champion Jake Rodriguez. This was a serious test for Kostya; more than once or twice he was literally hanging by a thread after the champion’s fierce attacks, and yet he managed not only to survive, but also to win in a very intense fourteen-round battle.
This wonderful victory immediately turned Kostya’s head, and the first thing he did was send Mourdi, who was fed up with him, to hell and look for fools there. But... Australia is not Russia, and the laws apply there! Mourdi sued, and he took his side. He, of course, broke up with Bill, but the matter is far from over, Mourdy is not going to back down, and Kostya could be charged with a penalty of four million dollars, and no one can say now how this whole epic will end. Frankly speaking, Kostya with all his heart hates the business side and much less the dirty side professional boxing, where the people running it are ready to do anything to earn their millions. And therefore, he looks into it only when necessary.
After defeating Rodriguez, Kostya for the first time in his life truly understood what it meant to be a world champion. He continued to win, his fame grew, and his fees grew along with it. By this time, Kostya’s affairs had begun to be managed by the former Odessa resident Vorobeinikov, or, as he was now called, Vlad Wharton, who had lived in Australia for many years. For two whole years Kostya enjoyed the laurels of a champion until he lost his title in May 1997 to American Vance Phillips, having received a knockout from a former drug addict in the tenth round. But we must give him his due: he did not look for those to blame on the side and saw the reasons for the defeat only in himself. He had problems with weight because he made mistakes with his diet and took contraindicated drugs for weight loss. Moreover, he treated the matter extremely unprofessionally and was punished for this in the most cruel way that can only be punished professional boxer such a level!
And it wasn’t just the knockout, the loss to a very average boxer pretty much spoiled his image, and a black streak immediately set in for him. The public’s love immediately disappeared somewhere, lucrative offers stopped coming in, and along with them, the bank account stopped growing. But Kostya was not going to give up, he quickly got into shape and repeatedly invited Phillips to meet with him again, but each time his team put forward unacceptable financial conditions and shied away from revenge. Well, for now, the point is that in November 1998, Kostya met in the junior middleweight with the Cuban Diobelis Hurtado and won the title of the so-called interim champion according to the WBC. True, there was a whole detective story here. Considered the number two contender for the vacant world title, Kostya was supposed to fight the welterweight favorite, Mexican Gonzalez, because after Oscar De La Hoya moved to the next weight category, the WBC did not have its own champion in this weight. However, Gonzalez said he was ill, and Costa found this same Cuban.
The forces turned out to be unequal; Kostya knocked out his opponent in the first round and became the interim champion. Well, he could become a full-fledged champion only after his victory over the recovered champion. And Kostya’s whole problem was that, unfortunately, he himself was his own promoter, not a single major television company stood behind him, and not a single shark of the promotion business lifted a finger to promote him to the top. While the same Gonzalez had powerful patronage in the person of WBC President Jose Suleiman, who knew full well that his compatriot had no chance of winning the fight with Kostya. Of course, the lack of an experienced promoter along with the positive side(nobody robs you on the most legal grounds) had its downsides. After all, a reputable promoter means very strong support at all levels and protection from interference from unwanted elements.
And yet, such a situation could not last forever; in August 1999, Kostya met with Gonzalez and... with great pleasure, he took out on him the indignation that had accumulated in him over these two years of failures. He beat the Mexican pretty well, but couldn’t knock him out. The victory brought him the WBC championship belt, but it has not yet returned his former glory, since too many still remembered the knockout from Phillips. And although he didn’t really want to meet with the already thoroughly faded star, Kostya was nevertheless hopeful that the victory over the professional boxing legend Chavez would play a role in his rehabilitation. In his opinion, Chavez should have hung up his gloves long ago, since he achieved everything in the ring, and his time was irrevocably gone. True, thirty-eight-year-old Chavez himself was very seriously preparing for the fight with Kostya and promised to “deal with” him somewhere in the 7-8 round. And certainly by knockout. The fourteen thousand-strong audience greeted their favorite with an ovation and reacted very dissatisfied to Kostya’s appearance. But then the gong sounded and the battle began. The first two rounds were a completely equal fight, and looking at Chavez, who was holding his own well, one could believe that he was actually experiencing a second youth. But already in the third round, the age difference began to take its toll, and Kostya’s advantage became more and more noticeable. The turning point was the fifth round, in which Tszyu got down to business seriously and began chasing Chavez, who was breathing heavily, around the ring. In the sixth, one of his brutal punches landed and Chavez found himself on the floor. He stood up and smiled forcefully, showing the referee that everything was fine. The referee continued the fight, but after twenty seconds he stopped it. Kostya’s attacks were too powerful, and if he had not intervened in the fight, the matter would certainly have ended in a knockout. And the legend had to be saved from shame!
And yet it was not only a matter of age, something, but technical skill and Chavez would have had enough experience for three more, it’s just that Konstantin carefully studied his manner of action and structured his fight accordingly. Although several strong blows he still missed it. Of course, Kostya perfectly understood the conditionality of his victory and nevertheless said: “When I was an amateur, my opponent had already become a world champion, and it is a great honor for me to meet in the ring with a professional boxing legend who has spent more than a hundred fights in the ring... »
This victory did not bring any special dividends to Kostya: too many considered his opponent to be too old. But it was difficult to achieve former respect by beating the elderly. And Kostya again had to work hard in a very serious fight for the IBF world title with the American Sharmba Mitchell, and then defend the title he had already won in a difficult fight with the Turkish Oktay Urkal. Only after this the cart moved from a dead point, and they began to look at Kostya again the way they looked at him several years ago. However, it couldn’t be otherwise! Kostya did what no one had ever managed before: he won everything possible and became the main contender for the title of absolute champion in all three versions.
The first Russian boxer, on October 4, 2001, Konstantin Tszyu became the absolute world champion among professional boxers in the weight of 63.5 kg, becoming the owner of three belts of the most prestigious organizations - the World Boxing Council /WBC/, the World Boxing Association /WBA/ and the International Boxing Federation /IBF/. Quite unexpectedly, Tszyu ended the fight with American Zab Judah in the second round by knockout.
This fight decided a lot, if not everything, for him, and if successful, he would become the third absolute world champion after the Americans Roy Jones Jr. in the light heavyweight and Bernard Hopkins in the middleweight. Was he worried? Yes, of course I was worried! The hall of the famous MGM Grand center, filled to capacity, was eager to see the victory of its favorite and met Kostya with hostility. And when Zab Judah appeared in the aisle, accompanied by Mike Tyson himself, the hall split with applause.
As soon as the gong rang, Judah immediately tried to use his main trump card - speed - and went forward. He managed to drive Kostya into a corner and rewarded him with several rather painful blows. It seemed a little more, and the American, who felt very confident, would keep his word and put Kostya to death. But... that was not the case! Having withstood the first onslaught, he managed to escape from the rain that fell on him as if from a cornucopia of powerful blows and enter the saving clinch. The second round did not change the picture of the battle. Judah ran around the ring and attacked, and Kostya cut corners and counterattacked from time to time. As sad as it is for him, he lost the second round almost completely. And the more unexpected was the outcome. Feeling like a complete master of the ring, Judah threw all caution aside and decided to finish off Kostya. In one of the attacks, he unforgivably opened up and... ended up on the floor. Kostya did not forgive such mistakes, and his right uppercut found his opponent’s jaw in a matter of seconds. Judah managed to get up and, after taking a few wrong steps, fell again. Judge Jay Neidi did not open the scores and declared Kostya's victory by technical knockout a second before the end of the round. Of course, the spectators, deprived of the feast prepared for them, were unhappy, and Judah, who had come to his senses, rushed at the referee with his fists. And when he couldn’t reach Neidi, he threw a chair at the judge. “Idot,” he shouted, “why did you stop the fight? I could still fight!” But it was all in vain, and the audience had no choice but to congratulate the absolute world champion Konstantin Tszyu. “Becoming an absolute world champion,” he said even before the fight, “is destined for me!” And having become one, he declared: “This is my destiny! But I made it myself with my hard training. Now I have become part of history!” And no matter how his future career turned out, he actually became this very part and the first Russian absolute world champion in the professional ring. Why Russian? Yes, only because Kostya to this day considers himself Russian and expresses himself completely unambiguously on this matter: “Nationality is the language in which you think. And I think in Russian..."
