Home Boxing ‘Finding his weaknesses’: Secret weapon primed to help unknown Aussie derail Nikita’s glory march

‘Finding his weaknesses’: Secret weapon primed to help unknown Aussie derail Nikita’s glory march

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‘Finding his weaknesses’: Secret weapon primed to help unknown Aussie derail Nikita’s glory march

Rodney Crisler, it could be argued, is quietly becoming the man you call to end a great Australian boxing yarn.

Or at the very least, derail it.

Take, say, this time a year ago.

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Back when Crisler, a Las Vegas native – and longtime trainer for American superstar Devin Haney – jetted anonymously into Australia to help bring down our lightweight champ, and national hero, George Kambosos.

A huge result that, within four months, Haney then doubled down on — retaining those four gold straps ‘The Dream’ now defends for a second time against Vasyl Lomachenko this Sunday.

And again, with Crisler in his corner.

But immediately after that?

Well, speaking with Fox Sports Australia from the world’s fight capital this week, the popular American trainer confirmed that, within hours of that blockbuster finishing, he will again be flying Down Under with another Aussie star in his crosshairs — Nikita Tszyu.

But end an Aussie fight story?

No, Crisler insists he’s creating one.

Specifically, Benjamin Bommber.

Rodney Crisler (right) training with undisputed lightweight champion Devin Haney. Picture: @rodneycrisler on Instagram
Rodney Crisler (right) training with undisputed lightweight champion Devin Haney. Picture: @rodneycrisler on InstagramSource: Instagram

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That undefeated Melbourne youngster who, still only 21, and largely unknown outside Aussie boxing, is looking to become the first man to beat Tszyu on a big No Limit show next Wednesday night.

Set to take place inside Melbourne’s Margaret Court Arena – and with no less than heavyweight champ Tyson Fury tipped to be ringside – the event is co-headlined by both Tszyu and New Zealand heavyweight Joseph Parker.

While Parker faces Queensland’s Faiga Opelu as part of his push back towards world title contention, Tszyu will throw down against the fellow super welterweight who is also undefeated in five fights.

A boxer, too, who not only quit school aged 14 to fight, or spent three years living in a gym with his brother and dad, but now readies to upset a great Australian sports story with Crisler in his corner.

“And with what Benny’s shown me already,” the trainer says, “I really believe he can go all way.”

Which is no small thing considering Crisler has worked with not only Haney, but also the likes of Terence Crawford, Shawn Porter, Yuri Gamboa, Andre Dirrell, even former WBC heavyweight champ Samuel Peter.

“And I think Benjamin’s going to become a great fighter, too,” he added. “A champion”.

But to start that fight story, the American coach must stop another.

Specifically, Tszyu.

Nikita Tszyu and Benjamin Bommber will face off in Melbourne next Wednesday night. Picture: Jake NowakowskiSource: News Corp Australia

That youngest son of Australian boxing royalty – and brother to another fella fighting OK right now – who is also being tipped for big things.

“But when I came to Australia that first time with Devin Haney,” Crisler recounts, “I worked on finding the weaknesses of Kambosos.

“And now again, that’s what I’m doing with Nikita Tszyu.

“I’m finding his weaknesses.”

Just as he is also making huge strides with Bommber.

A young fighter who, only a few years ago himself, sold everything he and the old man owned – dirt bikes, dump trucks, all of it — to fund his boxing dream.

Same as in the past year, the undefeated Melburnian has again gone all in and partnered up with Crisler following a chance meeting after Haney’s first win Down Under.

“I met Rodney backstage after the first Kambosos fight,” explains Bommber’s agent, Marin Jerak.

“There were actually a few people there pitching Aussie fighters and he was saying ‘ah, I see this every day’.

“So I waited my turn, then finally said, ‘hey Rodney, could you please have a look at this’ … and showed him some video of Benny’s knockouts.

“And immediately he said ‘how good is this kid?’

“He then asked me ‘is he able to fly?’. (Laughs) I said Ben never left home without having his passport on him.

“So, boom, just like that we were on a plane to Las Vegas.”

On their way to more, too.

“First spar Benny had over there was against Amari Jones,” Jerak continues, referencing the Californian super welterweight who has gone undefeated through his first eight fights as a professional.

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“They put him up against the European champion first — tried to break him — but Benny went at both of them.

“Then a few days later we went to Mayweather’s gym, another hostile environment, and without giving up any names of who he sparred, Ben was great again.

“That’s when Rodney pulled me aside and said, ‘this kid will be my eighth world champion’.”

Asked this week about having Crisler in his corner, Bommber told Fox Sports Australia “there’s just so much that I’m learning”.

While the fighter still works locally with Melbourne trainer Denis Curavic, he speaks constantly with Crisler and recently spent three weeks in Las Vegas as part of the Tszyu preparation.

One of Crisler’s close friends from the Floyd Mayweather gym, strength and conditioning coach Curtis Henderson, has also been bunkered down in Melbourne for the past two weeks, helping Bommber with his final preparations.

“All of which has been great,” the fighter explains.

“In Las Vegas, we were doing three sessions a day for three weeks

“And even now I’m back home, Curtis is here, plus Rodney and I have been speaking on the phone, he’s been looking over my stuff on Facetime … he’s been with me the whole time.

“So all the hard work has been done.

“The game plan is done.

“And it will be great when he gets here on fight night.”

Just to make next Wednesday’s event however, Crisler will have to leave Las Vegas within hours of Haney defending his unified lightweight crown.

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Ironically, the trainer also revealed that among the dozens of stars he’s coached, one of them was a man well known to the Tszyu clan.

“Although Zab Judah and I, we worked together after he fought Kostya,” Crisler says of his partnership with the American who held multiple titles across two divisions between being famously kayoed by Tszyu.

“(Years ago) I came up with a system for guys punching hard to the body.

“I’ll come into the ring wearing punching vest, and with a medicine ball, then I walk you down and make you work

“And Zab Judah, I worked the medicine ball with him.

“It teaches you how to box going backwards.

“And when you learn to box going backwards, it’s a whole different way of fighting.”

Asked about breaking down the youngest Tszyu sibling, Coach Crisler continued: “We know he’s strong.

“But with guys like Devin Haney and Floyd Mayweather, when fighting strong punchers they will always say ‘but he’s still got to hit me’.

“So we’re trying to take everything away from him, his hard body shots and all that.

“And we’re going to exploit that.

“It was similar with Devin when we fought Kambosos — we knew we could beat him with the jab, with speed, coming in and getting out.

“It’s what we call jumping in the pool without getting wet.

“And it’s some of the stuff I’m going to bring to Benjamin.

“I really believe, if he puts his mind to it, he’ll be able to beat anyone.”

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