He’s known as The Butcher, but Nikita Tszyu has revealed an even more “bloodthirsty” side of his persona as he prepares for his Australian super-welterweight title fight with Dylan Biggs in Newcastle on November 22.
Tszyu’s dark turn is spotlighted in an exclusive new promo video produced by No Limit and shown in the player above for the first time.
The clip sees Tszyu sitting alone in a darkened prison cell, watching highlights of his knockouts while devouring a thick piece of raw steak with his husky, Lucifer.
After taking a bite, a hooded Tszyu then throws his bloodied knife at a photograph of Biggs tacked to the wall.
A keen photographer and filmmaker himself, Tszyu was heavily involved in the creative process.
For a guy who says he gets “sexual pleasure” out of beating up opponents, and who once ate the still beating heart of a king cobra for its nutritional value, the clip further showcases the dark side of his intense personality.
BOXING: Nikita Tszyu v Dylan Biggs WED 22nd NOV 7PM AEDT | Order Now with Main Event on Kayo Sports
“This is the line he’s written with his actions – he’s bloodthirsty,” No Limit CEO George Rose tells this masthead. “He’s got that Australian title dangling like bait on the end of a piece of string in front of him and he’s ready to take the bait.
“He’s bloodthirsty and he wants it all.”
Tszyu’s offbeat personality and all-action fighting style has made him a hit with the sporting public ahead of his second pay-per-view headline fight in just his eighth pro bout.
“He walked out to the Undertaker’s music in his professional debut – he’s unique and he’s not afraid to show it,” Rose says.
“He’s so marketable, but he can also fight like hell. As much as it’s about the beauty and skill set of boxing, the character of the fighter is what decides how far they make it in the sport.
“You could be the most talented fighter, but guys aren’t going to fight you if there’s not something to get people interested and put bums in seats.
“And Nikita’s a guy who gets people interested, whether it’s for good or bad reasons.”
Tszyu’s intensely single-minded approach to boxing stems from the seven years he spent away from the sport as he studied to become an architect.
Over that time, he watched older brother Tim rise to boxing stardom and eventually got the itch to return to the ring.
But, despite sharing the same profession, the Tszyu brothers could hardly be more different outside of boxing.
Tim likes cars, shoes and clothes.
But Nikita?
“I do things in a very weird way. I enjoy taking the long route, where Tim takes the more efficient, more logical route,” Nikita explains. “For example, normal people, if they need a new bed, they go and buy a bed.
“I decided to make a bed.
“I went to Bunnings, bought some timber planks, bought the tools and I designed it all myself.
“That’s just how my brain works, that’s just me. I’d rather create something, rather than go and buy it.”
Unlike Tim, who is calm and calculated in everything he does, Nikita is more spontaneous and has been known to throw hands outside the ring as well as inside it.
That led to at least four suspensions from high school, but has come in handy too.
“There was this time after my 13th birthday, and we had a little altercation with some older guys down the road,” Nikita says. “There were heaps of them, and Tim was about to get into a fight.
“Out of nowhere, I just come in, a little 13 year old ready to punch on. I just smacked this guy.
“Everyone else was backing off, but if I see big brother in a fight, we’re throwing, I don’t care.”
It was a perfect punch, Tim remembers.
“It was a straight left hand,” he says. “This guy just got hit, and I think that’s when he understood what he was up against and he backed off.”
That side of Nikita, as well as his taste for raw steak and snake hearts, comes straight from his old man.
“That’s the unhinged side of me. It’s closer to my dad,” he says. “It’s the unpredictable side and the cheekiness. We both push boundaries.
“Tim’s got the look, I’ve got the personality.”