Long before Tim Tszyu’s name ever reached his ears, Anthony Velazquez was being raised on left hooks.
Or more specifically, “million dollar lefts”.
Which, undeniably, is a Puerto Rican thing.
Tszyu vs Velazquez | Wednesday 17 Dec from 7pm AEDT | Tim Tszyu looks for redemption as “The Phoenix” takes on undefeated American Velazquez in an attempt to reignite his career. | Order Now with Main Event on Kayo Sports.
And why Velasquez, when asked, will recount for you a childhood filled to overflowing with brutal left hands delivered by not only Miguel Cotto, but also the man he calls ‘Tito’ – Felix Trinidad.
Whenever either Puerto Rican great fought on TV, the Velazquez family watched on.
Same as Anthony’s old man Carlos, in between training his boys in the garage, would regale them with tales of his own days working out alongside Cotto at their shared hometown gym in Caguas.
But as for all this spoiling Tszyu’s comeback on December 17?
The bookies say, no.
“But my whole life,” Velazquez will tell you, “I’ve been underestimated”.
Why?
“Dunno,” the undefeated fighter shrugs. “Maybe I look like a nice guy.”
Sounds like the kind of thing that puts a chip on a kids’ shoulder?
“Yeah,” he grins, “and I like it there”.
Currently on an unbeaten tear stretching all 19 professional fights – 15 of which have come via KO – Velazquez now looms as the man looking to end Tszyu’s hyped Sydney resurrection story.
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Aged 29, and with four wins already in 2025 alone, this softly-spoken world title hopeful has lived and trained his entire life out of Springfield, Massachusetts.
But make no mistake, this is a Puerto Rican story.
With Velazquez telling you how the old man, one of 25 children, would compile his own successful amateur career right there in the gym alongside Cotto before, well, life got in the way of him going pro.
So now, the son carries the torch for him.
Although initially, Carlos wanted no such thing for his boys.
Which is why, initially, young Anthony had to work out for himself that Springfield had only two possible boxing gyms for him to attend.
“And one,” he says, “that was owned by the parents of a kid at my school”.
Which is how in Year 6 he got the address.
And even better, then got the old man to drive him there.
“And that was it,” he laughs. “I was sparring by the end of that first week”.
Just as now within this next week, Velazquez will be arriving Down under with his father, younger brother Deriel and trainer Hector Bermudez.
Together, four men looking to end the resurrection of a fighter now rebranded ‘Phoenix’.
Asked what he knows about Australia, and Velazquez laughs: “Ah, I know Nemo got lost there”.
And as for the Tszyus?
“Oh, everyone knows who Kostya is,” the fighter continues. “He’s been a great champion and really respected in the boxing game.
“Same as Tim, he was also a great champion. And I respect the work it took him to get there.”
Anything else?
“Great name for my resume,” he says.
Which as far as quotes go, is about as crazy as our 20-minute Zoom call gets.
Pressure?
“That’s all on Tim.”
The underdog role?
“Everyone who fights me gets surprised.”
18-0 prospect out to end Tim’s comeback | 02:13
And as for you maybe getting Tszyu at the right time? Especially with him having dropped three straight world title fights and, most recently, retiring on his stool against Sebastian Fundora, a man you’ve already talked of challenging yourself.
“I’ll be fighting the best Tim Tszyu possible,” Velazquez says simply. “That’s what I’m expecting.”
Call it the humble approach of a kid who learned to fight in his garage.
With dad holding the pads.
Sure, Carlos Velazquez didn’t want his boys to go pro.
But teach ‘em to throw hands?
“I’ve been throwing punches ever since I was a little kid,” the fighter continues. “It’s always been in our family.
“Growing up, everyone would come over to our house to watch fights.
“And being Puerto Rican, we were always watching Cotto and Tito.
“Then it was my pops who started me training out of the garage when I was a little kid.
“He’s been with me now [in the corner] for all my professional fights too, so there’s a real chemistry there.
“My dad not only supports everything I do, he is everything.
“Without him, I’m not boxing.”
So as for how many yarns you’ve heard about training alongside Cotto?
“Ah, the OG’s are always going to be like that,” he grins. “And you can’t take that away from them.
“My pops is always telling me stories about famous people who were in the gym. And he has been around so many great fighters.
“Puerto Rico is only a small island, but it’s produced a lot of world champions.”
Which Velazquez, of course, now seeks for himself.
With the fighter admitting his decision to accept Tszyu, and immediately, is due to him seeing the popular Australian fighter as his own pathway to gold.
“And us Puerto Rican fighters,” he grins, “we got it all.
“Tito and Cotto, they had the big left hook.
“The million dollar left hook.
“Same as we bring a lot of pride, a lot of grit. We come to fight.”
A truth Velasquez plans to prove against Tszyu.
“And I know for me personally, man, it’s been a long journey,” he says of the back road to this latest opportunity.
“Already in my career, I’ve been in and out of contracts. Endured a bumpy ride.
“But that’s boxing right? Nothing is ever perfect.
“So for me, it’s about staying consistent, keeping the vision in front of me.
“You stay positive, stay in the gym.
“You just keep persisting until that opportunity pops up to change your life.”