Tim Tszyu has finally had the chance to sit back and watch the biggest win of his career — and while the result left little to complain about, the Aussie star insists there is still plenty he wants to improve.
Only days after overpowering former unified welterweight king Errol Spence Jnr across 12 rounds in Sydney, Tszyu has reviewed the fight for the first time, revealing there were several moments where he believes he could have taken greater control.
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While the judges had him well in front, Tszyu says there’s still plenty he’d like to tidy up.
“I think I could have put the pedal to the floor more,” he told The Porterway Podcast.
“I had times where I should have done extra. I think I let it go a little bit.
“Rewatching it, I think I could have kept on going, picking up the pace and using my left hand more.
“I think I neglected the jab. Sometimes I felt like I was rushing the straight right.”
Reviewing the fight also gave Tszyu a chance to reflect on what it was like sharing the ring with a boxing talent like Spence.
“I made it into my own fight,” said Tszyu.
“When I pushed him back he was sort of shook.
“He is used to being the dominant force that he is. That dictates the pace.
“I didn’t allow him to start.
“I definitely saw the caliber he was at. He was a bit predictable in my eyes.”
After the fight, Tszyu made it clear that he intends to remain at 160 pounds rather than returning down to super welterweight, where he was a champion.
His immediate target is another belt.
Tszyu called out WBA middleweight champion Erislandy Lara in the ring on Sunday, with No Limit boss George Rose also confirming the promotion would pursue a showdown with the crafty Cuban southpaw.
“I’d love to fight for a title. Who’s there? Lara? That’s where I’m aiming for. I want to win a world title,” said Tszyu.
“But I’ve got to say beating a great like Errol Spence tops a world title.”
While Lara sits on top of his wishlist, Tszyu admits there are several other big names that excite him as he plots the next stage of his career.
Asked whether he’d given any more thought to future opponents, Tszyu said he hadn’t spoken to anyone from his team about it.
“I’d love to fight [Jermell] Charlo,” he said.
“I think that’s a great fight to make and stylistically it would be a fun fight. People would like to watch.
“Even a clash with a Vergil Ortiz style would interest me, but I want to stay at middleweight.”
As Tszyu maps out the next chapter of his own career, he admits his perspective on the man whose footsteps he has spent almost a decade following has also changed.
For years, Tszyu was driven by the idea of one day matching, and perhaps even eclipsing, his famous dad Kostya’s achievements.
These days, things have changed.
“I thought I wanted to compete with my dad – that used to be the inspiration,” he said.
“But now it’s not.
“If I could be half as good as him, be mentioned anywhere near him I’d be forever grateful and forever happy.
“But I’m in it for myself and I want to see how far I can go.”
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While Kostya’s influence will always loom large, another Hall of Famer has played a huge role over the last few months.
Jeff Fenech was brought into camp just 10 weeks before the Spence fight following Tszyu’s split with trainer Pedro Diaz, and the partnership has already delivered the biggest win of his career.
It’s still early days, but Tszyu says the connection has been immediate.
“I felt comfortable with him,” said Tszyu.
“The connection we have in the corner is very mutual – we can understand each other.
“And even outside and in training camp everything was really smooth.
“The biggest difference from my last camp and my previous camps is my mindset… there hasn’t been too much distraction.”