Tim Tszyu doing 'primitive Russian training' in Thailand with 'killers' like Petr Yan

With just 100 days to go until the biggest fight of his career, Tim Tszyu is ready.

Beyond ready, in fact.

Coming from a family of boxing royalty, it was only a matter of time until Tim - son of the legendary Kostya - fought for a title.

And to do so exactly 28 years to the day that his father won his first world title, well, surely that's just coincidence, right?

"It’s a sign," Tszyu told SPORTbible Australia.

"Written in the stars, you know? Some things happen for a reason and this can’t just be some coincidence.

"Spine-tingling [feeling], I guess. To finally know that the bout was ordered by the WBO, when I got the date, it finally sunk in."

Fully recovered after undergoing a double hand surgery following his last fight, this has been the longest layoff of Tszyu's career.

But in the upcoming clash with trash-talking, tattoo-sporting Jermell Charlo, Tszyu admits his time away from the ring was actually beneficial.

"I haven’t been impacted at all. None whatsoever," he said.

"I feel good, it’s been a good little break, everything is in place 100 days out from the biggest fight of my career."

Speaking on Charlo himself, Tszyu said: "Everyone is different, I guess. He is who he is. All I can say is that he’s a good boxer, he’s the undisputed champ for a reason. How he is outside of the ring is a different story, me and him are just different. We can’t judge, we can’t relate. It is what it is."

Set to jet off to America before the end of the year, Tszyu has been going back and forth from Thailand, undertaking some more 'primitive Russian training' techniques with his coach Igor.

Oh, and he even bumped into a familiar face during his travels.

"I don’t think it’s the type of training necessarily, but rather the environment that you’re in," he said.

"Being surrounded by killers and getting in that mindset. Being among fellow fighters is what stands out most about the training itself. No flash, no bright lights, it’s just straight jungle grind. It brings you back to the roots.

"Being in the city sometimes gets the best of you. Getting away from the chaos is a crazy feeling."

He added: "Petr Yan was training at the gym."

"He’s a real focused bloke, doesn’t really talk much – he seemed cool though.

"I believe he was in the middle of his camp for this upcoming fight when I was there in Thailand. He was just solely focused on that. Train, eat, sleep. Train, eat, sleep. Same stuff that I do."

The world title fight between Tszyu and Charlo is undoubtedly one of the biggest bouts in Australian boxing history.

Only a few have gone over to U.S. shores and returned with a shiny belt wrapped round their waste.

But Tszyu certainly plans on returning.

Asked to name the one fighter he’d love to take on when (not ‘if’) he beats Charlo, the Aussie only had one name on his mind.

“Triple G,” he answered coldly.

Featured Image Credit: Instagram/timtszyu/johnboyboxing

Topics: Australia, Boxing, MMA, Tim Tszyu, Russia

Max Sherry

Max Sherry is a journalist for SPORTbible Australia. After migrating Down Under from London as a teenager, he instantly fell in love with Aussie sport and its culture. From NRL to AFL, cricket to rugby — you name it, Max watches it (with a beer in hand, of course). During his time at Fox Sports, he worked in the football department covering the Premier League, A-League, Socceroos and Matildas. Born a stone's throw away from West Ham's training ground, Max is obviously a die-hard Liverpool fan.

@maxysherry