BRISBANE, Australia – Nikita Tszyu’s manager Glenn Jennings has described the “switch” that exists in his leading fighter on the eve of his biggest fight.
Tszyu on Friday at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre fights Michael Zerafa at a catchweight of 157lbs in a contest with the potential to make or break his promising career.
Their all-Australian grudge match also represents his first fight since his older brother Tim dismissed Jennings as his manager and their uncle Igor Goloubev as his trainer in an attempt to rebuild his.
Much of Jennings’ reputation was built on his success with their father Kostya – widely recognised as Australia’s finest ever fighter – and if it has been threatened by the separation from Tim Tszyu after a damaging run of three defeats in four fights, then with Nikita he has been presented with the opportunity to rebuild it once again.
The 27-year-old Nikita Tszyu, unlike his groomed-for-greatness older brother, remains an enigmatic figure and raw-and-aggressive fighter who, though entertaining, has ultimately proved very little in his 11 fights.
Zerafa, 33, enters his 40th contest having previously succeeded in high-profile domestic match-ups and challenged for a version of the world middleweight title, and while suggestions persist that he is a fighter in decline, in the context of Tszyu’s career there is little question that he represents a significant risk.
That unlike his high-profile brother – the most dedicated of professional athletes; one known to participate in marathons between fights – Nikita Tszyu remains a largely mysterious figure has contributed to the uncertainty surrounding Friday’s fight and his career prospects. Jennings, however, considers his detachment from his profession to be a strength, and is confident that he can reach a similar level.
“The opportunity and the timing is right, and it’s time for Nikita to step up,” he told BoxingScene. “This is a big challenge for him, and we’re very happy to be here.
“[The brothers are] chalk and cheese, personality-wise. Nikita’s very much a free spirit; doesn’t really have a lot of expectation about life in general, but really does thrive on a challenge in life. He’s not the sort of guy that’ll sit back and just want to fight A, B, C or D – he wants the best. These are the sort of fights Nikita Tszyu gets out of bed for – these are what he loves. But when it’s all over he’ll go straight back to the bush. He’s a bit of a bushman; loves being out in nature and the environment. He’s probably the furthest thing from a celebrity boxer, and that’s the big difference.
“He’s got a switch – definitely got a switch. He’s a super-focused, very, very professional athlete, but I wouldn’t say he lives and breathes it. He’s very much a family man with his new little baby [six-month old Curiosity] and wife [also Nikita], and a great little setup – they’re loving life, and boxing’s a part of it. It’s not everything. For Nikita, when he makes a commitment, we sit down and we say we’re gonna do this, then he hits that switch, and then he goes through that process fairly low key, but when he gets in that ring, expect ‘The Butcher’. There’s more to life for Nikita Tszyu, and there’s more in life for Nikita Tszyu than the boxing.
“It is a risky fight. You’re going in against a guy who’s had 39 fights; who’s been in with some great competition; a lot of experience. But that’s what Nikita’s about. He doesn’t wanna fight a lesser fighter that doesn’t give him that itch to get out of bed and take it on.
“That’s who he is. He works himself into that. At the start of a camp he’s got to get everything right. It’s been a good camp. There’s been a few little hiccups, as there always are. Nikita’s motivation comes from a top-end fight, rather than ‘Who am I fighting this week? Where do I turn up?’. There’s a fire in Nikita that’s different to a lot of people, and it becomes very, very intense in the next couple of days, and then it flares up in the ring, and that’s the best way to explain him.”
Jennings was then asked whether, following his separation from Tim Tszyu and the perception that meant that he was being partly held responsible for the defeats he suffered, he felt he had a point to prove, and he responded: “Not at all, mate. Even though the old team’s been moved on, what we achieved over eight-and-a-half years has been pretty amazing, so we walk away with our head high and we move on with Nikita and we’re loving it.
“We’re enjoying it, and that’s what it’s all about. We’re only a small team, and we’re enjoying the process now with Nikita ‘cause he’s at a level now where we’re thinking hard with him to bring him along, so there’s no point to prove for any of us.
“They are chalk and cheese. Nikita is very much his own man. He’s made it very clear that he’s very happy where he is with his team, and so we just move on. There’s not much really to be said.
“I think Igor’s a great coach – I really do – and for whatever reason Tim decided it was time to go. These athletes only have X amount of time in the sport. If he’s gotta go he’s gotta go. I said that once before and I haven’t changed my mind on it. I think Igor is, right now, the perfect coach for Nikita. He’s working and bringing him along beautifully, and that’s what our team’s doing.
“Of course it [hurt]. There’s nothing nice about eight-and-a-half years of hard work and then being discarded. Nothing nice about it. Especially the whole team. We can do everything. We can do our job brilliantly, but we can’t fight in the ring, and so whatever circumstances brought that to be, so be it, but I don’t have a lot to say, and there’s no point. Everyone’s moved on.
“[I] don’t know anything about the new coach [Pedro Diaz]. Haven’t really paid a lot of attention, to be honest. It’s yet to be seen how Tim goes when he gets back on the elite stage. We had him there, and we got him to be a world champ, so we can’t say much more than that. Everything after that is up to the fighter. He’s made some decisions and now he can get on with it. We’ll see where it all goes, but right now Nikita’s our focus and that’s where we stay.
“There’s also Liam Wilson; Billy Polkinghorn; Vegas Larfield. There’s a lot of good young fellas [I manage], so we’re busy. We’ve got a lot on, but right now it’s Nikita’s time and we’re all just here for him.”
