Normally, when fighters have successfully built up their names, the activity that once propelled them takes a backseat. Call it enjoying the fruits of their labor. Whatever it is, Tim Tszyu isn’t suffering from any of that.

With knockout wins over both Tony Harrison and Carlos Ocampo under his belt this year, Tszyu is set to make his return to the ring on October 15th. On the night, Carlos Ocampo will stand directly in his path.

For the ballsy 29-year-old, his career has been through the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. In his shortcomings against Jesus Ramos Jr. and Larry Gomez, Ocampo believes he was caught in between styles. Now, however, he has it all figured out.

Tszyu, of course, is on fire. He’s now on the verge of his first title reign and doesn’t appear to be slowing down. Mendoza, nevertheless, isn’t overthinking the perpetual pressure that the Australian will bring come fight night. Although his balls-to-the-walls approach has worked in the past, that’s because Tszyu has taken on what Mendoza believes were limited fighters. Come October 15th, the soon-to-be WBO champ will quickly find out that Mendoza isn’t your typical run-of-the-mill contender.

“I bring something to the table that the guy has never seen before,” explained Mendoza during a virtual press conference. “I can be slick, I can come forward, I can box. I do a little of everything.”

Doing a little bit of everything has led Mendoza (22-2, 16 KOs) to having the best 12-month stretch of his career. Following a knockout win over Benjamin Whitaker, Mendoza scored an upset KO victory as a late replacement over former unified champ, Jeison Rosario. Just a few months later, Mendoza sauntered back to the ring as a heavy underdog once again - this time against Sebastian Fundora.

Despite most expecting him to come up short, Mendoza landed a two-punch combination in the seventh round that floored Fundora, leaving him down and out.

All in all, the 29-year-old could point to his ever-growing skill set as the main reason why he’s experienced a plethora of success recently. Ultimately, Mendoza simply believes that even if his skills are comparable to his opponents, the work he puts in behind the scenes normally takes him to another level.

“It’s my work ethic that will really pay off in this fight. I just work harder than everybody else in the world I believe.”