Tszyu deal to fight Oscar

KOSTYA Tszyu is poised to close out his career with a staggering $20 million four-fight deal that would include a superbout with Oscar De La Hoya, the richest boxer in history. The offer is being made by Murad Muhammad, one of the three most powerful promoters in the US alongside Don King and Bob Arum, and could see Tszyu have his next fight against England's Ricky Hatton at a football stadium in Sydney. Tszyu has long dreamed of a fight with De La Hoya who he first met when the American was a gangly teenager at the 1990 Goodwill Games in Seattle. "I would love the chance to box against Oscar," said Tszyu, who is holidaying in Russia after receiving a major sporting award there and having a private audience with that country's leader Vladimir Putin. "At this stage of my career I only want to have the big fights to leave a legacy in the sport. "You can't get much bigger than fighting Oscar De La Hoya." De La Hoya recently announced his intention to move back from the 72kg middleweight division to fight as a 67kg welterweight and declared this week: "I would love Kostya Tszyu , he is definitely someone I want to fight." Tszyu's mentor Johnny Lewis, the most successful fight trainer in Australian history, yesterday gave his stamp of approval for Tszyu to face De La Hoya declaring: "If Kostya wants to take the fight I don't think he would have any trouble with Oscar. "I always felt that when Oscar was moving up through the weight divisions he was avoiding Kostya as a junior-welterweight and this would give everybody the chance to see two of the all-time greats go head to head." Muhammad, who has promoted such fighters as Larry Holmes, Roy Jones Jr and Manny Pacquiao, is offering Tszyu $US14 million ($18.2m) to promote his next four fights and with sponsorship the purse would top $20 million. He will also guarantee Tszyu $10.5 million to stage his next two bouts. The deal was first put to Tszyu by IBF vice-president Ray Wheatley, Australian boxing's most powerful figure. "I will make Kostya Tszyu, his manager and promoter, richer and more famous than they could be with any other promoter," said Muhammad who has backed 35 world champions and 60 world title contenders over the last 40 years. "There are some huge fights out there for Kostya Ricky Hatton, Arturo Gatti, Floyd Mayweather and Oscar, and Kostya deserves to be paid as one of the greatest fighters in the world. "Kostya is a very exciting fighter but he is still not well known by the general public worldwide. "He comes to America, wins his fight and then goes home. Every time Kostya fights in America he is the out-of-town opponent. "A great champion should not have to fight in anyone's backyard." Tszyu has been offered $5.2 million by English promoter Frank Warren to fight Ricky Hatton, the No. 1 contender for Tszyu's IBF junior-welterweight title, in Manchester but Muhammad scoffed at that proposal. "Kostya has to realise he's the champion not the challenger," he said. "Why would Kostya want to fight Frank Warren's fighter on Frank Warren's terms in Frank Warren's backyard? "I'm now offering Kostya more money than he has ever seen and he can fight Hatton in Sydney on his own terms. "Boxers come into the industry for three reasons: To win the title, to make money and to make more money." Muhammad stressed he did not want to interfere in any promotional contract Tszyu already had. "Kostya's current promoter signed him early in his career and you have to respect their contract," he said. " will make much more money than he has ever made from this deal. "I am not trying to cut him out but I want to work with him so that everybody benefits." Muhammad recently drew a crowd of 40,000 to see his Filipino featherweight destroyer Manny Pacquiao fight in Taguig in the Philippines. "Manny was getting $5000 a fight before he signed with me and now he's getting a million a fight and is one of the biggest names in the game," Muhammad said. "You don't have to be a rocket scientist to see that if I could draw 40,000 people to a non-title bout in the Philippines I could do even bigger numbers in a beautiful city like Sydney with a great champion like Kostya."