Tim Tszyu took a major leap forward in transitioning from promising prospect to rising contender.
The second-generation boxer from Sydney, Australia delivered perhaps his most complete performance to date, overwhelming countryman Jack Brubaker in a 4th round stoppage victory in their regional junior middleweight title fight Friday evening at the ICC Exhibition Centre in Sydney.
Tsyzu has remained cognizant of comparisons to his father and Hall of Fame former 140-pound world champion Kostya Tszyu, but continues to carve out his own reputation in the pro ranks.
“There’s always room for improvement,” noted Tszyu both of his latest performance and his career progress. “I still got hit a few times. This is boxing, and the goal is to not get hit and keep getting better and better.
“I think I am getting better over time.”
The 25-year old junior middleweight remained poised at the start, even as his opponent was anything but that. Brubaker charged forward, head down and winging punches, never quite settling down or landing anything of consequence. Tszyu kept his distance, smartly covering up whenever Brubaker sought to punch during frequent clinches while also disregarding his opponent’s pawing jab.
Brubaker was in trouble early in round two, doubling over from a body shot although remaining on his feet. It was enough for Tszyu to untrack his offensive attack, connecting with right hands upstairs and also freezing his foe in his tracks with an uppercut at center ring. Brubaker did his best to slow the pace, throwing one punch at a time and immediately initiating clinches, merely delaying the inevitable more so than disrupting Tszyu’s rhythm.
A pep talk from head trainer and Hall of Fame former three-division champion Jeff Fenech provided an inspirational spark for Brubaker, but the disparity in skill level was too much to overcome as Tszyu went to work early and often in round three. The second-generation contender used every inch of the ring, causing damage with lead rights from long range and using his jab as a range finder to set up Brubaker with punishing overhand rights, often followed up with left hooks to the body.
Sensing his opponent was ripe for the taking, Tszyu ramped up his attack in round four. Right hands landed with alarming frequency, to the point where Brubaker was no longer able to defend himself. Referee John Cauchi gave Brubaker a long hard look as Tszyu steadily remained on the attack, cornering his countryman and throwing at will with a stoppage well within his sights even as his stubborn foe remained upright.
“I have the best chin in Australia,” quipped Brubaker, who falls to 16-3-2 (8KOs). “But all credit to Tim, he’s a big strong guy and is full of class. I was talking a lot before the fight, but we’re humble in defeat. Tim is all class, he’s got a great team around him.”
The onslaught was enough for Brubaker’s corner, as Fenech literally threw in the towel to call for an end to the fight.
The official time was 1:31 of round four.
“I was just getting started,” Tsyzu (15-0, 11KOs) said of the fight. “It was a warmup, I felt like I could go another 10 rounds.”
Tsyzu went 10 rounds in each of his last two starts, including a decision win over Dwight Ritchie in August, three months before his fellow Aussie tragically passed away from unrelated injuries following a sparring session last month.
Friday’s win was Tszyu’s fourth of 2019 and his first stoppage since halting Denton Vassel in two rounds this past February.
The goal for 2020 isn’t necessarily knockout-focused, but more so the beginning stage of his plan to collect as much hardware as possible.
“We want world titles. We want them in Sydney. We want them for everyone not just Sydney, but all of Australia and Russia. We’re coming there as well,” noted Tszyu, honoring his dual heritage as his father was born in the former Soviet Union. “I’ll be ready for (a title shot) whenever.”
The bout streamed live on ESPN+ in the United States.
Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox
