By Jim Calfa: Jermell Charlo and Tim Tszyu had words today for their kickoff press conference for next month’s bout on Showtime at the Michelob Ultra Arena in Las Vegas.
The 32-year-old undisputed junior middleweight champion Charlo (35-1-1, 19 KOs) was agitated, seeming to get upset with everything Tszyu (21-0, 15 KOs) said during the press conference.
Even when Tszyu complimented Jermall, he seemed annoyed and ready to pounce.
Unlike his laid-back brother Jermall Charlo, Jermell seemed hypersensitive to criticism, taking things that Tszyu was saying the wrong way and getting worked up.
“I’ve been eying this fight out for two years now. It’s been in the back of my mind. I’ve been looking, studying, and obsessing over it,” said Tim Tszyu during Tuesday’s kickoff press conference for his January 28th fight against undisputed junior middleweight champion Jermell Charlo.
“There were four different mandatory’s that he had to fight, and I was pushing for it. This is the fight that I want. This is the test that I need for my career. I don’t need some young world champion.
“I always wanted you because I always felt you were the best out there. This is it for me. Kill or be killed,” said Tszyu.
“Of course, every fighter gets in the ring to make a performance of their lifetime,” said Charlo. “If he studied me, he’d realize that I’ve never the same fighter with every fight. I’m different.
“I don’t care what you studied of my old fights and what you’ve seen on Youtube and what you’ve seen in these videos. I know how to adjust and make adjustments real precisely.
“I take care of myself and my brain and my body and how I float through every fight and every round. It’s important for me to kill. I have power in both hands. That’s not what I focus on. I focus on speed, ability, agility and athleticism. There’s so much within this pedigree.
“I grew up fighting my whole life. Y’all talking about his daddy [Kostya Tszyu] and all this stuff. My dad was a boxing killer himself, both in and outside of the ring.
“What I possess is undeniable. I just know that I’m different from anybody that’s in the top pound-for-pound. I don’t get that respect that I deserve, and I keep that energy. I make millions of dollars in boxing. Multi-millions of dollars in boxing. What they got on the mind isn’t what I have on my mind,” said Charlo.