By Jim Calfa: Tim Tszyu isn’t too concerned about the confidence that Brian Mendoza has going into their October 14th fight because he expects it to disappear once he hits him in the face.
Interestingly, Tszyu has talked more about Jermell Charlo than his next opponent Mendoza, making some believe that he’s not 100% focused on this fight.
The 28-year-old Tszyu had been waiting patiently for his title shot against Jermell for over a year, but it never happened.
Tszyu (23-0,17KOs) makes his first defense of his WBO junior middleweight title against Mendoza (22-2,16 KOs) on Showtime Boxing at the Gold Coast Convention Centre, Broadbeach, in Sydney, Australia.
Jermell Charlo, the previous WBO 154-lb champion, moved up to 168 for a fight against Canelo Alvarez last weekend. Charlo was aware that he would be stripped by the World Boxing Organization if he went ahead with the Canelo fight, but chose to go in that direction anyway. The massive purse that Jermell got made it worthwhile.
Tszyu expects Mendoza to be tough challenge
Has Tszyu met his match?
“I’ll find out fight night. We’ll see,” said Tim Tszyu to the Jai McAllister channel when asked if the extreme confidence of Brian Mendoza makes him dangerous for their October 14th fight in Sydney.
“Everybody can be confident, but it all changes when you’re hit in the face. It all changes when you’re put in with someone of a different breed. I know I am [a different breed], so we’ll see,” Tszyu continued.
If Mendoza fights as he did against Sebastian Fundora, he could beat Tszyu because he looked impressive in that contest.
Is Mendoza too strong for Tszyu?
“It was a nice highlight reel. It was a pretty good knockout, really,” said Tszyu about Brian Mendoza’s recent seventh round knockout of Sebastian ‘The Towering Inferno’ Fundora last April. “The uppercut is a nice one. It’s nice when you land a shot like that. It’s a good feeling.
“It’ll be a tremendous challenge for myself against a style that I haven’t faced before, but I’m aware this is the next 1%, and to be in that next 0.01%, you have to take out every 1-percenter out there.
“I think he’s motivated, training hard, and surrounded by boxing people. That’s about it. I don’t focus much on my opponent. I just focus on myself,” said Tszyu about Mendoza.
Tszyu not talking much about the Mendoza fight. Why?
“I don’t really like to talk to my opponents. There’s not much to talk about. I’m not friends with them at that given time,” said Tszyu when asked if he’s had a conversation with Mendoza yet.
The way that Tszyu talking nonstop about Jermell Charlo, you’d think he’s fighting him on October 14th rather than Mendoza. Is Tszyu overconfident?
“I think this will be my last fight in Australia for a bit of time. It feels like home. I feel comfortable there,” said Tszyu about being in the U.S. in Las Vegas. “That’s where dreams of made of for my career,” said Tszyu.
