Just over two weeks ago Tim Tszyu was reeling from a dog bite that tore open his arm and required 26 stitches to repair. Not that you would’ve known it, given his one-round blow out of Carlos Ocampo last weekend. Headlining on the Gold Coast, the Tszyu offspring is seeking to replicate the exploits of his famous father. Bludgeoning Ocampo in under 90 seconds will do no harm to his reputation at all.
Making the first defence of his WBC interim super-welterweight title, the Aussie star came racing out the blocks and offered only tentative jabs before unleashing the full artillery. Raking shots to the body and vicious swings to the head, Tim held a reputation as a bit of a slow starter, especially after getting dropped in the opener of his American debut by Terrell Gausha. The pace here was red hot. Ocampo offered some fly squatter swipes of defiance, none of which landed.
While waiting patiently for a crack at unified 154-pound king Jermell Charlo, Tszyu’s attitude has been impressive. Refusing to sit on his hands, the 28-year-old instead knocked out former champion Tony Harrison (the only man so far to beat Charlo) and then Ocampo. The latter was removed even quicker than Errol Spence managed five years ago. Recovering from his own hand injury, Charlo now has an autumn deadline to polish off his WBC, WBO, IBF and WBA belts for a livewire defence.
Creating his own red mist, Tszyu backed his power and stamina by placing Ocampo in an early clasp, refusing to let the Mexican wriggle free. Knocked down by a right hand, Ocampo just about regrouped but was off balance, chin the air, when Tim sent his head spinning like a prime Linda Blair. The final punishing blow was an epic left hook.
It wasn’t quite as calm and composed as his old man, Kostya, would’ve delivered, but Tim is a brooding menace who has stepped out of his father’s shadow to take Australian fight fans on a new ride. Born in Sydney, willing to take risks with his matchmaking and fighting style, what’s not to love about Tim Tszyu?
Now 23-0, 17 of those by KO, Tszyu will present plenty of issues for Charlo. As the Showtime crew stated post-fight, while many expected a competitive contest that Charlo would be strongly favoured to win, with each performance the odds are narrowing.
Tszyu said afterwards that he wanted Charlo in America in October. No more waiting around. Not even the fangs of a Pitbull can stop his ascent to the very top.
“There’s no doubt I’m going to America, that’s the land I want to conquer,” he roared, as the Broadbeach crowd echoed their approval.
There may be flaws in Tszyu’s game, but he has finally shrugged off the weight of his surname. Jermell Charlo will need to be at his very best to beat him.
IRON MIKE TYSON TURNS 57
It’s hard to believe Mike Tyson is just three years off 60 (says someone who turned 41 last week). Now with speckles of grey in his beard, a softer, more introspective version of Tyson remains. At just 20 years of age he stood across the ring from the WBC heavyweight champion, Trevor Berbick, preparing to make history.
Berbick was tough but Tyson was on another level that night. Unleashing heavy bombs from both hands, bullying the Jamaican, Mike sent him spinning around the ring for a second knockdown that compounded each and every time Trevor attempted to regain his footing. It was 1986, Mills Lane was the referee. Mullets and large spectacles could be spotted around the arena. Vintage times.
A fascinating character himself, many of Tyson’s opponents also had stories that travelled from the bizarre end of the spectrum to the downright brutal. That includes Berbick, who met an untimely end in 2006 when he was battered to death in his native land in a brutal assault.
In the summer of ‘86, just months before the Berbick win, Tyson went in with 18-4 Reggie Gross. Tyson smashed him out in a round and Gross carried on with his boxing career against the likes of Frank Bruno and Razor Ruddock.
That was until Reggie’s sideline business was discovered and he found himself incarcerated in a maximum security prison in 1989 for carrying out contract killings. The Baltimore man remains in jail, serving three life sentences, unlikely to ever breathe the air of a free man again.
Tyson’s local hood rival Mitch ‘Blood’ Green went 10 rounds with an upcoming contender version of Mike in 1986. The pair also endured an infamous street battle two years later which entered fistic lore. Mitch retired in 2005 and later found god, working as a pastor.
In his youth he was a prominent member of a violent street gang and was shot numerous times during various altercations. Green turned to the ring in the mid-70s and was a skilled amateur boxer who became a competent pro with a reputation for toughness.
NUTHOUSE NOTES
Unbeaten Sam Goodman impressed on the Tszyu-Ocampo undercard, scoring a 12-round decision win over Ra’eese Aleem. In the Boxing Nutters Prediction League, (™, shout out to Joe Kennedy) I picked Aleem to use his unorthodox movement and body punching expertise to get the win. Goodman picked up the pace after round five and started pushing Aleem back to win a deserved (split) decision.
Shout out to Polish heavyweight Kamil Sokolowski who retired with a record that failed to represent his contribution to the domestic scene. A teak tough operator who fought everyone and never lay down, Sokolowski pulled off wins over the likes of Sean ‘Big Sexy’ Turner, Nick Webb and Liverpool’s Alex Dickinson. Travelling far and wide across Europe, Kamil filled a valuable niche position as a grizzled gatekeeper. It’s a cliché but this breed of fighters keep the sport in motion.
Sokolowski (right) preparing to fight Otto Wallin
Dennis McCann gets a good step-up on August 18 when he takes on Ionut Baluta. This is an acid test for Dennis who will have his hands full with the Romanian who was last seen defeating Andrew Cain. ‘The Menace’ reckons he can do what others before have failed to accomplish and get the KO.
While it was disappointing to see Zhan Kossobutskiy forced to withdraw from his fight against Jared Anderson due to visa issues, a more than capable replacement has apparently been sourced.
‘Prince’ Charles Martin’s brief reign as IBF heavyweight champion may have been particularly underwhelming, but he will hopefully have enough left in the tank to trouble Anderson. This is a short notice assignment, however, so Martin could arrive in less than stellar shape, depending on what he’s been doing in his free time.
Thanks for reading! Drop a little heart or even a comment if you get a minute. I’d love to hear your thoughts. Speak to you all next week…
About Steve: Experienced boxing writer, author of 8 books and podcaster of over 400 eps. 15+ years in the sport. Covered hundreds of shows for newspapers and Boxing News magazine. Chief video script writer for Motivedia channel and BN+. For enquiries: stevenwellings1982@gmail.com.
Gotta love 🦘 Sam Goodman 🐨 🥊
Great article, Steve.
I always enjoy these.