Junior middleweight contender Tim Tszyu is putting his body “through hell” as he prepares to face seasoned boxer Takeshi Inoue (17-1-1) of Japan on November 17.
Tszyu realizes that his conditioning needs to be in supreme order to topple an opponent like Inoue, who in the sole loss of his career, by way of decision against Jaime Munguia, displayed a very durable chin.
“It’s a different prep this prep is all about conditioning, all about being grit, being strong, being able to last the twelve rounds because this guy’s built like a brick wall,” Tszyu told Main Event’s Ben Damon.
“You’re going to punch him, punch him, punch him and he’s going to keep moving forward and those type of opponents are very hard to deal with at times. Strategically I know what’s going on, but for me this fight’s more about being in a crazy conditioning state.”
The rising Australian superstar was hoping to face former world champion Tony Harrison, but their negotiations fell apart.
Now the 26-year-old Tszyu will be looking to become the first boxer to hand Inoue a stoppage loss.
“I don’t want the last bell to ring,” Tszyu said.
“It was frustrating at first because my mind was focused fully on Tony Harrison, and I was ready to get my hands on him and I was psyched because I knew it was going to be a good challenge. He’s a good boxer. But, you know what, the ball moves on. You’ve got to keep adapting and overcome what obstacles are put in front of you and Takeshi Inoue is the next one.
“I don’t take a step back and he doesn’t take a step back, and that’s going to mean there’s going to be a clash. It’s going to be good.”