Australian junior middleweight star Tim Tszyu is going up against a bigger man for the first time in his career.
Tszyu (19-0, 15 KOs) will face dangerous Japanese contender Takeshi Inoue on November 17 at Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney Olympic Park.
Local fans and pundits have been marveling at the physical makeup of Inoue, who is ripped from head to toe with very little fat on his body.
“I couldn’t care less about my body,” Tszyu said to The Age. “As long as I’m feeling fit and strong, that’s the main thing. It’s not a body-building contest – it’s a fight. I saw a few photos. I saw he was ripped. I’m quite happy for him that he’s got himself into a real good shape and he’s confident.
“There’s no better feeling than facing a confident fighter and then take the soul out of them. The best thing about boxing is muscles don’t win fights. Everyone knows that. You could be in the best shape but it all starts in [the head]. I’ll be 10 steps ahead of him before he knows what he’s doing. This fight is all strategic, a bit of patience and the knockout will come.”
Inoue’s sole defeat was a decision loss to then WBO 154-pound champion Jaime Munguia in 2019.
Tszyu expects to become the first boxer to hand Inoue a stoppage loss.
“I’m stronger than him,” Tszyu said. “I’m telling you, I’m stronger than him. “Muscles don’t do anything. I’m 10 times stronger than him and he’ll feel it when I push him back and his legs start to buckle.
“A lot of those Americans are very slick but sometimes they don’t have a heart and they’re easy to break down. These type of fighters are different. They keep coming forward. They get hit, they keep coming. This fight’s going to be very strategic and I’m going to have to play around with my shots. I will beat him sometime in the middle rounds of the match.”