Kostya Tszyu
Statistics
Real name	Konstantin Tszyu
Nickname	Thunder from Down Under
Weight	Junior welterweight
Nationality	Australia Russia
Birth date	September 19, 1969
Birth place	Serov, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
Style	Orthodox
Boxing record
Total fights	34
Wins	31
Wins by KO	25
Losses	2
Draws	0
No contests	1

Konstantin "Kostya the Goit" Tszyu (Russian: Константин (Костя) Цзю, pronounced [ˈkɔstə ˈzʉː] in Australian English) (born September 19, 1969) is a Russian- born boxer of mixed Russian, Korean and Mongol descent. He has Australian and Russian citizenship and is a two time world junior welterweight champion, including a period of time as the undisputed junior welterweight champion. This page is a candidate for speedy deletion. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Australia. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Russia_(bordered). ... September 19 is the 262nd day of the year (263rd in leap years). ... For the Stargate SG-1 episode, see 1969 (Stargate SG-1). ... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_Soviet_Union. ... Coat of arms of Serov Serov (Russian: ) is a mining and commercial town in Sverdlovsk Oblast, Russia and the administrative center of Serovsky District. ... State motto: Russian: Пролетарии всех стран, соединяйтесь! Translation: Workers of the world, unite! Capital Moscow Official language Russian Established In the USSR:  - Since  - Until November 7, 1917 November 7, 1917 December 12, 1991 (dissolution) Area  - Total  - Water (%) Ranked 1st in the USSR 17,075,200 km² 13% Population  - Total   - Density Ranked 1st in the... Australian English (AuE) is the form of the English language used in Australia. ... September 19 is the 262nd day of the year (263rd in leap years). ... For the Stargate SG-1 episode, see 1969 (Stargate SG-1). ... Professional boxing bout featuring Ricardo Domínguez (left) versus Rafael Ortíz Boxing, also called pugilism (from Latin), prizefighting (when referring to professional boxing) or the sweet science[1] is a sport and martial art in which two participants of similar weight fight each other with their fists in a... The name Mongols (Mongolian: Mongol) specifies one or several ethnic groups. ... This page is a candidate for speedy deletion. ...

The son of a fitter in a metal factory and a nurse, Tszyu was born in a town named Serov, near the Ural Mountains, in the former Soviet Union. Coat of arms of Serov Serov (Russian: ) is a mining and commercial town in Sverdlovsk Oblast, Russia and the administrative center of Serovsky District. ... Map of the Ural Mountains The Ural Mountains (Russian: , Uralskiye gory) (also known as the Urals, the Riphean Mountains in Greco-Roman antiquity, and known as the Stone Belt) are a mountain range that runs roughly north and south through western Russia. ...

Early years

Tszyu and his family, including his sister, used to share an apartment with another family, and Tszyu used to sleep on the floor. Tszyu was hyperactive as a child, and his father decided to take him to a boxing gym, where he would channel that energy by fighting older boys. Soon, Tszyu impressed Russia's amateur team coaches and he was sent to the Soviet Union's amateur boxing travelling training camps, where he got to visit more than 30 countries while training and fighting in tournaments. He trained with that group 250 days a year, and won various tournaments, such as amateur boxing's world championships. He also participated in the Olympic Games. At the Cuban world championship tournament in 1987, he came in second place, and at the Seoul Olympic games, he lost in the third round. Hyperactivity can be described as a state in which a person is abnormally easily excitable and exuberant. ... Professional boxing bout featuring Ricardo Domínguez (left) versus Rafael Ortíz Boxing, also called pugilism (from Latin), prizefighting (when referring to professional boxing) or the sweet science[1] is a sport and martial art in which two participants of similar weight fight each other with their fists in a... The five Olympic rings were designed in 1913, adopted in 1914 and debuted at the Games at Antwerp, 1920. ... 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The 1988 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIV Olympiad, were held in 1988 in Seoul, South Korea. ...

Kostya was a member of the Soviet military too, but since he was selected as an elite athlete, he did not have to participate in any wars.

He fought at the world championships once again, in Moscow in 1989, where he came in third place. Location Position of Moscow in Europe Government Country District Subdivision Russia Central Federal District Federal City Mayor Yuriy Luzhkov Geographical characteristics Area  - City 1,081 km² Population  - City (2007)    - Density 10,469,000   9684. ... 1989 (MCMLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

In 1991, he went again to the amateur world championships, this time held in Sydney. This was a trip that would change his life forever. Not only was the third time his charm, but he felt enchanted with the sights of Sydney and its people, and decided he wanted to live in Australia. 1991 (MCMXCI) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Sydney Opera House on Sydney Harbour Sydney (pronounced ) is the most populous city in Australia, with a metropolitan area population of over 4. ...

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, in 1992, Tszyu escaped from the Russian army and fled to Australia with his girlfriend, where they married in 1993 and became Australian citizens. Before marrying her, though, Tszyu had already turned professional, beating Darrell Hiles by a knockout in one round on March 1, 1992 at Melbourne. 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday. ... 1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar and marked the Beginning of the International Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination (1993-2003). ... Knockout (also referred to as a K.O. or knock), is a winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, mixed martial arts and others sports involving striking. ... March 1 is the 60th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (61st in leap years). ... 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday. ... Melbournes CBD has grown to straddle the Yarra River in three major precincts. ...

Professional career

Tszyu started raising his quality of opposition almost immediately. In his fourth professional bout, he met the former WBC Featherweight champion of the world Juan Laporte, decisioning him over ten rounds. In his sixth bout, he beat contender Sammy Fuentes by a knockout in the first. Fuentes would go onto win a world title years after being handily beaten by Tszyu in 1993, Steve Larrimore, Larry La Crousiere and Robert Rivera, went to Australia to fight Tszyu, and none lasted more than two rounds. The only man to last more than two rounds with Tszyu in '93 was Livingstone Bramble, a former world Lightweight champion, who lost by decision to Tszyu at Newcastle, Australia. In 1994, Hector Lopez, , Angel Hernandez, who had just come off of a loss after challenging Julio César Chávez for the WBC belt and Pedro Chinito Sanchez, from the Dominican Republic tried to beat Tszyu, but Tszyu beat Lopez by a decision in ten, Hernandez by a knockout in seven, and Sanchez by a knockout in four. After the win against Sanchez, Tszyu was ranked number one in the Jr. Welterweights. WBC logo mark WBC redirects here. ... Featherweight is a weight class division in the sport of boxing. ... Juan Laporte (born November 24, 1959) is a former boxer who was born in Guayama, Puerto Rico. ... 1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar and marked the Beginning of the International Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination (1993-2003). ... Robert Rivera was convicted in Delaware County, PA of murdering his 20-month-old daughter because he gave her away and neither he nor authorities know where she is. ... Livingstone Bramble (born September 30, 1960) is a boxer from St. ... Newcastle CBD Newcastle is the sixth largest and the second oldest city in Australia and the second largest in the state of New South Wales. ... 1994 (MCMXCIV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated as the International Year of the Family and the International Year of the Sport and the Olympic Ideal by United Nations. ... Hector Headley Lopez Swainson (born July 9, 1929 in Colon, Panama) was a Major League Baseball player for the Kansas City Athletics and New York Yankees from 1955 to 1966. ... For this mans son, also a boxer, see Julio César Chávez, Jr. ...

First title

In 1995, he received his first world title shot when he fought IBF world junior welterweight champion Jake Rodriguez at Las Vegas, Nevada. Tszyu became world champion by knocking Rodriguez out in the sixth round, and then defended the world title, beating former world junior lightweight and junior welterweight champion Roger Mayweather by a decision in 12, Hugo Pineda by a knockout in 11, Cory Johnson by a knockout in four and Jan Bergman by a knockout in six. After this string of defences, Tszyu became a highly touted world champion by many boxing magazines, and many articles about him appeared on Ring Magazine, KO Magazine, and other American boxing publications. 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The International Boxing Federation, or IBF, is one of many organizations which sanction world championship boxing bouts, alongside the WBA, WBC, WBO, and a dozen or so others. ... For other uses around the city, see Las Vegas metropolitan area and Las Vegas Strip. ... Mens classifications according to WBC, WBA, IBF, and WBO: Weight classes for boxing at the 2004 Summer Olympics: See also Boxing Categories: | ... Roger Mayweather (born April 24, 1961) was a boxer who won two major world titles in two different weight classes. ... Cory Johnson is an American journalist. ... Front cover of the first issue of Ring Magazine Ring Magazine is a boxing magazine that was first published in 1922. ... KO Magazine is a popular United States boxing magazine. ...

Title defences

1997 began for Tszyu when his defence against Leonardo Moro Mas was declared a no contest because Mas' camp protested that the blow that finished their fight in the first round was actually a low blow. Undecided whether it was a low blow or a legal blow, the IBF and the Nevada Athletic Commission decided to declare it a no contest instead. For his next bout, however, Tszyu wasn't as lucky, and he lost for the first time, losing by a knockout in ten rounds to Vince Phillips, who also took with that, Tzsyu's world championship. He regrouped after that defeat, and came back to beat Ismael Chaves just before year's end. 1997 (MCMXCVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... An example of a groin attack, from the 1994 movie On Deadly Ground. ... The Nevada Athletic Commission is made up of five part-time members, each of whom is appointed by the Governor for a three year term. ... Vincent Edwards Phillips Sr. ...

After beating former world champions Calvin Grove (KO2) and Rafael Ruelas (KO9), Tszyu was given another world title try, when the WBC's belt became vacant in 1998 following Oscar de la Hoya's move to the Welterweight division, and Tszyu found himself twice on the canvas in round one of his fight for the vacant belt against Diosbelys Hurtado, but recuperated to beat Hurtado by a knockout in five and become world champion once again. He retained the title once in 1999, knocking out former world champion Miguel Angel Gonzalez in ten, and twice in 2000, beating Arizona's fringe contender Ahmed Santos in eight, and a 38 year old Mexican legend Julio César Chávez, the former world champion, in six at Phoenix, Arizona. ... 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year of the Ocean [1]. // Coated in ice, power and telephone lines sag and often break, resulting in power outages. ... Oscar de la Hoya (born February 4, 1973) — nicknamed the Golden Boy — is a Mexican American boxer who won a gold medal for the United States Boxing Team at the Barcelona Olympic Games and considered one of boxings all time greats. ... Welterweight is a weight class division in combat sports. ... 1999 (MCMXCIX) was a common year starting on Friday, and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ... Miguel ... This article is about the year 2000. ... Official language(s) English Capital Phoenix Largest city Phoenix Area  Ranked 6th  - Total 113,998 sq mi (295,254 km²)  - Width 310 miles (500 km)  - Length 400 miles (645 km)  - % water 0. ... Ahmed Santos (born February 19, 1974) is a well known newspaper columnist and former boxer. ... For this mans son, also a boxer, see Julio César Chávez, Jr. ... Nickname: Valley of the Sun Location in Maricopa County and the state of Arizona Coordinates: Country United States State Arizona Counties Maricopa Incorporated February 25, 1881  - Mayor Phil Gordon (D) Area    - City  475. ...

Unifying the belts

Tszyu then began pursuing his wish to unify all the belts. In 2001, he began by facing WBA world champion Sharmba Mitchell, taking the belt by a knockout in seven. His next fight was against the German Turk, Oktay Urkal . Tszyu finished 2001 by recovering his IBF belt in a unification bout with the current champion Zab Judah, by a knockout in the second round. A small melee inside the ring followed that fight when Judah attacked referee Jay Nady for what he felt was a premature stoppage, reacting by throwing his corner's seat at the referee, and even trying to choke Nady with his glove at one point. However, replays clearly show Judah walking on wobbly legs and falling over in a clip that has now become popular on the internet, showcased as the "Zab Dance" or the "Chicken Dance". Tszyu in 2002 had only one bout, No.1 ranked contender of all three of his belts,Ben Tackie of Ghana by a decision in 12. Tszyu won every round on each one of the judges scorecards in a masterful display boxing. 2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ... World Boxing Association (WBA) is a boxing organization that sanctions official matches, and awards the WBA world championship title, at the professional level. ... Sharmba David Mitchell (born September 27, 1970), better known plainly as Sharmba Mitchell, is a boxer who was world Jr. ... Oktay Urkal (born 15 January 1970 in Berlin) is a professional welterweight boxer from Germany. ... Zab Super Judah, (born October 27, 1977), of Brooklyn, New York, is a professional boxer. ... For album titles with the same name, see 2002 (album). ...

On January 19 of 2003, Tszyu began the year by retaining his title against former world champion Jesse James Leija by a knockout in six. After the fight, held in Melbourne, Tszyu announced that fight could be his last in Australia, due to pressure from promoters to fight in the United States. (The win against Leija came on the birthday of Tszyu's son.) January 19 is the 19th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Jesse James Leija (born July 8, 1966), is a professional boxer from Texas. ... The City of Melbournes coat of arms The central business district of Melbourne, viewed from the north Alternate meanings: Melbourne (disambiguation) Melbourne is the capital and largest city of the state of Victoria, and the second largest city in Australia, with a population of 52,117 in the Central...

His first fight in 2004 was supposed to have been held on February 7 in a rematch against Sharmba Mitchell. It would have been Tszyu's first fight as a professional in Moscow, but Tszyu injured his shoulder during training. He had successful surgery to correct the problem, but the injury further extended his absence from the ring. On November 6, he and Mitchell finally had their rematch, with Tszyu knocking Mitchell out once again, this time in three rounds. Tszyu was voted comeback fighter of the year by Ring magazine. The bout which was aired on American cable giant, Showtime, actually made the end of year highlight reel on rival cable provider, HBO. This is unprecedented, with head analyst on HBO, Larry Merchant justifying the decision due to its extraordinary nature. 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... February 7 is the 38th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... November 6 is the 310th day of the year (311th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 55 days remaining. ... Tszyu vs. ...

Dethroned by Hatton

He next fought on June 5, 2005 against British boxer Ricky Hatton, Tszyu lost this fight, and his world title, by TKO after retiring on his stool at the end of the 11th round. He was also behind on all three cards (by 1,3 and 5 points). After this defeat, Tszyu offered Hatton his telephone number for friendship and advice [1]. June 5 is the 156th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (157th in leap years), with 209 days remaining. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Richard Hatton MBE (born October 6, 1978 in Manchester) is an English boxer raised on the Hattersley council estate in Hyde, Greater Manchester, Great Britain. ...

Taking time off

Tszyu had been slated for a possible 2006 rematch with Zab Judah and has even talked with the Mayweather camp about a possible future meeting, but has stated he will not consider any fights in 2006, and has seemingly not yet made a decision as to whether he will continue boxing at all. Zab Super Judah, (born October 27, 1977), of Brooklyn, New York, is a professional boxer. ...

Tszyu competed on the Australian version of Dancing With the Stars, placing second.

As the Light-Welterweight champion, Tszyu was considered one of, if not the best, pound-for-pound fighters in the world.

Tszyu's record currently stands at 31 professional wins (25 by knockout), two losses and one no contest. He is considered by many in Australia to be a national sports hero. Tszyu and his family reside in Sydney where his son attends St George Christian School.On the 30th of January 2007 rumours spread of a Tszyu comeback.However, there was no confirmation. The Sydney Opera House on Sydney Harbour Sydney (pronounced ) is the most populous city in Australia, with a metropolitan area population of over 4. ... St George Christian School is an Australian school, which caters for grade K-12 and is situated in New South Wales, Sydney. ...

See also

• List of male boxers
• List of WBC world champions
• List of undisputed boxing champions
• Ring Magazine pound for pound

This is a list of notable male boxers. ... List of WBC world champions is a table showing the world champions certificated by World Boxing Council (WBC). ... This is a list of current and past undisputed champions of boxing. ... This table lists the pound-for-pound rankings of The Ring magazine (the self-proclaimed Bible of Boxing), which some boxing experts and fans regard as an authoritative source for ranking the best pound-for-pound boxers in the world. ...

External links

• Kostya Tszyu's career boxing record

• Kostya Tszyu, Professor of Boxing "Moscow News"

Vincent Edwards Phillips Sr. ...

A Guyanese boxer best known for being knocked out by the eccentric Carlos Maussa, losing his WBA Light Welterweight title and status in the division. ...

Arturo Thunder Gatti (born April 15, 1972), is a professional boxer. ...