WBO junior middleweight champion Tim Tszyu realizes how “dangerous” Brian Mendoza is with his colossal power on both hands, and he’s going to ensure that he doesn’t switch off against this guy on Saturday night in their 12 round headliner at the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre in Broadbeach, Queensland, Australia.
Tszyu (23-0, 17 KOs) insists that he’s not worried about Mendoza (22-2, 16 KOs) too much, but it could work against him if he’s unaware of the threat he poses.
Terrell Gausha put Tszyu down on the canvas in the first round of their fight last year in March, and although he insists it was a flash knockdown, he looked shaken up after getting back to his feet. Gausha hit Tszyu plenty in that fight and came close to beating him.
It’s hard to tell if Tszyu has improved since then because his opposition has been nothing special. Tszyu-Mendoza event will be shown live on Showtime this Saturday, October 14th, at 10:30 p.m. ET.
Mendoza destroyed the very tough Sebastian ‘The Towering Inferno’ Fundora in the seventh round to capture the WBC interim junior middleweight title last April in Carson, California. In Mendoza’s two fights prior to that, he beat Jeison Rosario and Benjamin Whitaker.
“I don’t have long in this division. Hopefully, I can get the Charlo fight, and then I’ll move up,” said Tim Tszyu to Hello Sport. “He’s tough, he’s skillful, and he’s got two big upsets in his last two fights. He’s got two big knockouts,” Tszyu said about his opponent Brian Mendoza for Saturday night.
“He’s got heavy hands and good power, which is always dangerous when you fight someone like that.
“During fight day, just after the weigh-in, I turn my phone off. I completely zone out. I just stay at home, stay with just the team and eat plenty of food, just really chill and relax. So I’m not able to really talk to anyone during that time.
“Before, it used to be nerve-wracking, but now I just enjoy the thrill of it because, as it is, it’s crazy. You’re going to war, and you’re putting it all on the line,” said Tszyu about what goes through his mind when he’s entering the ring for a fight.
“Your life determines the next half an hour. It’s all on the line. You could go to s**t, or you could go up, and your career keeps moving forward and keeps going further and further and what you keep chasing.
“I like to put on my music. So when I come out, I usually come out with my little Mexican song. That Mexican song, I started listening to it when I was in Los Angeles, and it was my preparation for Charlo,” said Tszyu.
