‘Have I been sparring Tim Tszyu? No, I don’t have a death wish,’ says his brother Nikita Tszyu

Sydney’s Nikita Tszyu, a rising southpaw with a famous father, is preparing for his 10th professional outing on August 28 but, unlike in the past, he has not been sparring his famous brother.

Nikita, 9-0 (7 KOs), takes on Australian countryman Koen Mazoudier in a 10-rounder next week at the ICC Sydney Theatre. The 26-year-old is currently the lesser known of Kostya’s sons – Tim Tszyu, a former world champion at junior middleweight, is closing in on worldwide fame. As Nikita perfects his trade, that’s the way he likes it.

“I actually enjoy having Tim around,” Nikita, also a junior middle, said of his big bro. “Because whenever the cameras are out, they’re focused on him, and I can kind of chill out. So, he takes the heavy lifting.”

Yet when they spar, Nikita inferred that it’s only him who takes the heavy licks. “No, not this time around,” he said when asked if he’d been sparring Tim this time. “He’s not sparring a southpaw – and I don’t have a death wish.”

Tim, who was upset by Sebastian Fundora in March, is preparing for a proposed October 19 showdown with Bakhram Murtazaliev in a bout for the vacant IBF 154lbs title.

“It’s great that he’s still in the same position [of fighting for world titles], that he kind of deserves that elite world ranked fighter,” Nikita said of his brother’s date with the 22-0 Murtazaliev. “I think it’s going to be a great fight, because he gets another title, becomes a two-time world champion. He’s got a very tricky opponent.”

Nikita’s own opponent is no mug, either. Mazoudier, 12-3-1 (5 KOs), has flirted with the sanctioning body rankings in the past and is coming off a victory over Travis Duce, who was unbeaten heading into their March encounter.

“I’m expecting Mazoudier to do a little bit of everything,” Nikita said. “To be on the back foot, to be coming forward at times, and for these transitions to be quite explosive. But, you can just come out of nowhere and just start going forward, or you can just start going backwards. I’m just prepared for two different types of Koen.”

Nikita will co-headline the No Limit Boxing card, but he’s too not concerned about any extra attention such a lofty spot may generate.

“I’m just getting used to it,” he admitted. “Learning that is part of the business, and to try and be entertaining for the public.

“My final sparring was last week and now I’ve tapered off. I’ve personally felt a huge shift. But I felt the shift in my progressions when I was here back in Sydney, and just the stuff that I was doing there was just kind of adding to it. 

“It’s proof that I’m progressing, that I’m on a nice steady incline.”