Nikita Tszyu Rejects Tim Tszyu Fight After Mundine Proposal

nikita tszyu has ruled out ever fighting his brother Tim Tszyu, shutting down Anthony Mundine’s suggestion that the pair settle their dispute in the ring. He said fighting is too personal for him to take that route, even with the brothers still not speaking.

Nikita Tszyu In Sydney

Tszyu was speaking less than a week before his latest Main Event headliner against unbeaten Spanish opponent Oscar Diaz. He met Diaz for the first time on Thursday in Sydney, with the pair set to fight in Newcastle next week.

“I’ve been trying not to think about it too much during fight camp,” he said. “I always try and think in a positive way about things.”

When asked about Mundine’s idea, he shut it down quickly: “I don’t want to get into that sort of headspace. Fighting is a very personal thing to me.”

Tim Tszyu Family Rift

The brothers’ relationship has stayed strained after Tim Tszyu’s split from their manager, Glen Jennings. That break led to legal action, though the dispute was seemingly resolved earlier this week.

Even with that legal fight settled, the family divide remains visible. Tim is unlikely to attend Nikita’s bout with Diaz, and the brothers were still not on speaking terms as Nikita prepared for his next ring walk.

Nikita said he cannot take the mindset he uses in boxing into a family fight. “I get into the headspace where I need to think I’m taking someone’s life and be ready to do that,” he said. “I can’t put that stress on my family as well.”

Tim Tszyu Next

He also said Tim’s next assignment caught him off guard. Tim Tszyu is scheduled to fight Errol Spence Jr. on Sunday, July 26 in Australia under a new-look team led by his third coach in six months, Jeff Fenech.

Nikita said meeting Diaz in person helped sharpen his own preparation. “It’s good to see the size of a person, though and have a look into his eyes,” he said, before adding of Tim’s fight, “I don’t really know how to think about that.”