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Zab Judah remembers the night fondly.
In Nov. 2001, the legendary southpaw out of Brownsville, Brooklyn, squared off with Kostya Tszyu for the undisputed light welterweight world championship at MGM Grand in Las Vegas. At the time, Judah was 27-0, holding the IBF light welterweight world title and on his way to establishing himself among boxing’s all-time greats.
A New York star, Judah appeared poised to mirror Brooklyn icons Mike Tyson and Riddick Bowe before him. A win against Tszyu, who held the WBA and WBC world titles at the time, could launch Judah towards that standing.
In a matter of moments, however, Tszyu – a Soviet-born boxer who made a name for himself in Australia before fighting in the United States – put those plans on pause. In arguably the most famous and memorable punch of his International Boxing Hall of Fame career, a lethal counter right hand from Tszyu sent Judah to the canvas early in the second round and ended his night, earning Tszyu undisputed world champion status.
After the fight, Judah disagreed with the referee’s decision to call it, and subsequently threw a stool and attacked the ref, earning him a $75,000 fine and six-month suspension from the Nevada State Athletic Commission.
“The fight was great,” Judah reminisced over the phone with The Post. “It’s still talked about to this day – here’s a fight that’s more than 20 years old, and people talk about this fight like it was f–ing yesterday. It’s more than 20 years old, I was a kid! I’m 44-years-old standing here right now. I will say that it was a great fight.”
The fight – and punch – still carry weight all these years later and connect the two storied boxers together. In 2022, however, there’s a specific reason to rekindle the rivalry.
As Yoda famously said: “There is another.”
Tszyu’s son, Tim, is now delivering the vicious punches that made his father famous.
Tim Tszyu, 27, has punched his way to a 20-0 record to start his career, knocking out 15 of his opponents in the process. The super welterweight, like his father, made a name for himself in his native Australia, selling out stadiums across the country and winning over crowds with his all-business, punishing style inside the ring.
He now takes that distinct style to the United States, making his long-awaited American debut as the headline fight on Showtime’s card at The Armory in Minneapolis on Saturday. He squares off with veteran Terrell Gausha (22-2-1) in a 12-round bout.
“Everything in life has the right time,” Tim Tszyu told The Post over the phone. “I believe I cleaned out my opponents in Australia, there’s no better time than right now to prove myself against the world.
“I feel like I was getting bored a bit in Australia. That buzz was there always, but it’s just a different feeling. I’m here, away from home, in a different country, it’s a completely different feeling. I’ve got that new chapter, and that feeling again.”
Carrying himself with a steely, serious demeanor both inside and outside the ring, Tim Tszyu has emerged as a top super welterweight contender and rising star in the division. He’s ranked as the No. 1 contender by WBO, No. 3 by IBF and WBC and No. 5 by Ring.
Jermell Charlo, who holds the WBA, WBC and IBF super welterweight world titles, fights WBO title holder Brian Castaño on May 14 for the undisputed super welterweight title.
With a win against Gausha, Tim Tszyu feels he deserves a crack at the winner of Charlo-Castano for the world title.
“I’ve beaten three opponents that have fought for titles,” Tim Tszyu said, “and I’ve beat them more convincingly than the world champions have beaten them, so if I’m not ready, how does that make any sense?”
After becoming a household name in Australia, Tim Tszyu knows it will take time – and “good victories” – to grow into a star in the U.S., like his father did.
He already has one big fan in the country, though, and after being well-versed in the Tszyu family power, he predicts long-term success.
“I’ve seen him fight,” Judah said. “Me and Kostya are still in contact, we still talk from time to time. We share conversations, he’s told me all about his son way before his son even hit the market. He told me ‘Zab I’ve got a son. He’s coming. He looks like he’s gonna be the next best thing.’ He’s blossoming. I know he’s gonna do well. The young kid, he was in Las Vegas, he made a good name for himself, they said he can really fight.”
After competing for the Soviet Union at the amateur world championships in Sydney, Australia in 1991, Kostya Tszyu decided to move to the country soon after. He started his professional career there and formed his first family with the birth of Tim, he and his wife’s first child.
After he retired, however, Kostya Tszyu moved his family to Moscow, according to news.com.au. His family quickly missed Australia and decided to move back, but Kostya Tszyu remained in Russia, where he remarried and had two more kids with his new wife. He’s not often seen in or around his son’s fights, but the two remain close.
“Me and dad are good,” Tim Tszyu said. “We talk all the time. We’ve got a good father-son relationship, and that’s the most important thing in life, forget about everything else, as long as me and my dad are tight, that’s all that matters.
“I don’t feel any pressure at all, in all honesty. I do what I do and I enjoy it, if my dad wasn’t around I would still be doing this thing so, that’s it.”
Kostya Tszyu still resides in Russia, while Judah now spends his days in California running Celebrity Boxing Gym, where he is enjoying the warmer weather and looking for the next world champion.
In that California sun, he can now joke about his bout, and all the ensuing events.
“I dominated the first round, Kostya Tszyu caught me with a good punch, I went down, the referee did his part, and then after that I did my part,” Judah said while laughing. “At the time, I was young, I was a product of my environment, I was still a kid still going through a transformation, figuring out who I was and where I wanted to go. I got it all together now. But back then, that was raw, real Brownsville energy. 100%. What you saw from Zab Judah, in the Kostya Tszyu fight, that was raw, real, Brooklyn Brownsville energy.”
Tim Tszyu has never fought outside of his homeland before and has never fought an American opponent before, new variables that he says are “giving me fire” and having him “feel so pumped and alive more than ever.” He sees the U.S. as his new long-term venue while he challenges for world titles.
When he does earn that world title, Tim Tszyu already has a message from one of his father’s biggest foes.
“Advanced congratulations from Zab Judah.”
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