Australian boxing star Nikita Tszyu looks at his opponent Koen Mazoudier and says he sees a best mate he's "trying to kill". Instead of trading insults and talking trash, Tszyu and Mazoudier laughed about eating burgers together and running barefoot in the rain ahead of their Wednesday night fight at ICC Sydney. Should he emerge victorious, Tszyu (9-0, 7KOs) will secure a top-15 world ranking and the IBF Australasian and WBO inter-continental super welterweight titles.
But unlike past bouts, the southpaw won't be motivated by bad blood when he goes face-to-face with Mazoudier (12-3-1, 5KOs). "When I heard that he goes for runs barefoot in the rain in one of his interviews, I'm like, 'this guy is a nutcase, my poor feet would be bleeding' but each to their own," Tszyu said on Monday. "The sport of boxing is beautiful in that growing up throughout the gym, you have training partners that you're best mates with, that you're training with.
"And when you're sparring, you're trying to kill each other. There is no holding back, but then straight after sparring, you're smiling, laughing it off. "We know how to separate the brutality from the laughter, and yes, we're joking around now, talking about eating burgers, and we're all smiling, but once that bell rings, we're both going to switch.
"I respect Koen. It's going to be like looking in the mirror. We've both got that same kind of mentality.
" Tszyu will also be fighting to maintain a proud family record in Australia. Alongside olde.