Tim Tszyu’s boxing resurrection is officially underway in Miami, Florida after the Australian this week signed on with famed Cuban trainer Pedro Diaz – a man responsible for steering the careers of over 20 world champions.
After spending three weeks crossing the US to work with some of boxing’s biggest names – including a stint with Abel Sanchez at the famed Big Bear – Tszyu is now looking to become the next world champ for Diaz, who plans to reinvent The Soul Taker like he so famously did Miguel Cotto.
Revealing the news to Fox Sports Australia from his Miami base, Tyszu also explained how his new plan is to now stay on in the States for up to eight more weeks as discussions build for a comeback fight on December 17.
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As part of his move to the popular beachside city, Tszyu has also been learning off American superstar David Benavidez, with the famed light heavyweight based out of the nearby BOXR gym which is owned and operated by Sydneysider Mateo Attalla.
Tszyu and Attalla have known each other for years, resulting in the surprise partnership with Benavidez, who is himself in camp for a WBC world title fight.
All of which represents an exciting new start for Tszyu.
And comes only a month after the former world champ first revealed he was parting ways with his longtime trainer Igor Goloubev, and manager Glen Jennings, following a tough run that involved dropping three straight title fights against Sebastian Fundora and Bakhram Murtazaliev.
Incredibly, Tszyu says he was only 20 minutes into his first training session with Diaz when the fighter realised ‘yep, this is the guy’.
Tim Tszyu with his new trainer Pedro Diaz.Source: Supplied
As a result, the 30-year-old will now shift all his future camps, which usually run eight weeks, to Miami, and the gym of a man famed for coaching world champions like Cotto, Filip Hrgović and Guillermo Rigondeaux.
If Tszyu next fights in Australia, Diaz will also travel Down Under to corner him.
While only days into his new life at the Mundo Gym, the Aussie pay-per-view star is already operating on a new program so structured, he says it even determines what time his alarm goes off each morning.
Tszyu added his new coach, who also boasts a doctorate in Pedagogical Sciences, has already made other significant tweaks around boxing IQ.
“Which is all a real eye opener,” Tszyu says.
“Because for a long time now, I’ve been stuck in my ways. Doing everything the same.
“And because of that I wasn’t moving upwards, I was staying in the same spot.
“So this time now, it is absolutely a growth period for me.”
Pushed on what changes Diaz has already made, Tszyu continued: “I was in that style where you’re strong, fit and brawl.
“But boxing is about more than that.
“There is a lot more skill involved, a lot more thinking, and that’s what Pedro is already bringing out in me.
“They’re little changes, but noticeable ones.
“And honestly, it’s the first time I’ve ever felt this way.
“So should I have done this after my first loss? Maybe. But I’m just so blessed to be able to be doing it now.
“The belief Pedro has in me too is so refreshing. It’s crazy the difference one person can make.
“I can’t wait to see where things are in another eight weeks.”
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Boasting over 40 years in the fight game, Diaz initially worked with the Cuban Olympic boxing team through five Games campaigns, helping create national superstars of men like Felix Savon, Joel Casamayor, Yuri Gamboa and, of course, Rigondeaux.
Then after shifting to the United States, the coach turned his attention to the professional ranks, working with world champions like Cotto, Rigondeaux, Hrgović, Xu Can, even former UFC star Vitor Belfort.
Tellingly, Diaz has already told Tszyu he sees incredible similarities between everything he plans to do with the Australian and his previous work with Cotto,
“Because everyone counted us both out,” Tszyu explains.
“But Pedro, he changed Miguel Cotto quickly. And now he sees a similar project in me.
“We’ve got similar styles, a similar type of power and punches.
“So he knows the tweaks I need.
“He’s already created a 10-week schedule that goes right down to the time I wake up.
“And you know it works because this is a man who has coached 21 world champions and eight Olympic gold medallists.
“It’s crazy.”
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Tszyu added that while he had initially arrived in the US with no set plan, he had left Diaz as the last visit on his tour and thinks, subconsciously, he may have always been steering towards a new life here in Miami.
“Maybe I put Pedro last because back in the day I was a huge Miguel Cotto fan,” the fighter said. “Or it could be that I just wanted to see everyone else before getting involved with his training, his methodology.
“And every place I went, it was incredible.
“At one point I’m up at Big Bear with Abel Sanchez, doing all those things I’d watched him do with Gennady Golovkin back in the day.
“Yet now, it was me.
“I also trained with a couple of people in Los Angeles, including Rudy Hernandez, and they were all so great.
“After every stop, I was trying to weigh things up.
“[Laughs] At one point I was like ‘man, this is frying my brain. How on earth will I pick one’ …”
But then, Tszyu arrived at the final stop on his US tour.
“And after only 20 minutes of training,” he says of that first Diaz session, “I’d told myself ‘yep, this is the guy’.
“Because the passion of Pedro, man, it’s addictive.
“You can feel it.
“The energy I’m getting from him is insane.
“You can see that his biggest care is for his fighter to win. And he’ll go to hell for you to make that happen.”
Tszyu also explained his partnership with BOXR owner Attalla, who he previously trained with during the now gym owner’s own amateur career.
“And David Benavidez now trains out of his gym there,” he said. “So I got to hang out with Benavidez, watch him train, watch him spar.
“And I’ll still do a little bit with them moving forward too.”
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Tszyu joked the only issue with his move to Miami so far has been the hotel he initially booked into downtown.
“Which was like a brothel,” he laughs. “I’ve walked in and thought ‘nah, man, can’t stay here, this isn’t right’.
“So I’ve moved to an AirBnB in the suburbs.
“Coming from Big Bear too, that first night was a shock.”
And as for how he enjoyed the famed fight camp up in the California mountains?
“Training with Abel Sanchez, incredible,” he says.
“But three days up there … (laughs) yeah, it felt like a month.
“Besides training, there isn’t much to do.
“I mean, Nikita would probably love it.
“But if I’m spending two, three months up there, I think by the finish I’d start talking to the walls.
“But this whole journey, it’s been incredible.
“To pack your bags and head off with no plan, no destination, just travelling through so many different locations, meeting new people, learning off so many different coaches … it’s all been so refreshing
“And now here in Miami, the wheels are really in motion.
“It honestly feels like I’m in camp already.
“I can’t wait to see what comes next.”