Australia’s Tim Tszyu has explained why he won’t be changing up his fighting style to mimic Hall of Famer Jeff Fench – yet could instead join ‘The Marrickvile Mauler’ as a two-division world champion.

Speaking with Fox Sports Australia this week, Tszyu has also taken aim at the man he headlines against in next Sunday’s Sydney blockbuster – American superstar Errol Spence Jnr – suggesting his rival thinks “I’m beneath him”.

Only a week out from the biggest fight of his career, talk has emerged of Tszyu now having the options of, in victory, fighting either Jermell Charlo, the former undisputed super welterweight king, or reigning WBA middleweight champion Erislandy Lara.

Tszyu v Spence Jr. | Sunday July 26 from 11am AEST | Tim Tszyu takes on the biggest name in his career so far – future hall-of-famer Errol Spence Jr, in a can’t miss event for boxing fans around the world. | Order Now with Main Event on Kayo Sports.

While nothing has been confirmed by Tszyu’s promoters No Limit, both Charlo and Lara are overseen by the same promotional team who works with Spence, PBC.

For weeks the whisper has been that Charlo will take on the winner — and could be sitting ringside for the event with Terence Crawford.

Ironically, Charlo’s twin brother Jermall was this week banned from entering the country to face Koen Mazoudier in the co-main, most likely due to previous dramas outside the cage.

Should The Phoenix continue his resurrection with an upset of Spence however, a middleweight title fight against Lara is another option.

As revealed earlier this week, Team Spence have made a late switch to increase the July 26 showdown to a middleweight limit of 160 pounds – which is up two pounds from the initially declared catchweight.

It is also a division higher than where Tszyu has campaigned for most of his career, and two divisions up from where Spence reigned before losing to Terence Crawford and disappearing from the sport for the three years.

Apart from Spence potentially struggling to make the catchweight after so long out, there have also been whispers that his team are of the same mindset as the likes of US boxing analyst Paulie Malignaggi, who have questioned if Tszyu has the physicality to fight, or more specifically star, at 160.

Spence gets warm Aussie welcome | 02:15

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While Tszyu has not wanted to talk about what opportunities may come from a Spence win, he was this week far happier to heap praise on the impact of Fenech – his third coach in 10 months after parting ways with Igor Goloubev and Pedro Diaz.

While plenty of fight fans have hailed the move to Fenech, critics have questioned if arguably Australia’s greatest fighter ever will try to have Tszyu become the relentless, inside fighter on which his own greatness was built.

Tszyu however, has not only shrugged those claims off, but also taken aim at the superstar set to be standing opposite him next weekend – and suggested his decision to arrive in Australia little more than a week before such a huge fight confirmed it.

While said he was surprised to see Spence not jet into Sydney until Thursday with his entourage, he understood why.

“It’s his arrogance. Spence, thinks I’m lower than him,” Tszyu explained. “He thinks American boxing is at the top, and us Aussies are somewhere underneath.

“And honestly, that’s how most of them think about us over there. And how they treat us when we go there for sparring and camps. They don’t think much of us.

“Ask any Australian fighter about his first sparring sessions in the States. We always have to prove ourselves.

Tim Tszyu has a golden opportunity.Source: Getty Images

“And then when we do, they’re in shock. They’ll say ‘oh, f*** this guy can fight’. And I think that’s what is going to happen next Sunday. This fight is going to be a really big challenge for him.”

Elsewhere, Tszyu also talked about the changes taking place under his new coach.

Asked if Fenech was wanting Tszyu to replicate his own signature style, the former world champion replied: “No, he doesn’t.

“And to try and completely change my style within one camp, it wouldn’t work anyway.

“Because boxing is all about instinct. It’s about teaching your brain to get certain flows, certain muscle memory happening in a fight.”

Instead, Tszyu said fight fans are about to see a new “f***ing hybrid athlete” who will take the best parts of all three coaches he has learned under during his years in the sport.

“When I was with Igor,” Tszyu explained, “I worked a lot on jab, cross, one, two. Bop … bop … bop bop. And I worked on that continuously. Worked on it for eight years repetitively.

“And so much of my career [success], it goes back to Igor. From his years and years of repetition. And I’m blessed to have had all that.

“Same as I’m incredibly grateful for everything he taught me.

“Then in my time with Pedro Diaz from late last year, I was working angles. Started working on backfoot, on front hand. That was all I practised for six months — left hand, angles and legs. That’s it.

FIGHT OF THE YEAR?! Hardman v Vaotuua | 04:38

Tszyu v Spence Jr. | Sunday July 26 from 11am AEST | Tim Tszyu takes on the biggest name in his career so far – future hall-of-famer Errol Spence Jr, in a can’t miss event for boxing fans around the world. | Order Now with Main Event on Kayo Sports.

“And now without going into it, working with Jeff is doing different things again.

“And when you combine all those three learnings, it’s one f***ing hybrid athlete. And that’s exactly how I feel.

“My style is based on all these different teachers from my career. And now we’re just perfecting different things.”

Soon after, Tszyu continued: “What Jeff has brought into my life too, it’s more than about the technical side of boxing.

“He’s given me comfort. Jeff has given me an energy in not only the gym, but also in my life.”

A comfort?

“Having a team that is all aligned, it’s refreshing,” the fighter continued. “Every person has the other’s back.

“And when it’s time to work, we work.

“But afterwards we’re always hanging out, going to dinner.

“Then the energy in the gym, it’s laughter and jokes.

“It’s awesome to have that.”

Should Tszyu win, and get a crack at Lara, he will then have the opportunity to join a list of two-division Australian champions like Jeff Fenech, Liam Paro, Danny Green and Anthony Mundine.

Apart from holding WBA gold for five years, Lara is also no stranger to Australian fans having fought, and finished, Michael Zerafa in 2024 – and on the same night Tszyu lost his world title in that Sebastian Fundora bloodbath.