Less than three months after being announced as a key part of Tszyu\u2019s overhauled entourage, Fox Sports Australia can reveal Fenech is skipping the former world champion\u2019s Sydney return against unbeaten American Anthony Velazquez.<\/p>\n
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The decision comes with the Hall of Famer also branding Tszyu\u2019s short camp under new coach Pedro Diaz as \u201cs***\u201d, likening YouTube footage of pad work sessions as the fighter taking \u201ctwo steps backward\u201d.<\/p>\n
Only three days after Velazquez\u2019s trainer took the big stick to Diaz — branding him a coach who is forever being \u201chired and fired\u201d — Fenech also suggested the Cuban appeared to be bringing nothing new for a fighter who has lost three straight world title fights against Sebastian Fundora and Bakhram Murtazliev.<\/p>\n
The four-division world champion also branded it a mistake to have Diaz arriving Down Under only a day before the fight, and after cornering another of his fighters, Armenia\u2019s Noel Mikaeljan, to a WBC cruiserweight title over the weekend.<\/p>\n
Importantly, Fenech stressed his decision to stay away has nothing to do with Tszyu personally \u2013 \u201cI love Tim and will always be here with whatever he needs\u201d \u2013 and added he also couldn\u2019t fault the resume of Diaz, who has trained over 20 world champions.<\/p>\n
Yet the \u2018Marrickville Mauler\u2019 added that while he will be cheering Tszyu from home, and hopes the new partnership proves successful, it appears from training footage that \u201cTim isn\u2019t doing anything different to previously \u2026 he\u2019s just got a different person with him\u201d.<\/p>\n
“Going to quit again”: Coach blasts Tim | 05:02<\/p>\n
Fenech also said some of the pad work sessions posted online by Diaz showed so little change from his old team it was laughable.<\/p>\n
Back in September, Tszyu made headlines after announcing that he was dumping longtime coach Igor Goloubev and manager Glen Jennings.<\/p>\n
While both men remain employed by Tszyu\u2019s undefeated younger brother, Nikita, the fighter now dubbed Phoenix took himself Stateside to find a new coach, and eventually landed with Diaz.<\/p>\n
As part of the reveal, Tszyu also unveiled a new manager in Darcy Ellis, a new matchmaker in Mike Altamura and suggested Fenech was coming aboard in an advisory role.<\/p>\n
Yet on the eve of Wednesday\u2019s bout, Fenech has had little to do with Tszyu\u2019s preparation and will watch the showdown from home.<\/p>\n
The decision comes as Velazquez\u2019s outspoken trainer Hector Bermudez has also slammed Diaz \u2013 suggesting there were no less than 10 coaches Stateside who would\u2019ve been a better fit for Tszyu.<\/p>\n
Himself a trainer of five world champions, Bermudez stressed Tszyu should never have parted ways with his longtime head coach, and uncle, Goloubev \u2013 while also branding Diaz a coach who has continually been \u201chired and fired\u201d.<\/p>\n
MORE TSZYU VS VELAZQUEZ NEWS<\/p>\n
\u2018PULL YOUR HEAD IN\u2019: Legend\u2019s blunt advice for Tszyu before blockbuster<\/a><\/p>\n \u2018LOVE ACT\u2019: Tszyu opens up over feud with boxing\u2019s most powerful man<\/a><\/p>\n “I don’t even know who the f*** he is!” | 04:08<\/p>\n Asked by Fox Sports Australia for his own thoughts on Diaz, Fenech was equally frank.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen I watch this guy do pads,\u201d he started, \u201cit\u2019s f***ing worse than anything I\u2019ve ever seen.<\/p>\n \u201cHonestly, whenever I watch the footage it makes me laugh.<\/p>\n \u201cI just keep thinking to myself \u2018wow, this is the same stuff Tim was doing with his old team\u2019.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve seen nothing different.<\/p>\n \u201cWhich isn\u2019t me saying anything about Pedro Diaz, who has trained world champions.<\/p>\n \u201cBut unless he\u2019s doing the real sessions behind closed doors with Tim, which I seriously doubt, from what I\u2019ve seen, it\u2019s like he\u2019s taken two steps backwards.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd I\u2019m saying this because I love Tim Tszyu. Same with his wife, who is one of the loveliest people I\u2019ve ever met.<\/p>\n \u201cWhich is why I\u2019m being honest. <\/p>\n \u201cFrom what I\u2019ve seen him doing at training, it\u2019s bulls***\u201d.\u201d<\/p>\n Fenech also slammed the decision to have Tszyu spend the final 10 days of camp without his new coach, and instead prepare under the guidance of his former amateur trainer Khalil \u2018Killa\u2019 Saab.<\/p>\n Jeff Fenech won’t be attending.Source: FOX SPORTS<\/p>\n \u201cListen, these last 10 days are the most important,\u201d the Aussie legend continued. \u201cSo Diaz not being here? It\u2019s the worst thing ever.<\/p>\n \u201cRegardless of whether Tim wins or loses this fight, the preparation has been s***.<\/p>\n \u201cHe might think it\u2019s great.<\/p>\n \u201cBut from what I\u2019ve seen, he hasn\u2019t done anything different to previously.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s just got a different person with him.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is just me being honest. I don\u2019t give a f*** what people say because as I like to play the cards as they play out.<\/p>\n \u201cWhich is why I won\u2019t be going to the fight.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll watch it from home over a nice meal, maybe a scotch and dry.\u201d<\/p>\n Fenech also said this wasn\u2019t about him wanting to coach Tszyu himself, but admitted there are \u201cpeople around him who don\u2019t like me because I tell the truth\u201d.<\/p>\n Asked if he would still consider the trainer\u2019s role, he said: \u201cNah, not at all.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll always be there to help Tim.<\/p>\n \u201cI know a few people around Tim are against me, which makes things hard for him.<\/p>\n \u201cCertain people around him don\u2019t like me and that\u2019s because I tell the truth.<\/p>\n \u201cBut I\u2019d much rather tell the truth and people not like me than lie to make them like me.\u201d<\/p>\n Asked specifically about some of his concerns with the training footage, Fenech continued: \u201cWatching Tim in training at the moment, every time he goes under a punch he comes straight back to where he threw it from.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s the most dangerous thing in the world.<\/p>\n Tszyu vs Velazquez | Wednesday 17 Dec from 7pm AEDT | Tim Tszyu looks for redemption as \u201cThe Phoenix\u201d takes on undefeated American Velazquez in an attempt to reignite his career. | Order Now with Main Event on Kayo Sports.<\/a><\/p>\n Is the Velazquez camp all bark, no bite? | 05:16<\/p>\n \u201cWhen you go under a punch, you\u2019re supposed to move out of the line.<\/p>\n \u201cBut I\u2019ve seen none of that.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd I\u2019m sure Tim feels great over there in Miami because he\u2019s got someone talking to him while he\u2019s making all this noise on the pads.<\/p>\n \u201cBut that\u2019s got nothing to do with a fight.<\/p>\n \u201cFor instance, in his last fight against Fundora, Tim was hitting him once or twice then going straight back out to distance, where the American was hitting him four times.<\/p>\n \u201cSomebody should be saying when he throws those two punches, go to the side so he can\u2019t use his reach. Then you get him again, and again.<\/p>\n \u201cBut Tim was never in a position to do that.<\/p>\n \u201cSo he needs to be shown because I know Tim really is a smart fighter \u2026 but there are things that just haven\u2019t been explained to him.\u201d<\/p>\n Tim Tszyu pictured with Jeff Fenech. Picture: Rohan KellySource: Supplied<\/p>\n Fenech suggested another concern was, if Tszyu wins, it simply covers over the issues with his new coach.<\/p>\n \u201cI know it\u2019s nice to feel happy and make plenty of noise when you\u2019re hitting pads,\u201d he said. \u201cBut it\u2019s not about that.<\/p>\n \u201cSo is Pedro Diaz better than the guys he had before?<\/p>\n \u201cObviously the guy has been around some great fighters, but watching Tim now in training seems no different to the fighter I watched prior to the downfall.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve told Tim when he was at my house, he needs someone to show him what he\u2019s doing wrong.<\/p>\n \u201cSomeone who not only between rounds can tell him what to do, but has already practiced doing it with him.<\/p>\n \u201cBecause if I\u2019ve never practiced something, how do I do it?<\/p>\n \u201cAnd the practice I see Tim getting now, it isn\u2019t what happens in a fight.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen you\u2019re doing padwork, you should be replicating what your opponent is doing.<\/p>\n \u201cThink about the late, great Emanuel Steward, who when he was doing pad work would always be saying \u2018Ok, this is your opponent\u2019.<\/p>\n \u201cSame with Freddie Roach.<\/p>\n \u201cYour opponent doesn\u2019t headbutt your punches.<\/p>\n \u201cThey also don\u2019t stand still when you\u2019re throwing 20 punches, they [move], go backwards.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen we start with shadow sparring, we duplicate someone being there.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re looking to touch him, make him miss, get your distance, go forwards, side to side \u2026 when you do your pad work it\u2019s the same thing.<\/p>\n \u201cSame with sparring.<\/p>\n \u201cTim seems to be doing none of that.\u201d<\/p>\n MORE TSZYU VS VELAZQUEZ NEWS<\/p>\n \u2018GOING TO QUIT AGAIN\u2019: US coach blasts Tszyu \u2014 and exposes Aussie\u2019s \u2018huge mistake\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n