believes that\u2019s a red flag<\/a> heading into a fight with Tszyu \u2013 and the Australian couldn\u2019t agree more. <\/p>\n\u201cIf he\u2019s already talking about holidays and retirement plans, then this is his last goodbye,\u201d said Tszyu.<\/p>\n
Tension between the pair has been simmering, with Spence sensationally refusing to shake Tszyu\u2019s hand during a backroom encounter in Las Vegas in May.<\/p>\n
Tim Tszyu, Brian Mendoza and Errol SpenceSource: FOX SPORTS<\/p>\n
Tszyu appeared caught off guard by the exchange, laughing it off before responding: \u201cI see how it is\u2026 I see how it is.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Aussie says he\u2019s now changed his opinion on the viral moment.<\/p>\n
\u201cHonestly, at the time I thought it was disrespectful,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut looking back at it now\u2026 I\u2019m the one who made the mistake. Why am I going up to him?<\/p>\n
\u201cI was just brought up in a different way. That\u2019s how I was brought up\u2026 respect everyone.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut no, f**k it we\u2019re in a fight. No more handshakes. Maybe we will shake hands after the fight. Now it\u2019s pure businessman.\u201d<\/p>\n
Errol Spence Jr. introduced to vegemite! | 00:46<\/p>\n
Tszyu explained that he wants to take Spence right back to the nightmare of his last fight against Crawford where he was knocked down three times before the fight was stopped.<\/p>\n
\u201cI want him to come back to those memories and do it quicker than Crawford\u2026<\/p>\n
\u201cThe biggest thing for me is to test his heart. How bad does he want it?<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you\u2019ve been there and done that in the sport, it\u2019s like \u2018do I need to do this? Do I need to keep on going?\u2019<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s what I want to test \u2013 when he starts talking to himself.\u201d<\/p>\n
If Spence is to prove Tszyu wrong, he\u2019ll do so with the help of a bloke who knows better than most what it\u2019s like to share the ring with the Aussie.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Big Fish\u201d has enlisted ex-Tszyu opponent \u2013 and former world champ \u2013 Brian Mendoza as a sparring partner as he ramps up preparations.<\/p>\n
Mendoza, who famously upset current champ Sebastian Fundora before losing to Tszyu in 2023, is one of a select group of fighters to have gone the full 12 rounds with the Sydneysider. <\/p>\n
He also made the 13,000km-plus trip Down Under for the Gold Coast bout, giving him first-hand experience of facing Tszyu in front of an Aussie crowd. <\/p>\n
Brian Mendoza and Errol SpenceSource: FOX SPORTS<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a smart move by trainer Ronnie Shields, with Mendoza able to give Spence a genuine read on the situation at hand.<\/p>\n
Mendoza revealed his involvement in Spence\u2019s camp earlier this week, after spending several weeks training in Texas.<\/p>\n
\u201cGot the opportunity to spend a couple of weeks down in Houston getting some world class work with Errol Spence,\u201d he wrote.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor those thinking he\u2019s done or showing up for a check, just know he\u2019s locked in.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Tim Tszyu has cranked up the mind games ahead of his July 26 showdown with Errol Spence Jr…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":772266,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[571],"tags":[64,63,802,85],"class_list":["post-772265","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-boxing","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-boxing","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/772265","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=772265"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/772265\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/772266"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=772265"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=772265"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=772265"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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