![](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/poster-fallback.png\"\/)
<\/p>\n
Speaking with media at a Grand Arrivals event on Tuesday night, the fighter now dubbed \u2018Phoenix\u2019 also revealed Hall of Famer Jeff Fenech will be staying aboard as head coach for as long as his career lasts.<\/p>\n
After weeks of hype, Tszyu finally kicked off fight week celebrations at a gala Sydney Harbour launch where he and Spence walked the red carpet, fronted media, addressed a Main Event Australia panel and, eventually, took part in an extended face off.<\/p>\n
Tim Tszyu and Errol Spence Jr. stare down in Sydney.Source: FOX SPORTS<\/p>\n
Earlier in the afternoon, the pair also sat across from each other in an interview conducted by Main Event\u2019s Ben Damon.<\/p>\n
At the finish, it is understood Spence rose from his chair and shook Damon\u2019s hand, however refused to do the same with Tszyu. Walking out of the room, the Texan suggested there would also be no handshake after the fight either.<\/p>\n
Asked about the confrontation on Tuesday night, Tszyu grinned: \u201cDoesn\u2019t bother me, man. We\u2019re not going to be friends and that\u2019s alright. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re here to punch on.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a fight, not a dancing contest.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd do I want to hurt him? Yes I do. He\u2019s got everything I want.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not personal for me though, it\u2019s a sport.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tim Tszyu at the arrivals. Photo via No Limit BoxingSource: Supplied<\/p>\n
Think it\u2019s personal for Spence?<\/p>\n
After all, this is a man who has been in your orbit for two years, and was sitting ringside, and ready to confront you, had things gone more successfully that night of your Sebastian Fundora bloodbath.<\/p>\n
Elsewhere, Spence has also publicly backed against Tszyu in several big fights, including Tony Harrison.<\/p>\n
Even when the pair announced the fight in Las Vegas, Spence now famously refused to shake Tszyu\u2019s hand backstage, before more recently also failing to show up for a scheduled satellite TV interview between the pair.<\/p>\n
“This is my lose yourself moment”: Tszyu | 07:34<\/p>\n
So again, think it\u2019s personal?<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah, he\u2019s a bit rattled,\u201d the Aussie shrugged while addressing a media scrum. \u201cBut he\u2019s never had a liking for me anyway. So any little thing I throw at him, he\u2019s going to react.\u201d<\/p>\n
Despite the afternoon exchange, neither Tszyu or Spence said anything when they squared off later in the evening, and before a huge crowd that included a host of NRL stars like Cody Walker, Jack Wighton and Josh Addo Carr, plus a Main Event broadcast team of Shawn Porter, Paulie Malignaggi and Danny Green. <\/p>\n
While the stare down was longer than usual, neither man said a word as fireworks went off behind them.<\/p>\n
Tim Tszyu at the arrivals. Photo via No Limit BoxingSource: Supplied<\/p>\n
Asked prior if, maybe, Spence was using the handshake drama to try and make him emotional in fight week, Tszyu continued: \u201cI dunno but I\u2019m not emotional, man. I\u2019m so locked in. So in the zone. <\/p>\n
\u201cAnd it\u2019s good to have this feeling. <\/p>\n
\u201cBut half the words he says, I can\u2019t understand him anyway. Give me subtitles …\u201d<\/p>\n
Elsewhere, Tszyu also surprisingly said that, moving forward, he will now be campaigning permanently as a middleweight.<\/p>\n
As revealed last week, Team Spence have requested, and been granted, an increase in weight for Sunday\u2019s bout to the middleweight limit of 160 pounds.<\/p>\n
The change represents a two pound increase on an initially agreed catchweight, and is a division up on where negotiations first opened for the fight.<\/p>\n
Tim Tszyu at the arrivals. Photo via No Limit BoxingSource: Supplied<\/p>\n
Asked by Fox Sports Australia when he knew about the change, Tszyu said: \u201cTwo weeks ago, maybe a week.\u201d<\/p>\n
And as for your thoughts?<\/p>\n
\u201cJust bring him here,\u201d he grinned. \u201cI\u2019ll say yes. Doesn\u2019t bother me. And this could be the start of something new … middleweight.\u201d<\/p>\n
Already, there have been suggestions that, in victory, Tszyu could go straight into a fight with WBA middleweight king Erislandy Lara.<\/p>\n
\u201cI will be moving to middleweight.,\u201d Tszyu said when the issue of weight was pushed. \u201cAnd this is my first fight there.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve been doing 154 for 10 years.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is the first time coming into fight week where I\u2019ve got f***ing blood in my brain. You\u2019re going to see a better performance for sure.\u201d<\/p>\n
‘He’s trying to take my eyesight!’ | 01:41<\/p>\n
So any chance he ever fights again at super welterweight?<\/p>\n
\u201cFor what? Money,\u201d he shrugged.<\/p>\n
Or a world title offer, particularly if you win big over Spence?<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m at 160 now,\u201d he said simply. \u201cThat\u2019s my new move and I feel it … breaking news.\u201d<\/p>\n
Asked if Fenech also supported this breaking news, Tszyu smiled before replying: \u201cI do what I want to do. That\u2019s the difference from previous times.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd Jeff supports me no matter what. Very caring bloke.\u201d<\/p>\n
Errol Spence Jr. at the arrivals. Photo via No Limit BoxingSource: Supplied<\/p>\n
And as for how long the Tszyu-Fenech partnership is for?<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s it man, to the end of my career,\u201d he said. \u201cWhat I\u2019ve gained from Jeff words can\u2019t describe it. I\u2019m forever in debt to him.\u201d<\/p>\n
Elsewhere, Tszyu also explained how the feeling he has this fight week, it is something he has experienced only twice before.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are three fights where I\u2019ve been [this] locked in,\u201d he said. \u201cWhere I\u2019ve felt different from previous fights. It\u2019s Jeff Horn, Tony Harrison and Errol Spence.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a different feeling and I just can\u2019t wait to get in there. I don\u2019t like doing all these interviews, I just want to punch on.\u201d<\/p>\n
Toughest challenge of your career?<\/p>\n
\u201cOf course, and it\u2019s why I have this feeling,\u201d he said. \u201cI want this fight to come down not to skills, but who wants it more.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Tim Tszyu has declared Errol Spence Jnr \u201crattled\u201d after the pair engaged in a heated Face Off interview…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":814622,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[571],"tags":[64,63,802,85],"class_list":["post-814621","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\/814621","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=814621"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/814621\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/814622"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=814621"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=814621"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=814621"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}