If Nikita Tszyu can take his undefeated tear to 11 straight next week, he will be gifted an oversized box of sex toys.
Yep, you read that right.
“But I’m no sex addict,” grins Australia’s most exciting and, err, eclectic fighter.
“I’m not wearing gimp masks or s*** like that, either.
“I just think sometimes these things … yeah, they’re fun and cool.”
So cool, in fact, that when The Butcher makes his hyped return to the ring in next Wednesday night’s stacked No Limit pay-per-event – headlining against undefeated European prospect Lulzim Ismaili – he will do so with Taboo Hub splashed large on his fight trunks.
Of course, there will be other loyal sponsors, too.
Nikita Tszyu vs Lulzim Ismaili | Wednesday 20 August 7PM AEST | Order this PPV event now with Main Event on Kayo Sports.
‘Not the greatest… It’s still healing’ | 03:34
Think Everlast, Carbiz, even Global Truck Imports.
But it’s the crew from Taboo Hub, Australia’s premium online adult store, who have promised Tszyu the most uniquely X-rated prize anywhere in Australian sport.
“Yeah, they’re sending me a box of sex toys,” Tszyu grins.
“I’ve asked for a mystery collection.
“So we’ll see what they send out I guess.
“I’ve just said ‘surprise me’.”
Geez, we’ve missed this, right?
Understanding how Australian boxing … well, it’s just better with The Butcher in it.
Which now wonderfully, he is.
After almost a year away nursing that troublesome left hand injury, 27-year-old Tszyu is now returning atop a stacked card also featuring the likes of Michael Zerafa, Brock Jarvis, Jazzy Parr, Ahmad Reda and Brandon ‘The Bull’ Grach.
More than looking to continue his rise and rise in the super welterweight division – where he is now world ranked with both the IBF and WBO – The Butcher also brings with him one of Australian sport’s most quirky characters.
Think a breakout pay-per-view star who has already made headlines for not only his heavy hands, but eating bull testicles, drinking cobra blood, forging rings, chopping trees for cardio, even naming his first child after a NASA Mars rover.
Elsewhere this week, this youngest son of Australia’s most famous fight family has also admitted to fueling on both the breast milk and placenta of his wife, also named Nikita – and who recently gave birth to their first child, daughter Curiosity.
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Asked if was surprised by the national headlines exploding after his surprise breakfast radio claims, Tszyu admits to being both shocked and unsurprised — at the same time.
“Because I knew people would be like ‘what the f***?’,” he grins. “But I’m also still surprised that people are so surprised.
“I mean, who really thinks I wouldn’t do it?”
And as for being maybe the only world ranked boxer with an adult entertainment store on his fight trunks?
“At first I thought their offer was bulls***,” Tszyu grinned of the crew from Taboo Hub.
“But then when I realised what they were all about, and that the offer was real, yeah, I think it’s all just really cool.”
Tszyu confirmed the Taboo Hub had been with him since early in 2023, when he embarked on an incredible domestic rise that included big wins over Bo Belbin, Ben Bommber, Jack Brubaker and Dylan Biggs – the last of which earned him the Australian title.
Speaking this week, a spokesperson for Taboo Hub said they were excited to be aligned with The Butcher, explaining: “You’re talking about an athlete who is incredibly serious inside the ring but then, outside of it, enjoys having fun and doesn’t take himself too seriously”.
A truth proved when Tszyu was speaking on Wednesday’s Triple M Breakfast program.
It was here, while listeners were still downing coffee and cornflakes, that the rising star revealed how in preparation for Wednesday’s Main Event headliner, he has been eating his wife’s placenta.
That, and washing it down with breast milk.
The revelation is similar to stars like Kim Kardashian, Hilary Duff and Alicia Silverstone, who have all consumed their own placenta, either in liquid or capsule form, after having children.
American Pie star Jason Biggs has also spoken of ingesting wife Jenny Mollen’s placenta.
So as for why The Butcher decided on adding said organ to a diet that has previously, and famously, seen him devouring raw liver weekly, along with various other animal heart, spleen and testicle cuts?
“Ancient cultures always used the placenta,” Tszyu explains.
“It’s full of vitamins.
Nikita Tszyu vs Lulzim Ismaili | Wednesday 20 August 7PM AEST | Order this PPV event now with Main Event on Kayo Sports.
Zerafa: Nikita is better than Tim | 03:46
“So I thought ‘OK, why not try it too?’
“(Laughs) Initially, I even considered making placenta burgers.
“Feed the family and turn them all into cannibals.
“But I’m not really sure how that would’ve gone.”
About the only thing Tszyu seems to have grown tired of discussing during this preparation is his left hand, which has undergone multiple surgeries since last October, with complications also leading to his return being twice delayed.
Asked by the media this week about that power hand, the southpaw admitted: “It’s OK.
“Not in the greatest position, but a position where it’s good enough to get by.
“It’s still in the healing process.
“But once I lace up the gloves I’m able to push the pain aside and my sparring has been testament to that.
“Even though my hand has been a little sore beforehand, I’ve been able to fight with the same aggression I usually do.
“And once the adrenaline kicks in, it doesn’t matter what you’re feeling … it’s life or death.”
Pushed again on where the hand was at, Tszyu laughed: “Guys relax about the hand.
“It’s f***ing fine.
“I’m good.
“Any more questions that aren’t hand related?”
Um, yeah, there are a couple – starting with your fight week diet.
A temporary organ with the sole purpose of providing babies with nutrients during pregnancy, the placenta can these days be devoured in various forms including tablets, gummies, even smoothies – all of which are created initially, by drying and then grinding up the placenta into a powder.
Nikita’s scary new opponent revealed | 05:39
While there is no scientific evidence to suggest eating placenta is beneficial – with some medical studies even branding it dangerous – Tszyu insists his training sessions have been boosted as a result.
“This thing is a powerhouse,” the fighter told Fox Sports Australia. “It’s so beneficial.
“Your body grows this organ full of nutrients and then, what, we throw it away?
“That’s crazy.
“Crazy that we’ve been conditioned to think that just because this is an organ, we can’t eat it.
“People supplement with vitamins all the time.”
And as for consuming breast milk, a practice which has risen in popularity due to weightlifters claiming they have gained extra muscle from the practice?
“Ah, I’m not drinking that consistently,” the fighter grinned.
“But I’ve tried it — tastes nice.
“(Laughs) It’s not like Homelander drinking breast milk all the time.
“I wish I was.
“Maybe I need to be more consistent with it.”
Asked about his other famed carnivorous traits, The Butcher revealed much of this is now consumed in tablet form.
“It’s all freeze dried, in capsules,” he says.
“I have a sponsor that supplies me with all these supplements that help me to feel good.
“I take them every morning without fail.
“It’s the best way to get vitamins … I even have my dogs take them.”
And to be fair, who would be more surprised if he didn’t?