Konstantin Borisovich "Kostya" Tszyu (born September 19, 1969) is a Russian-Australian former professional boxer. He is a four-time light welterweight world champion, having also spent a period of time as the undisputed champion of that division. Tszyu was a good all-around boxer, who relied heavily on accuracy and timing with his shots and carried exceptional punching power, often being regarded as one of the hardest-punching light welterweights in the division's history.

Tszyu holds notable victories over former world champions Julio Cesar Chavez, Zab Judah and Roger Mayweather. In November 2001 he became the first champion to unify the light welterweight division in over 30 years and is considered by many in Australia to be a national sports hero. In The Ring magazine's March 2010 issue, Tszyu was ranked as the number one junior welterweight of the 2000s decade. On 7 December 2010, he was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame for the class of 2011.

Early years

Tszyu was born in Serov, a town near the Ural Mountains, in the former Soviet Union to a Korean (paternal)-Mongol (maternal) father and a Russian mother. Tszyu's father was a fitter in a metal factory, whereas his mother was a nurse.

As a child, Kostya was hyperactive, so his father decided to take him to a boxing gym, where he would channel that energy by fighting older boys. He impressed the Soviet amateur team coaches and he was sent to the Soviet Union's amateur boxing travelling training camps, where he visited more than 30 countries while training and fighting in tournaments. He trained with that group 250 days a year, and won various tournaments, such as amateur boxing's world championships. He also participated in the 1988 Olympic Games. At the Cuban world championship tournament in 1987, he came in second place, and at the Seoul Olympic games, he lost in the third round.

Tszyu was a member of the Soviet military too, but since he was selected as an elite athlete, he was not required to participate in combat. He fought at the world championships once again, in Moscow in 1989, where he came in third place.

In 1991, he went again to the amateur world championships, this time held in Sydney. This was a trip that would change his life forever. Not only was the third time his charm, but he felt enchanted with the sights of Sydney and its people, and decided he wanted to live in Australia. Following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, early the next year, Tszyu emigrated to Australia with his girlfriend, where they married in 1993 and became Australian citizens, settling in Rockdale, Sydney. Before marrying her, though, Tszyu had already turned professional, beating Darrell Hiles by a knockout in one round on March 1, 1992, at Melbourne.

Professional career

Light welterweight

Tszyu started raising his quality of opposition almost immediately. In his fourth professional bout, he met the former WBC Featherweight Champion Juan Laporte, decisioning him over ten rounds. In his sixth bout, he beat contender Sammy Fuentes by a knockout in the first. Fuentes would go on to win a world title years after being handily beaten by Tszyu in 1993, Steve Larrimore, Larry La Crousiere and Robert Rivera, went to Australia to fight Tszyu, and none lasted more than two rounds. The only man to last more than two rounds with Tszyu in 1993 was Livingstone Bramble, a former World lightweight Champion, who lost by decision to Tszyu at Newcastle, New South Wales.