Meet Omar Iferd – Tim Tszyu’s official fight chef, who could be the secret ingredient to ensure the talented Aussie boxer goes all the way to the top.
Tszyu (23-0, 17KOs), who will enter the ring against American Brian Mendoza (22-2, 16KOs) on the Gold Coast on Sunday as he looks to retain his WBO super-welterweight belt, first met Iferd when he was working at a café in Sydney’s Brighton-Le-Sands.
The connection between the pair was instant.
Now Iferd is in charge of Tszyu’s diet, a vital role as nutrition for boxers is crucial.
‘The best thing about Tim….he’s a champion for a reason…he’s disciplined,’ Iferd told News Corp.
Meet Omar Iferd – Tim Tszyu’s fight chef, who could be the secret ingredient to ensure the Aussie boxer goes all the way to the top
Tszyu, who is unbeaten in 23 career fights, will enter the ring against American Brian Mendoza on the Gold Coast on Sunday as he looks to retain his WBO super-welterweight belt
‘He knows what his body needs and he will give me advice sometimes about what he wants … and what he needs to eat.’
Be it an Asian dish, grilled food or steak, Iferd is adaptable.
He has grown close to Tszyu, and labelled their working relationship ‘more like a family.’
Many boxing experts are tipping Tszyu to outclass his opponent on the Glitter Strip – but legendary Aussie fighter Jeff Fenech said it was ‘very dangerous’ and ‘Tim has to be at his best.’
Never short of confidence, Tszyu was having none of it.
He told reporters this week he has ‘a black heart right now’ and is ready to destroy his big-punching challenger from New Mexico.
‘He fought Sebastian Fundora [in Carson, California] but it’s a different vibe here on the Gold Coast. You’re coming into enemy territory completely,’ he said.
‘Everyone here is Aussie. It’s like I’m defending the land. There’s no way he’s coming to grab the land.’
After the fight against Mendoza, Tszyu will head to the boxing mecca that is the US
After first claiming the WBO interim title with a savage ninth-round stoppage against American Tony Harrison in Sydney in March, Tszyu defended the strap on the Gold Coast with a first-round knockout of Mexican Carlos Ocampo in June.
His victory over Ocampo came just 22 days after requiring surgery and 26 stitches in right hand after being attacked by a friend’s Pit Bull Terrier.
Now fully recovered, Tszyu is ready to showcase a different beast against Mendoza.
‘It’s not him, it’s me. The progression that I’m making, it’s me I can’t wait to show you,’ he said.
‘Last time there was a dog bite, so there was a bit of a problem. I was lucky I got it out in 70 [seconds]. This time you’ll see a more, I guess, calculated performance.’
Twenty-one of Tszyu’s 22 previous previous professional fights have been in Australia, with his lone overseas tussle being a victory over Terrell Gausha in Minneapolis in March last year.
But he craves the boxing mecca of Las Vegas, where Tszyu recently returned from an intense training camp, and says his fighting future beyond Sunday lay in the US.
‘I know this is the last hurrah in Australia,’ Tszyu said. ‘This is it.’