Laughing off Tim Tszyu’s US ambitions, trash-talking local Keith Thurman has vowed to send the Australian home ‘tail tucked, head down’ – before labelling the unbeaten star a ‘flat-footed, slow Mexican’.
Tszyu will enter the ring against the two-time world champion as he makes his long-awaited Las Vegas debut in a mega-money pay-per-view blockbuster on March 30 (March 31 AEDT).
The undefeated Sydney slayer stepped up to the microphone in Los Angeles on Wednesday to trumpet the end of Thurman’s career and the beginning of ‘Tszyu-SA’.
But it was Thurman who won the fiery exchange with a string of verbal blows.
‘He’s coming – young, undefeated, determined – trying to open up the gates to his new era, the new generation,’ Thurman said.
American Keith Thurman has lit the fuse ahead of his bout against Tim Tszyu, labelling the unbeaten Aussie star a ‘flat-footed, slow Mexican’
Tim Tszyu kept his composure, before guaranteeing he would knock out Keith Thurman
‘But it’s my job to close the door shut right in his face.
‘I want him to go, tail tucked, head down back to his daddy in Australia, “I’m sorry, pops. I’m sorry, the Tszyu name. I’m [going to] stop. I’m done. I didn’t know he was that bad”.’
WBO super-welterweight champ Tszyu fired back, declaring he would knock out the 35-year-old – but Thurman retorted in flamboyant fashion.
‘You’re flat-feet slow – Australia, that’s a small island very far away and I did not know flat-footed Mexicans were born in Australia,’ Thurman said, referring to Tszyu’s fighting style.
He then chanted, ‘Mexican Tszyu, what you gonna do?’ before adding, ‘I ain’t lost to no Mexican. Do your research.’
In boxing circles, the Mexican way of fighting is commonly described as an aggressive, come-forward style that relies on power and wearing opponents down, as opposed to the more finesse-based, light-footed technique Thurman is known for.
Though not fighting to strip Tszyu (24-0, 17KOs) of his title when the two meet at T-Mobile Arena, denying the 29-year-old a career-defining victory would be enough for Thurman.
Most recently coming out on top against compatriot Mario Barrios in February 2022, the American has lost just once in his career – to Manny Pacquiao in 2019 via split decision.
A win for Tszyu could clear the way for super-fights against pound-for-pound king Terence Crawford (40-0, 31KOs) and Errol Spence (28-1, 22KOs).
Thurman, 35, was in a playful mood – but come fight night he pledged to send the Aussie home ‘tail tucked and head down’
Post the Thurman bout, Tszyu wants to fight the likes of Terence Crawford and Errol Spence
‘I’m planning on, not just to beat Keith Thurman but to make such a spectacle that he’s never seen before,’ Tszyu said.
‘I aspire to the throwback fighters. Fighters these days, in this modern era, they’re just a bunch of p***ies.
‘In the 2000s, everyone just fought the best. That’s what I am.’
Tszyu insisted he had already done the work to take down Thurman, having imitated him as a sparring partner for Filipino legend Pacquiao before the pair’s 2019 fight.
‘I sparred Manny in preparation for Keith Thurman, so I know. I’ve studied him, had to imitate him for Pacquiao. I know him back to front.
‘And once I’m done with Thurman, I want Spence, Crawford, all those big names.
‘This is a different era – this is the Tim Tszyu era.’