Kostya Comeback Kid

caster · Post by **caster** » 29 Jan 2007, 15:12

Just read that Kostya's making a comeback. Personally, I hope he doesn't.

He was a class champion who never made excuses!!

Phenomenal-Nutrition · Post by **Phenomenal-Nutrition** » 29 Jan 2007, 15:15

Hes left it too long and is surely only looking for 1 big payday now.

ABA Boxing · Post by **ABA Boxing** » 29 Jan 2007, 15:36

Phenomenal-Nutrition wrote:Hes surely only looking for 1 big payday now.

Just like the rest of them then! Hatton, DLH, PBF ect

steve689 · Post by **steve689** » 29 Jan 2007, 16:05

I presume he will probably be returning around Welterweight?

hitman_hatton1 · Post by **hitman_hatton1** » 29 Jan 2007, 16:17

steve689 wrote:I presume he will probably be returning around Welterweight?

let's hope so.

let him batter those poor fuckers instead.

bugs · Post by **bugs** » 29 Jan 2007, 17:51

considering his fitness regime and genrally healthy lifestyle there is no reason he should not come back and make an impact in the division. Love to see Cotto take a big right hand from him!

caster · Post by **caster** » 29 Jan 2007, 17:57

reckon he'd beat Hatton at welter?

Phenomenal-Nutrition · Post by **Phenomenal-Nutrition** » 29 Jan 2007, 19:29

caster wrote:reckon he'd beat Hatton at welter?

I think Hatton and a load of other beat Tyszu now. Hes too old and doesnt have the stamina or defense for this game now.

Taki... · Post by **Taki...** » 29 Jan 2007, 19:39

Phenomenal-Nutrition wrote:
caster wrote:reckon he'd beat Hatton at welter?
I think Hatton and a load of other beat Tyszu now. Hes too old and doesnt have the stamina or defense for this game now.

I think Tszyu would still be very dangerous for fighters who like to stand off him and try and box at range. If he still has his timing and power he'll always cause massive problems for fighters like Judah, Witter and probably even Mayweather.

states · Post by **states** » 29 Jan 2007, 20:04

I'd love to see Witter-Tszyu. Let's see if Junior really can knock him out in 5 rounds.

Of course, that won't happen. But Tszyu-Cotto would still be interesting.

Phenomenal-Nutrition · Post by **Phenomenal-Nutrition** » 29 Jan 2007, 20:35

Any proposed comeback would be 2years after his defeat when he was past his prime as it was. Before that he was out the ring for 18months and wasn't particularly active prior to that. Tyszu's a big name that if he does comeback someone will cash in on.

Autobarn · Post by **Autobarn** » 30 Jan 2007, 05:16

Tszyu should just drop it. Why put himself at the mercy of men he would've battered years ago?

BigGar · Post by **BigGar** » 30 Jan 2007, 05:26

I was always a fan of Tszyu but do not want to see him near a ring again.

He's been far too inactive for my liking. He'll end up losing to men he'd have devoured 5 years ago. Why are boxers always the last to know that their skills have eroded?

Sweet P · Post by **Sweet P** » 31 Jan 2007, 06:11

It's been reported here that he has been training in the gym for a few months and is considering taking a fight, They report he will only fight for a title but there has been no interviews or talk from him personally.
I don't know whether he should fight really but he wasn't doing that bad from rounds 6-9 against Hatton and maybe at 147 he has a punchers chance against most of the champions.

stujones · Post by **stujones** » 31 Jan 2007, 06:33

Immediately after Hatton, I wouldn't have minded him coming back. Indeed, I thought a return with Hatton might have had a different outcome - cause I do think ring rust played some part in his downfall.

Now though, he is too old and been too inactive, hope he retires.

Roars Like Me · Post by **Roars Like Me** » 31 Jan 2007, 06:43

Why not his old title is being fought for by two below par fighters(australian at that)
He must think I can win my title back in one fight.
I'm sure the IBF will do a 'Vitali' and install him as their number 1 contender.

After seeing Hatton slow down in his last few fights, he must be thinking I fancy my chnaces this time around.

All of a sudden the Hatton night will seem like he just took Hatton too lightly in the first place. As it happens I think he did.

As stated before it depneds if he can still make that weight or not...

stujones · Post by **stujones** » 31 Jan 2007, 06:45

Indeed Roars like me, you have made a damn good point.

Ndou or Rabah vs Tszyu in Australia could be the biggest boxing event down under for years. It might even be with the IBF title at stake.

Phenomenal-Nutrition · Post by **Phenomenal-Nutrition** » 31 Jan 2007, 07:14

stujones wrote:Indeed Roars like me, you have made a damn good point.

Ndou or Rabah vs Tszyu in Australia could be the biggest boxing event down under for years. It might even be with the IBF title at stake.

Tyszu has previously said he'd never go back to 140 I don't know if he'd change his mind for this

jamesmcdonnell · Post by **jamesmcdonnell** » 31 Jan 2007, 07:52

Roars Like Me wrote:Why not his old title is being fought for by two below par fighters(australian at that)
He must think I can win my title back in one fight.
I'm sure the IBF will do a 'Vitali' and install him as their number 1 contender.

After seeing Hatton slow down in his last few fights, he must be thinking I fancy my chnaces this time around.

All of a sudden the Hatton night will seem like he just took Hatton too lightly in the first place. As it happens I think he did.

As stated before it depneds if he can still make that weight or not...

Hmmm, something has brought this on, because up until recently, he showed no inclination to return. To do so after two years of inactivity, when he was already inactive previously, seems foolhardy. He also has some injury issues which have hampered his training in the past.

I think it is possible he took Hatton too lightly, he did seem rather unconcerned about Ricky in interviews I did with him, I think he expected that once he started landing those big right hands on Hatton, that he would fold and when that didn't happen, he was taken out of his game.

I would be surprised if he came back at 140 at his age, he is a big lad, and with his breakdowns in training, it would seem unlikely.

My guess, is that he is looking to fight the winner of Mayweather v Oscar De La Hoya. When I spoke to Kostya before the Hatton fight, he said he would love to fight Oscar, and that this was the fight that he would like to have to end his career. Given that Oscar is perhaps a little unexpectedly still fighting, Kostya probably harbours the desire for one last grandstand fight.

It might sound mental, but I could see it happening, but I think Kostya would need a couple of performances to make people sit up and take notice. His next bout is an exhibition, which is obviously to get him in some sort of shape. He would probably only need one tune up fight and ?I am sure would get a title shot.

Autobarn · Post by **Autobarn** » 31 Jan 2007, 08:17

Roars Like Me wrote:Why not his old title is being fought for by two below par fighters(australian at that)
He must think I can win my title back in one fight.
I'm sure the IBF will do a 'Vitali' and install him as their number 1 contender.

After seeing Hatton slow down in his last few fights, he must be thinking I fancy my chnaces this time around.

All of a sudden the Hatton night will seem like he just took Hatton too lightly in the first place. As it happens I think he did.

As stated before it depneds if he can still make that weight or not...

Oh dear, he was made "WBC champion Emeritus" while he was injured after he was stripped by the WBC for injuries (allowng Gatti-Dorin for the vacant title). If he was Emeritus then, he might be able to insist on a WBC light welter v Witter, a WBC welter (likely vacated by Mayweather soon), who knows?

m1kee50 · Post by **m1kee50** » 31 Jan 2007, 12:43

What makes champions great is what makes them ruin their legacy - that refusal to give in, whether to age, or injury, or opponents. I hope Kostya stays retired, maybe trains some fighters, and leaves us with GREAT memories

jamesmcdonnell · Post by **jamesmcdonnell** » 31 Jan 2007, 13:02

The only thing in Kostya's favour, is that he shouldn't really have that many miles on the clock. He has been in only a few tough fights, has had a lot of breaks between fights, and really hasn't had all that many fights as a pro considering.

I can see him having enough to beat some of the current champs at the weight if he was able to get in the correct shape, his punchpower will be the last thing to do, and provided his timing isn't shot, he could still take out most people in the division.

Roars Like Me · Post by **Roars Like Me** » 08 Feb 2007, 06:47

Lovemore N'dou... Mmmmm .... based in Sydney....Mmmmm...give him the belt due to Ricky effing about...Mmmmm... at very least fight for it in his next fight against.....Mmmm...... Who could he fight, who could it be??? Mmmmm.

Roars Like Me · Post by **Roars Like Me** » 09 Feb 2007, 12:02

This came out today as if by magic!

LOVEMORE Ndou, the man likely to be crowned Australia's latest world champion, says he would be happy to give Kostya Tszyu a chance to reclaim the IBF junior-welterweight belt but has urged the ponytailed pugilist to stay retired.

With British champion Ricky Hatton - who defeated Tszyu for the crown - looking certain to fight Mexican Jose Luis Castillo in June, the IBF could strip Hatton of the belt today and hand it to Ndou, the mandatory challenger.

This creates the exciting prospect of an Ndou-Tszyu showdown, although Tszyu has indicated he would rather fight in his native Russia and that 35-year-old Ndou wouldn't be a consideration.

Ndou (45-8, 30KO), who defeated Perth-based Naoufel Ben Rabah in an IBF title eliminator last week, said Tszyu should stay out of the ring altogether to evade serious injury.

"Kostya has nothing left to prove, he has done Australia proud, he has done his family proud. He should stay retired, otherwise he is going to get hurt," Ndou said. "If he wants to fight me, I will seriously hurt him.

"It will be a fight that generates a lot of money and interest … but if Kostya makes a comeback, I think there's no way he will be able to make light-welterweight. He will fight at welterweight."

If the IBF does strip Hatton (42-0, 30KO) of his belt as expected, South African-born Ndou would join flyweight Vic Darchinyan and super-featherweight Gairy St Claire as the only current Australians to hold world titles. St Claire lost his IBF title last November but still holds the IBO belt, Darchinyan has the IBF and IBO belts.

"I will be the third Australian world champion, regardless," said Ndou. "If Ricky Hatton fights me, I will beat him in the ring, and if not, then I will get the world title. Hatton is a protected species at the moment. He doesn't want to face me in the ring. He has disrespected the IBF. Every time he wins a title he doesn't fight the mandatory challenger, he goes to a different weight class."

Hatton's promoter, Dennis Hobson, claims he has not been contacted by Ndou's management - something the Australian sneered at - and gave an indication of his intentions when he said: "If I can't talk to them, obviously the chances of doing any business with them are zero. The Castillo fight is worth millions and millions of dollars and Ndou needs us more than we need him."

A father-of-four who is hoping to graduate with a double degree in media and law at the end of the year, Ndou said he could continue to school ring opponents for the next decade.

"I can fight for another 10 years, until I am 45, because of my lifestyle and the way I live. I don't drink, I don't smoke, I don't touch drugs," he said.

But if Hatton doesn't come, Ndou - who has finished five of his past six opponents inside the distance - will be taking all calls.

Meanwhile, Ben Rabah is taking an extended break to spend time with his Polish-born wife in Germany. Rabah's trainer, Craig Christian, said he expected Rabah to resume training in six months.

jamesmcdonnell · Post by **jamesmcdonnell** » 09 Feb 2007, 12:27

If Tszyu is anything like his old self, he could still beat N'dou. However, with the layoff who knows how much is left..