The Kostya Tszyu myth of being great

People rate fighters for different merits. Sometimes it's record, some times it's ability, some times it' both. Other times it's just their persona that put them in the spotlight..

People who rate Tszyu highly appreciate his skills. You can see just by watching most of his fights how great a technician he was, his timing was superb, he had power, his speed was always underrated by his opposition and he had excellent ring generalship. He was a great personality and a great champion. All the things people remember fighters for.

You ask anyone about his two losses and they'll throw every excuse in the book at you, but that's not to say they're not in some way legitimate. Phillips - he was cocky, fell in love with his power and some argue wasn't focused at all due to a few outside factors - a lawsuit being one of them. Hatton, well Hatton got every possible advantage by paying a bucketload to get to figt Tszyu and well, we know what happened.

He's great to watch

 

Tszyu mostly fought in the other boxer's backyard -- a fact not to be underestimated.

Truly underrated these days.

 

He was garbage, Berto's uppercuts would seperate his head from his body sending his nogg'in spiraling into the mid-rows, with blood splattering in the faces of ring girls and judges.

 

I actually predicted that fight as going to be just like Floyd-Corrales.

 

these debates are always subjective and easy to sway one way or the other depending on personal bias.
in my humble opinion, Kosta was/ is overrated and doesn't really deserve the word 'Great' attatched to his name but thats because i just never 'clicked' watching him back in the day.
almost like a joe calzaghe thing really; sure he was dominant but he also missed out on valid opposition with no good reason.......

 

Everybody bypassing 140 when he was in there had something to do with it.

He cost himself an ODLH fight by being dumb and cocky against Phillips, but that's it.

Name somebody in 140 when he was there that he should have fought and didn't?

Injuries ruined the end of his career though. He was out for a very long time after fighting Zab, and his fight against Leija was purely to make money and have a fight in Australia.

Still, I don't feel he avoided anybody. Not moving up in weight maybe can be held against him, but nobody holds that against Hagler. And he was too small for welter.

 

Do the people that are saying Kostya isn't great, think Mosley is great?

Because his record is far, far easier to pick apart than Kostya's - and throw in the fact he's an admitted PED user - and it looks even worse.

It depends on your definition of "great" I suppose. If you're talking Hearns, Leonard great - then no he's not.

If you're talking about just the next level down, then absolutely he is.

 

OMFG !!!!



http://www.eastsideboxing.com/forum/showthread.php?t=276001







:happy:happy

 

easily a hall of famer. great fighter and his legacy will be remembered as so.

 

Except Tszyu came over and fought the latter type but with actual boxing skill on their home turf to become the undisputed champ. He was a champ for nearly a decade in a shortened career both by turning pro late and injuries that plagued the end of his career.

every round? If Bobby Joe Young beat Pryor...If Randall beat Chavez...If Jones beat Barrera...If JLC beat Mayweather...you can dismiss everyone with that line. Many old timers who are considered highly-ranked ATG have many loses on their records. I guess it was OK to lose many times then but 1 loss now can really damage you whole career. atsch

:rofl at Leonard, camacho and mancini. Arguello was never a proven 140 pounder and was pretty shop worn. And still Pryor had to cheat to beat him. Never beat a decent 140 pounder that was prime or anywhere close to being prime.

 

Mosley's resume:

Win against Oscar.
Loss against Oscar (win on paper)
Loss against Forrest.
Loss against Forrest.
Loss against Winky
Loss against Winky
Loss against Cotto
Loss against Mayweather
Loss against Mora (draw on paper)
Loss against Pacquaio, probably.

Mosley was always deficient in the skill department and that's why he never accomplished much as an amateur.

 

Tszyu was certainly a very good fighter but he was never great,which is a much over used word on here.Also at the end of the day he seems to be cut a hell of a lot of slack for quitting and seemingly being happy to do so with just 3 minutes to go against Hatton.

 

His trainer stopped it when he saw that Kostya was completely spent. It was a good decision.

Maybe he should have faked being outraged or claimed an injury and repeated it ad nauseam like most do?

Kostya was a class act.